CALDWELL, Idaho – A runner in the lane at the buzzer from
Mackenzie Royce rimmed out, as the College of Idaho dropped a tough 66-65 decision to Northwest Christian inside the J.A. Albertson Activities Center.
Morgan McKinney converted a contested 5-footer in the pain with five seconds remaining to give the Beacons (8-13, 5-7 CCC) the one-point lead. Following a C of I time out, Royce drove down the right side of the lane and put up a 10-footer that hit front iron, back iron, rolled around the cylinder and fell out as the horn sounded.
NCU jumped out to quick 9-2 lead on the strength of three early McKinney baskets and extended the margin to 23-15 on a Dani Baker triple. The Yotes (9-9, 7-5) responded with a 9-0 run spanning the opening quarters – as Royce canned a 3,
Kiersten Rasmussen knocked down a short jumper and
Mackenzie Collins converted two lay-ups to give C of I their first lead of the night.
An 8-0 run early in the third quarter built the Beacons a 44-37 lead, but C of I battled back, as a
Kaylee Krusemark 3-pointer started a 7-0 Coyote surge that evened the score at 51-51.
A back-and-forth fourth quarter saw multiple lead changes, with a Sarah Reinecker corner 3-pointer giving NCU a 63-60 with 2:29 left. C of I answered, as
Jocelyn Cook-Cox splashed an 18-foot jumper and
Madison Holly splashed a triple from the head of the key to give the Yotes a 65-63 edge.
McKinney cut the margin to a point with a free throw and after a defensive stop, NCU had a chance to take the lead, but C of I forced the Beacons into a shot clock violation with 18 seconds left. The visitors fouled Holly with eight ticks left on the clock, but the senior missed both free throws – setting up the game-winning sequence for NCU.
Cook-Cox led C of I with 17 points, making 8-of-11 field goal attempts. Holly scoring 15, with Collins recording a career-high 12 and
Alyssa Case grabbing a game-high 13 rebounds. The Yotes had a 36-32 rebound margin, including 14 offensive rebounds, but made just 11-of-20 free throws.
McKinney led all scorers with 18 points, with Baker scoring 11 and Reinecker 10. NCU made 46-percent of their field goals, including 9-of-20 from 3-point range and won despite 22 turnovers.
C of I returns to action tomorrow night, hosting Corban at 5:30 p.m.
