2019-20 Men's Basketball Notebook - Week 6

LIVE VIDEO / LIVE STATS: Live Video and Live Stats of both weekend games in California will be available online through Vanguard's Stretch Internet Portal.

COMPLETE MEDIA GAME NOTES
 
HOME SWEET HOME: Since the start of the 2013-14 season, the Coyotes have posted a 96-12 record inside the J.A. Albertson Activities Center – including a 16-1 home mark last season and a 37-game win streak from 2013-15. Since the JAAC opened in 1991, the Yotes are 312-95 all-time in the arena and have posted a 428-104 in home games since 1981-82 (including a 56-game home win streak in the 1980s). C of I averaged over 1,500 fans a game over their first five games and have drawn at least 1,000 fans to each of their last 12 regular-season home games.
 
COYOTES HEAD SOUTH FOR THANKSGIVING: After spending last Thanksgiving in Caldwell, the Coyotes will trek to Southern California for games against nationally-ranked The Master's and Vanguard. It marks the third time C of I the Yotes will play at VU – including winning the Lions Thanksgiving Tournament during the 2017-18 season.
 
HISTORY IN THE GOLDEN STATE: The Yotes will be making their 22nd trip to California since 1958, posting a 22-23 record in games in the Golden State. C of I has an 11-10 record in games in the Northern half of the state, while posting an 11-13 mark in games held in Southern California.
 
PLAYING UP AGAIN: It has been a difficult preseason schedule for the Coyotes – getting even tougher this weekend. C of I will conclude their non-conference schedule with seven games against NAIA Division I teams and two games vs. NCAA Division II squads – schools that can provide a maximum of 11 full scholarships to their student-athletes (NAIA Division II teams can provide up to six).
 
OPPONENT PREVIEW – THE MASTER'S: The trip opens against unbeaten and No. 2-ranked The Master's, as the Mustangs (6-0) play their first game away from their home court in Santa Clarita. TMC is outscoring their opponents 87-63 this season, holding their foes to just 36-percent shooting from the field. 6-foot-11 post Tim Soares (16.8 ppg, 7.5 rpg) holds down the paint, with quality guards Brock Gardner (18.8 ppg, 6.5 rpg), Darryl McDowell-White (14.2 ppg, 3.7 rpg) and Jordan Starr (10.2 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 5.8 apg) among the top players in the Golden State Athletic Conference.
 
OPPONENT PREVIEW – VANGUARD: C of I closes out their non-conference schedule against tournament host Vanguard, as the No. 15-ranked Lions (3-3) are off to an uncharacteristic slow start – including losses to NAIA Division II teams Antelope Valley and Southern Oregon. Forward Aziz Seck (14.7 ppg, 5.5 rpg) has been the key to the VU offense that is averaging 76 points per game, with guard Isaiah Gentry (12.3 ppg, 4.2 rpg) also averaging in double figures. The Lions are converting 45-percent of their field goals, but opponents are averaging nearly four more rebounds per game.
 
DOMINANT WIN BRING MAYORS' CUP HOME: Playing in front of a capacity crowd against their longest-standing rival, the Yotes rode a season-high 14 made 3-pointers to a 21-point victory over Northwest Nazarene to regain the United Heritage Insurance Mayors' Cup. It was the seventh-straight home win by C of I in the series, with four of the wins by 10 points or more and the second by at least 20 points.
 
BRUNEEL LEADS THE CHARGE: Senior forward Nate Bruneel was the catalyst in Tuesday's win over NNU – recording his ninth career games with 20 or more points, scoring 24 in the Mayors' Cup match-up. Bruneel followed it up with a 15-point effort against Montana Western – his 50th career double-digit scoring night. Bruneel leads the team with a 13.4 scoring average and is just 24 points away from becoming the 28th Coyote to score 1,000 or more points in a career.
 
TIME HAS NEAR PERFECT NIGHT: Playing in his first home Mayors' Cup game, Ricardo Time put on an impressive shooting performance from outside the arc – draining 5-of-6 3-point attempts, scoring a season-high 17 points in the victory. The junior transfer leads the Coyotes in 3-point percentage (.424) and is averaging eight points and nearly six rebounds in 25 minutes per game.
 
BRUNER HAS CAREER EFFORT: Senior Jake Bruner provided a huge offensive boost against Montana Western, converting 6-of-8 field goals – including three 3-pointers – part of a career-high 16-point night. The forward, who had just three double-digit scoring games during his first three years in the program, has recorded three double-digit scoring games in the Coyotes first eight games in 2019-20 – averaging seven points and five rebounds per game.
 
