CALDWELL, Idaho – Behind an
Emily Harwood double-double and 29 combined points from
Mackenzie Royce-Radford and
Kaylee Krusemark, The College of Idaho dealt Northwest Christian their first conference loss of the season with a 78-70 win.
Ten different players scored for the Yotes (5-10, 3-3 CCC), who led by as many as 14 in the fourth quarter.
As part of the balanced scoring attack, C of I shot 28-of-58 (48 percent) from the field and 7-of-18 (39 percent) on 3-pointers.
Harwood's 15 points, 10 rebounds and four steals marked the first double-double for the program this season, with the senior grabbing four offensive boards and finishing 6-of-10 from the floor.
While Harwood's heroics were instrumental in the victory, there were plenty of other key contributors for head coach
Janis Beal's team on Saturday night.
Coming off the bench, Krusemark provided a key lift for the Yotes, tallying 15 points and hauling in five rebounds. Royce-Radford was the other double-digit scorer, posting 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting, including a perfect 3-of-3 mark from distance. The C of I leading scorer for the season rounded out the stat sheet with five assists and three rebounds.
Leading 52-48 with 4:57 left in the third quarter, a Krusemark block of a Shanay Dotson layup in transition sparked a 9-2 run over the next three minutes that gave the Yotes some needed separation on the scoreboard.
Junior guard
Tayla Sayer made multiple contributions on both sides of the ball as well, finishing with nine points, six rebounds, three steals and two assists.
Sophia Jackson and
Makenna Schritter each had eight points.
In the win, C of I held the highest scoring team in the conference to just 20-of-65 (31 percent) shooting from the floor, while also forcing 19 turnovers. The Yotes won the rebounding battle 43-36.
Three players combined to score 51 of the 70 points for the Beacons (10-3, 4-1 CCC), led by Morgan McKinney's 23 points and nine rebounds. Aspen Slifka totaled 17 points and Kayce Mock had 11 points and five rebounds. Northwest Christian received votes in the most recent national coaches poll.
The Yotes are back in action next weekend on the road against Northwest and Evergreen.
