CALDWELL, Idaho –
Jalen Galloway led four College of Idaho players in double-figures with a season-high 17 points, as the Coyotes used a big first half to cruise past Portland Bible, 78-44, to close out Day 1 of the 33rd Annual Taco Bell Shoot-Out, inside the J.A. Albertson Activities Center.
The No. 3-ranked Coyotes (3-0) shot 55-percent and forced 15 turnovers in the opening 20 minutes to take a 49-17 edge at halftime.
The NCCAA Wildcats (0-5) were within 14-9 following an Ahmad Kempster put-back with 14 minutes left in the first half, but C of I clamped down on the defensive end – holding PBC to just two made field goals over the next 10 minutes. Triples from
Derek Wadsworth and
Talon Pinckney, a dunk from Galloway and a pair of inside baskets from
Connor Desaulniers keyed the 26-4 run that put the game away.
Galloway finished 6-of-9 from the field, adding five rebounds in the victory, with
Jake Bruner scoring a career-high 13 points with three blocks. Pinckney had 10 points with five assists and three steals, while Wadsworth netted 10 points. Desaulniers was a perfect 4-for-4 from the floor, scoring eight points with a team-high 11 rebounds.
Moses McEwen led PBC with 15 points, with the Wildcats finishing 18-of-54 from the field.
The Coyotes will meet Montana Tech in tomorrow's championship game at 7 p.m. Tech got 35 points from Sindou Diallo in a 96-76 victory over Multnomah. MU and PBC play in the consolation game at 5 p.m.
NOTES: C of I won for the 36th-straight time when allowing under 60 points in a game, with the Coyote bench outscoring the Wildcats, 42-8…the Yotes struggled from the field in the second half, making just 10-of-33 shots and finished the game just 5-of-32 from 3-point range.
