LIVE VIDEO / LIVE STATS: Live Video and Live Stats will be available for all three games this week for fans unable to make the trip to Caldwell. Live Video will be available through C of I's
Stretch Internet Portal, with Live Stats through C of I's
SIDEARM Sports Portal.
COMPLETE MEDIA GAME NOTES
NOTE THE SCHEDULE: Unlike the normal weekend schedule, C of I will play games Wednesday night vs. Eastern Oregon and Saturday-Sunday vs. Walla Walla. Game time for Saturday's contest is set for 9 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. – to accommodate WWU's religious Sabbath.
BEST STARTS: The Yotes head into the weekend with a 15-3 record – marking the eighth time in program history that a C of I team has recorded 15 wins in their first 18 games. Twice, the Coyotes have opened the year 14-2 (2018-19, when the team started 20-2; and 1995-96, when the team started 23-2), with five other teams starting 15-3 (2006-07 started 15-3; 1983-84 team started 18-3; 2014-15 team started 21-3; with both the 1954-55 and 1984-85 teams starting 23-3)
BEST STARTS IN CONFERENCE PLAY: No Cascade Conference team has completed a perfect regular-season – with only two teams finishing the year with one loss (the 1995-96 C of I team finished 13-1, with the 2001-02 Evergreen team finishing 17-1). It marks the third time a Coyote team has opened a conference season 8-0 – with the 1995-96 team starting 11-0, while the 1954-55 team completing a perfect 15-0 league record while in the Northwest Conference. The 8-straight wins to open a CCC season is the most since Warner Pacific rattled off 11-straight wins in 2006-07.
WIN STREAKING: C of I has rattled off nine wins in a row and are unbeaten this year against NAIA Division II teams. It marks the fifth-straight season that the Coyotes have recorded a win streak of at least eight games – recording both a seven and eight-game streak in 2018-19; a 14-game win streak in 2017-18; a 9-game win streak in 2016-17 and an 11-game run in 2015-16. The 2013-14 team also posted a 15-game win streak – the first win streak of 7-or-more games since 2003-04.
HOME SWEET HOME: Since the start of the 2013-14 season, the Coyotes have posted a 100-12 record inside the J.A. Albertson Activities Center – including an 8-1 home mark this season and a 37-game win streak from 2013-15. Since the JAAC opened in 1991, the Yotes are 316-95 all-time in the arena and have posted a 432-104 in home games since 1981-82 (including a 56-game home win streak in the 1980s). C of I averaged 1,315 fans a game over their first nine home games – but had their streak of at least 1,000 fans at a game snapped at 14-straight on Jan. 3 vs. Corban. C of I leads the Cascade Conference in attendance – ahead of Oregon Tech (968), Northwest (428) and Southern Oregon (328) and is second in the NAIA behind Dakota Wesleyan (1,442). The Yotes rank ahead of 104 NCAA Division I programs in attendance – ahead of Santa Clara (1, 270), UC-Santa Barbara (1,228), Idaho State (1,047) and Idaho (922); with C of I ranking ahead of 295 of the 308 Division II schools (ahead of rival NNU (705)) and ahead of 416 of 419 Division III schools (ahead of Whitworth (684) and Whitman (538)).
POLL POSITION: For the first time in nearly a month, the NAIA will release a Division II poll on Wednesday morning – with C of I expect to climb from the No. 5 position it held in the first two rankings of 2019-20. Top-ranked Morningside remains unbeaten at 18-0, while second-ranked Oregon Tech lost a home game to the Yotes and will fall behind C of I in the poll. Third-ranked Indiana Wesleyan and fourth-ranked Mount Vernon Nazarene each dropped a game during the time period. Future polls will be released Feb. 5, Feb. 19, Feb. 26 and March 4.
GETTING DEFENSIVE: Through the first month of conference play, the Coyotes have posted the top defensive numbers in the circuit – allowing just 62.8 points per game, holding teams to just .368 percent shooting from the field and averaging 12.6 more rebounds than their CCC opponents. C of I has not allowed any of their previous five opponents to reach 39-percent shooting, while the Yotes are averaging a league-best 14.6 offensive rebounds in league counters. For the season, C of I ranks No. 10 in the NAIA in scoring defense (68.8), No. 12 in defensive field goal percentage (.404) and No. 16 in rebound margin (+8.2).
PINCKNEY KEYS COYOTES ON THE ROAD: Anchoring the guard line effort in Washington was senior
Talon Pinckney, who had a huge weekend on both ends of the floor. Pinckney played a season-high 33 minutes in each game, locking down the top offensive guard for both teams and picked up a key steal late in the win at Evergreen. Offensively, he scored 15 points in the win at Northwest and added 13 more points against TESC – making 3-of-6 3-pointers on the weekend and has connected on 10 of his last 16 3-point attempts over the past five contests.
BRUNEEL GETS TO THE STRIPE: Leading scorer
Nate Bruneel recorded a pair of double-digit scoring nights on the trip, scoring 10 at Northwest and leading the Yotes with 17 points at Evergreen. Though Bruneel did not make a 3-pointer on the weekend, he did damage at the foul line, making 11-of-13 free throws – including nine made freebies at TESC. For the season, Bruneel is averaging 14.7 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.
MILES-WILLIAMS CONTINUES ROLL: The Coyote bench was key in the two victories – including a 26-3 scoring edge in the win at Northwest.
