SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The perfect storm hit inside the Sanford Pentagon at the wrong time for the College of Idaho, as a 24-1 Oregon Tech run to close the first half lifted the Owls to a 93-81 victory over the Yotes in the semifinals of the NAIA Division II Men's Basketball Championships.
OIT (28-7) will advance to meet Spring Arbor (Mich.) in tomorrow's title game, while the Yotes had their record-setting season ended at 31-6.
A
Gibson Berryhill jumper pulled the Coyotes even at 28-28 midway through the opening half – but as Tech made 63-percent of their first half field goals, the highest percentage in the opening 20 minutes against C of I this season – the Purple and Gold went ice cold. The Yotes missed their final 15 shots of the half and added five turnovers, as the Hustlin' Owls took a 52-29 lead to the break.
C of I made a spirited run early in the second half – as
Talon Pinckney and
Nate Bruneel combined for 25 points after the break. Berryhill canned consecutive jumpers, Bruneel hit a triple and
Jake Bruner added a deuce in a 13-3 run that closed the gap to 61-51 with 12 minutes left.
Unfortunately, OIT had an answer, as Kaison Faust and Mitchell Fink each scored in transition and Scotty Burge canned a triple in a 7-point run that extended the lead back to 17 – with the Yotes never able to get the margin to single digits.
Both teams opened the game in the zone – C of I getting seven early points from
Matt Meyers and connecting on each of their first seven field goal attempts – but could not push a lead greater than three. The Yotes made just four of their final 23 shots in the period – as Tech built the big lead.
Bruneel led C of I wth 15 points and six rebounds, with Berryhill capping an outstanding 4-year career with 14 points. Pinckney had 13 points and six assists, with Palu-Thompson closing his Coyote career with 12 points and five rebounds. Both Meyers and
Daniel Webster also saw their college careers ended with the loss.
OIT capitalized on 15 C of I turnovers – with Fink recording four steals and the Owls scoring 21 points off the Yotes mistakes. Seth Erickson tied a career-high with 27 points, Faust scored 19, with Fink logging a double-double with 14 points and 12 assists. Tech finished the night converting 58-percent of their field goals – the highest percentage by a C of I opponent since College of the Ozarks made 61-percent of their field goals in the first-round of the 2014 NAIA Championships.
C of I tied their school record with 31 wins in a season, while establishing new marks for 3-pointers made and attempted in a year.
NOTE - The
single-game, single-season and career record books have been updated to include the 2018-19 season.
