CALDWELL, Idaho –
Nate Bruneel and
Connor Desaulniers had career nights, as the College of Idaho used a dominating evening on the glass to sprint past Multnomah University, 110-89, inside the J.A. Albertson Activities Center.
Bruneel scored 19 of his career-high 27 points in the first half, while Desaulniers posted a double-double with 17 points and 16 rebounds – both all-time highs for the junior.
The Coyotes (9-3, 2-0 CCC) had a 66-28 rebound edge – including 27 offensive boards – their highest rebound output since 2014 and their third-highest rebound total in the shot clock era.
The Yotes jumped out to a 19-5 lead in the first four minutes – riding eight early point from Bruneel and a trio of inside buckets from Desaulniers. The margin grew to 47-25 with five minutes left in the period on a long Bruneel triple.
MU (6-5, 0-2) had three players scoring over 20 points on the night – including a 23-point effort from Jaeden Ingram, who drained consecutive triples and Zach Richardson added another, as a 12-2 Lions run cut the deficit to 54-43 late in the half. C of I answered with lay-ups from
Ivory Miles-Williams and
Ricardo Time and Bruneel beat the buzzer with a 3-pointer at the horn to give the hosts a 61-43 halftime edge.
C of I extended the lead to 81-52 midway through the second half on a Bruneel board and basket – but the Lions made one last surge – as Justin Martin scored six points in a 13-1 run, that got the visitors within 92-77. The Yotes responded with nine-straight points, including a thunderous Bruneel dunk, to put the game away.
Bruneel finished 11-of-19 from the field, adding five rebounds and five assists, with Desaulniers going 7-of-12 from the floor, adding three assists and four blocks. Time had 13 points, five rebounds and five assists,
Jake Bruner had 12 points and six rebounds, with Miles-Williams scoring 10 points with seven rebounds and five assists.
Jalen Galloway had nine points and 10 rebounds, with
Derek Wadsworth and
Otto Taylor each scoring eight.
Martin had 26 points and 10 assists and Richardson scored 21 – as MU finished 22-of-59 from 3-point range.
The Coyotes outscored the Lions 66-14 in the paint, with the C of I holding a 31-10 scoring edge.
C of I will have next weekend off for final exams, with their next action in two weeks at Oregon Tech and Southern Oregon.
