OLYMPIA, Wash. – College of Idaho made 67-percent of their second half field goals, overcoming 3-point halftime deficit to upset-minded Evergreen State, rallying for a 64-55 victory inside Costantino Recreation Center.
The fourth-ranked Coyotes (22-3, 11-2 CCC) trailed 23-20 at the break – their lowest-scoring first half since the 2013-14 season – making just 25-percent of their field goal attempts. C of I answered the bell in the second half, making their first five field goals of the period. A trio of 3-pointers – one each from
Gibson Berryhill,
Ivory Miles-Williams and
Justin Saunders fueled a 15-1 run, with a Miles-Williams lay-up giving the Yotes a 42-32 lead with 12 minutes remaining.
C of I would extend the lead to 52-41 after a
Keun Palu-Thompson dunk, but the Geoducks (5-17, 1-13) battled back, as Ryan Quigley converted a 3-point play and a lay-up, with Dalton Groenewold adding a jumper, pulling the hosts within 56-52 with 1:15 left.
The Yotes iced the game at the foul line – making 8-of-10 free throws inside the final 60 seconds (after starting the game 2-of-9 from the stripe) – as C of I pulled within a half-game of first-place Oregon Tech in the Cascade Conference standings.
Palu-Thompson led a balanced C of I scoring effort with 16 points and seven rebounds, with
Talon Pinckney adding 11 points. Berryhill scored nine points (making all three of his 3-point attempts) – leading a C of I bench that scored 28 of the Yotes 64 points.
Quigley had 16 points to lead TESC, with Groenewold scoring 15 points with 12 rebounds.
C of I travels tomorrow for a key league tilt at Northwest University, with tip-off set for 7:30 p.m. (PT)
