CALDWELL, Idaho –
Talon Pinckney hit a 18-foot jumper with 1.9 seconds remaining, lifting the College of Idaho to a 76-74 victory over Montana Tech in the title game of the 33rd Annual Taco Bell Shoot-Out in the J.A. Albertson Activities Center.
Pinckney gave the Yotes (4-0) a 74-71 lead with 56 seconds left with a long 3-pointer, but Tech answered, as Sindou Diallo converted a 3-point play on the low block to even the score.
C of I put the ball in the hands of their All-American, with Pinckney running the shot clock to the end – elevating with a step-back jumper to regain the lead. The Orediggers (3-3) had a last chance 65-foot heave from Diallo skimmed off the iron at the buzzer.
Tech used a 12-0 first half run, as Ryan Pannabecker had a pair of buckets and Drew Huse converted a 3-point play, to take their largest lead of the night at 19-9. The Coyotes answered in a big way, closing the half on a 21-4 run – getting 3's from Brayden West,
Nate Bruneel and
Ricardo Time – to take a 34-25 lead at the break.
A Time triple eight minutes left in the second half gave the Coyotes a 61-55 lead, but the Diggers got four quick points from Cody Baumstarck to start a 14-6 run that gave the visitors a late 69-67 lead before the wild finish.
After making just 29-percent of their first half field goals, C of I converted 16-of-31 attempts in the second half. Bruneel and
Jalen Galloway led the victors with 14 points, with
Jake Bruner scoring 12 points and 11 rebounds.
Diallo led all scorers with 23 points, with Troy Owens scoring nine of his 13 points in the second half.
In the consolation game, Justin Martin tied the tournament record with 38 points, helping Multnomah to a 126-94 victory over Portland Bible.
C of I returns to action on Tuesday, traveling to Nampa for Game 1 of the United Heritage Insurance Mayors Cup Series vs. rival Northwest Nazarene.
