CALDWELL, Idaho – A big third quarter run, a school-record tying performance and a marriage proposal highlighted a College of Idaho 72-59 victory over Yellowstone Christian inside the J.A. Albertson Activities Center.
Madison Holly canned back-to-back 3-pointers in a 17-3 run that erased a halftime deficit, as the Yotes (10-11) ended a 3-game losing streak.
Mackenzie Royce flirted with a triple-double, scoring 12 points and tied Petra Lumpert's school record with 12 assists. Following the game, senior guard
Alyssa Case accepted a marriage proposal at center court from former C of I football standout Josh Price.
The Centurions (8-5), an NCCAA Division I program from Billings, Mont., erased an 18-10 first quarter deficit behind Karen Orozco – as the guard hit back-to-back triples to tie the score at 18 – part of an 18-point outburst in the opening half. An Alyssa Strickland 3-pointer just before the break gave YCC their largest lead of the night at 37-33.
C of I picked up the pressure in the third quarter – limiting YCC to just 3-of-11 shooting and eight turnovers – while finding their rhythm offensively. Holly splashed consecutive triples and
Kiersten Rasmussen knocked down a trey from the top of the key to give the hosts a 42-37 lead.
Leading 50-42 early in the fourth quarter, the Yotes put the game away – as Case grabbed an offensive rebound and scored on the put-back, Royce and
Kaylee Krusemark drained 3's and
Lindy Westendorf scored in transition – extending the margin to 18 points.
Holly made 5-of-11 3-pointers on the afternoon, tying a career-high with 21 points, with Royce recording her first career double-double. Krusemark and
Emily Harwood each had seven points off the bench, with C of I holding a 47-35 edge in rebounds and recorded a season-high 10 blocked shots.
Orozco had 21 points in the loss for YCC, with Darielle Evans scoring 15. The Centurions made just 28-percent of their field goal attempts after the break.
The two teams will meet again tomorrow afternoon at 1 p.m. – a make-up game from Friday night after YCC had travel issues in their trip from Montana.