DESAULNIERS KEY VS. WESTERN: C of I played inside-out against Montana Western, with Connor Desaulniers having his best game of the season, scoring 15 points and adding seven rebounds. The junior post had a big weekend defensively – recording a season-high four blocked shots vs. NNU and had at least one block in all three games during the week.
 
GALLOWAY PROVIDES BOOST OFF BENCH: Back-up post Jalen Galloway recorded his fourth and fifth double-digit scoring games of the season – tying a season-high 17 points vs. Northwest Nazarene and adding 15 points vs. Lewis-Clark State. The sophomore has made 54-percent of his field goal attempts and is averaging 11.3 points per game.
 
SHORING UP THE TURNOVER BUG: The Yotes are averaging over 13 turnovers per game this season, with the team posting an uncharacteristically low 1.0 assist-to-turnover ratio – posting 108 assists and 107 turnovers this season. C of I limited their miscues during the Domino's Classic – including just five turnovers in Friday's win over Montana Western – the fewest turnovers in a game since committing four turnovers in a 2017-18 win over Multnomah.
 
MAKING FREE THROWS: The Coyotes have found their rhythm at the free throw line after a rocky start to the year. C of I made just 14 of their first 27 attempts this season, but since that opening game, have made nearly 77-percent of their foul shots.
 
DIFFERENCE IN WINS / LOSSES: The Coyotes head into the Thanksgiving weekend with a 6-2 overall record – with marked differences between their six wins and their two losses. In the six wins, C of I has a combined field goal percentage of 47-percent, however, in their two losses, the squad has made a combined 33-percent of their field goals – including a season low .317 percent in Saturday's loss to Lewis-Clark State.
 
UNDER 60 / OVER 95 EQUALS WINS: C of I currently has a 36-game win streak in games where opponents fail to reach 60 points – and a dominating 193-12 mark in such games over the last 40 years. During the same stretch, the Coyotes are 55-2 when opponents fail to score 50. In addition, the Yotes have won 44 of their last 45 contests (dating back to 2006) when scoring 95 points in a game.
 
SPEAKING OF 3-POINTERS: Since college basketball adopted the 3-point line at the start of the 1986-87 season, the Coyotes have made a 3-pointer in every game but one – a loss to Idaho State during the U.S. Bank Tip-Off Tournament at Boise State on Dec. 2, 1988. Since then, C of I has run a string of games with a trey to 1,012 – one of four programs (Kentucky, UNLV and CCC rival Corban) which have made a 3-pointer in over 1,000-or-more straight games.
 
RECORD BOOK: Four Yotes are ranked among the Top-60 in the career book, paced by Talon Pinckney, who sits at No. 4 in assists (470), No. 6 in steals (191), No. 14 in field goal attempts (944), No. 18 in field goals made (410) and in points scored (1,132), No. 25 in free throws made (221), No. 28 in free throw attempts (288), No. 30 in 3-point attempts (275), No. 32 in 3-pointers made (91), No. 43 in blocked shots (24) and No. 78 in rebounds (309). Nate Bruneel is No. 20 in 3-pointers made (136), No. 22 in 3-point attempts (315), No. 28 in points scored (976), No. 34 in free throws made (186), No. 36 in free throw attempts (258), No. 38 in field goals made (327), No. 39 in blocked shots (27), No. 45 in field goal attempts (688) and No. 56 in rebounds (373); Connor Desaulniers is No. 21 in blocked shots (42) and Jake Bruner is No. 33 in blocked shots (30) and No. 49 in rebounds (381).
 
YOTES PICKED SECOND IN CONFERENCE PRESEASON POLL, NO. 3 IN THE NAIA POLL: Fresh off their second-straight trip to the NAIA Division II national semifinals, the Coyotes were picked second in the annual Cascade Conference Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll, released by the league office on Oct. 9. C of I, coming of a record-setting 31-6 season, received two first-place votes and 111 voter points from the 11 league coaches - the first time since the 2013-14 season that C of I was not the odds-on favorite in the tabulation. In the Preseason NAIA Division II Top-25 Poll, the Yotes were picked No. 3 for the second-straight year – trailing only defending NAIA champ, Spring Arbor (Mich.) and CCC rival, Oregon Tech.
 
LAST YEAR OF THE NAIA DIVISION II: The 2019-20 season will be the final season with the NAIA sponsoring two divisions, as the association will return to a single division for the first time since the 1991-92 season. Beginning in 2020-21, the new-look national tournament will feature 64 teams playing at 16 Opening Round sites, with the 16 Opening Round champions advancing to the Final Site of the NAIA Championships in Kansas City, Mo.