ASHLAND, Ore. – Three of the past four seasons, Southern Oregon eliminated the College of Idaho from the postseason on their home floor – with the Raiders posting a 5-0 all-time home record vs. the Yotes in tournament play. However, tonight in Lithia Motors Pavilion, C of I turned the tables, as
Madison Holly poured in 29 points, leading the Coyotes to a 73-70 victory over SOU in the quarterfinals of the Cascade Conference Championships, presented by U.S. Bank.
The Coyotes (16-13) advance to the CCC semifinals, meeting top-seed and No. 9 ranked Eastern Oregon on Friday night in La Grande. It is the 15th appearance in the semifinal round in program history, with the Yotes posting a 9-5 all-time mark – including a 2-0 record in the semis against EOU.
Southern (18-11), who had reached the past four NAIA Division II national tournaments – including a runner-up finish in 2016 – took a 15-13 lead on a Daranda Hinkey 3-pointer to close the first quarter. C of I opened the second period on an 11-2 run, as
Mackenzie Royce canned a triple and Holly followed with a lay-up and consecutive 3's – giving the fifth-seeded Yotes a 24-17 lead – with the visitors leading 31-27 at the break.
C of I dominated the third quarter – outscoring the Raiders 22-13 – making 7-of-10 field goals, including all four of their 3-point attempts. Holly canned a jumper and
Alyssa Case and Royce followed with 3's as the lead grew to 42-31. Holly opened the fourth quarter with a traditional 3-point play, giving the Coyotes their largest lead of the night at 56-40.
The Raiders would not go away quietly, as Syd Fryer scored 20 of her game-high 30 points in the fourth quarter – including a 3-pointer, a steal and two free throws in an 8-second flurry that cut the margin to 67-64 with a minute left. SOU had possession inside the final 20 seconds trailing 71-68, but
Jocelyn Cook-Cox made a crucial steal and C of I converted free throws to seal the victory.
Holly tied a career-high with 29 points, making 9-of-12 field goals, including four 3-point baskets. Royce had 18 points and four assists, with Cook-Cox scoring 12. C of I made 46-percent of their field goals and hit a season-best 8-of-13 from 3-point range, while recording a season-high 11 blocked shots.
Ariel Augustine had 11 points and Hinkey scored 10 for SOU, who could not overcome 5-of-24 shooting from 3-point range.