Ivory Miles-Williams continued his solid play, averaging seven points per game on the weekend – but leading C of I in rebounds in both outings. The junior had five rebounds and a pair of steals in Friday's victory, while recording eight boards in Saturday's win – upping his season average to nine points and five rebounds per game.
ELZIE RETURNS HOME: Washington native Charles Elzie returned to the Puget Sound and impressed in front of the home crowd. The true freshman played a season-high 20 minutes at Northwest, scoring eight points, while a night later, added four points in the win at Evergreen.
SENIORS VYING FOR WINS RECORD: Both
Talon Pinckney and
Jake Bruner continue to climb the career games-won list – looking to surpass the 99 victories by Emanuel Morgan from 2013-14 through 2016-17. Bruner picked up his 96th win in Saturday's victory over Evergreen, with C of I 96-24 all-time when he sees the court, while Pinckney picked up his 95th win in a game he played in for the Coyotes (C of I is 95-23 all-time when he sees the court).
AROUND THE CCC: The first half of the Cascade Conference schedule comes to a close this week – as C of I hosts travel partner Eastern Oregon, before playing their weekend doubleheader vs. Walla Walla. Elsewhere, Oregon Tech travels to Southern Oregon before the two teams play host to Corban and Northwest Christian, while Northwest and Evergreen travel to Portland for games with Multnomah and Warner Pacific.
OPPONENT PREVIEW – EASTERN OREGON: A rare Wednesday night CCC contest pits the top offensive team in the league against the top defensive unit, as C of I hosts rival Eastern Oregon. The Mountaineers (9-8, 3-5 CCC) average 98 points per game – surpassing 100 points seven times this season – making a league-best 53-percent of their field goals and 40-percent of their 3-point attempts. EOU has not defeated a team with a winning record this season, allowing 88 points a night. The Mounties feature three of the Top-10 scorers in the circuit – guard Max McCullough (20.2 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 4.5 apg), forward Landon Jones (17.0 ppg, 9.6 rpg) and 7-foot post Jared Schetzle (19.2 ppg, 10.1 rpg, 2.1 bpg).
C OF I VS. EOU DATES BACK TO THE 1930'S: Though C of I has played more games against Northwest Nazarene than any other team, the Coyote-Eastern Oregon match-up is the longest continuous active rivalry. The two teams have met every season since 1945-46 (74-straight years) – with the series dating back to 1933, with the only two seasons the teams did not meet due to a travel ban during World War II.
OPPONENT PREVIEW – WALLA WALLA: This weekend, the Coyotes will host Walla Walla for back-to-back games, as C of I meets the Wolves (5-13, 3-5) for the first time since 2017-18 (WWU cancelled their 2018-19 campaign prior to the season). The Washington school ranks last in the league in scoring average (68.2) and 3-point percentage (.273), but look to a trio of forwards for offensive production in Kiandre Gaddy (18.0 ppg, 10.6 rpg), Zayne Browning (17.8 ppg, 6.6 rpg) and Dylan Browning (11.2 ppg, 4.8). WWU is searching for their first win over C of I, having lost 17 in a row – with every Coyote win by at least 14 points.
UNDER 60 / OVER 95 EQUALS WINS: C of I currently has a 39-game win streak in games where opponents fail to reach 60 points – and a dominating 196-12 mark in such games over the last 40 years. During the same stretch, the Coyotes are 56-2 when opponents fail to score 50. In addition, the Yotes have won 45 of their last 46 contests (dating back to 2006) when scoring 95 points in a game.
SPEAKING OF 3-POINTERS: Since college basketball adopted the 3-point line at the start of the 1986-87 season, the Coyotes have made a 3-pointer in every game but one – a loss to Idaho State during the U.S. Bank Tip-Off Tournament at Boise State on Dec. 2, 1988. Since then, C of I has run a string of games with a trey to 1,022 – one of four programs (Kentucky – 1,097, UNLV – 1,087 and CCC rival, Corban – 1,078) which have made a 3-pointer in over 1,000-or-more straight games.
RECORD BOOK: Four Yotes are ranked among the Top-70 in the career book, paced by
Talon Pinckney, who sits at No. 4 in assists (491), No. 5 in steals (201), No. 10 in field goal attempts (988), No. 11 in games started (83), No. 12 in games played (116) and in points scored (1,203), No. 15 in field goals made (433), No. 22 in free throws made (235), No. 23 in free throw attempts (306), No. 27 in 3-point attempts (294), No. 28 in 3-pointers made (101), No. 43 in blocked shots (24) and No. 67 in rebounds (329).
Nate Bruneel is No. 7 in games started (89), No. 8 in 3-pointers made (156), No. 12 in 3-point attempts (367), No. 18 in points scored (1,133), No. 23 in field goals made (381), No. 25 in free throw attempts (298), No. 27 in field goal attempts (799) and in free throws made (215), No. 35 in blocked shots (29) and No. 41 in rebounds (422);
Connor Desaulniers is No. 12 in blocked shots (57) and No. 61 in rebounds (344); with
Jake Bruner No. 7 in games played (118), No. 28 in blocked shots (37) and No. 35 in rebounds (441).
LAST YEAR OF THE NAIA DIVISION II: The 2019-20 season will be the final season with the NAIA sponsoring two divisions, as the association will return to a single division for the first time since the 1991-92 season. Beginning in 2020-21, the new-look national tournament will feature 64 teams playing at 16 Opening Round sites, with the 16 Opening Round champions advancing to the Final Site of the NAIA Championships in Kansas City, Mo.
