LIVE VIDEO / LIVE STATS: Live Video and Live Stats of both weekend games will be available for fans unable to make the trip to Washington. On Friday, both Live Video and Live Stats will be provided through NU's
Stretch Internet Portal, while Saturday, Live Video will be provided through Evergreen's
Stretch Internet Portal and Live Stats through the NAIA's
DakStats Portal.
COMPLETE MEDIA GAME NOTES
BEST STARTS: The Yotes head into the weekend with a 13-3 record – marking the eighth time in program history that a C of I team has recorded 13 wins in their first 16 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 13-3 (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 started 23-3).
WIN STREAKING: C of I has rattled off seven 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 seven 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 Friday vs. Corban. C of I leads the Cascade Conference in attendance – ahead of Oregon Tech (968), Northwest (399) and Southern Oregon (328) and is second in the NAIA behind Dakota Wesleyan (2,221).
YOTES RANKED NO. 5 IN FIRST POLL: C of I remained at No. 5 in the second NAIA Division II Top-25 Coaches Poll of the regular-season – the 24th-straight polling period the Coyotes have been ranked in the Top-25. The Yotes received 266 voter points from the 12 conference raters – trailing only Morningside (Iowa), Oregon Tech, Indiana Wesleyan and Mount Vernon Nazarene (Ohio) in the ranking. One other CCC team was in the Top-25 – No. 18 Southern Oregon. The next poll will be released next Wednesday.
DEFENSE THE KEY: Defense has been crucial for the Coyotes success in Cascade Conference play – as C of I leads the circuit with a 65.8 defensive scoring average, a .369 defensive field goal percentage and a plus-15 rebound margin. The Yotes have recorded at least eight more rebounds than their opponents in the current 7-game win streak, holding foes to 42-percent shooting or less in all seven wins. In addition, C of I forced 17 turnovers in Saturday's win over Northwest Christian – their highest total in league play.
MILES-WILLIAMS HAS CAREER NIGHT: It was a slow start to Saturday's game vs. Northwest Christian, as the Coyotes fell behind in the first half by as many as 17 points. Enter
Ivory Miles-Williams, who jumpstarted the C of I attack – scoring 17 of his career-high 29 points in the final 15 minutes of the period to rally the squad. Miles-Williams finished 12-of-17 from the field and made all four of his free throw attempts – adding five rebounds and a pair of blocked shots. It was the most points scored by a Coyote (and most off the bench by a C of I player) since
Jalen Galloway scored 32 points last season vs. Northwest Indian College and upped Miles-Williams season scoring average to 9.2 points per game.
PINCKNEY NEAR PERFECT: It was a big weekend for point-guard
Talon Pinckney, who scored 17 points in the Friday night win and added a great slash line – eight points, five rebounds and eight assists against Northwest Christian on Saturday. The senior was a perfect 6-of-6 from the field against Corban (including four made 3-pointers) – becoming the first Coyote since the 2019 CCC Championship game (
Connor Desaulniers) to make at least six field goals without a miss. His 4-for-4 shooting from long range was the third time he has accomplished it in his career – as Pinckney went 4-for-4 from 3-point range at Evergreen in 2017-18 and vs. Dakota Wesleyan in the 2017 NAIA national quarterfinals.
TIME/BRUNER KEY ON THE GLASS: Rebounding has been crucial for the Coyotes throughout the season – with guard
Ricardo Time and forward
Jake Bruner two of the key contributors. Both players have recorded at least five rebounds in each of the last seven games – with Bruner also ranking second on the squad with 13 blocked shots and Time ranking second on the team with 32 made 3-point baskets.
PRODUCTION INCREASING FROM ELZIE: Back-up point-guard Charles Elzie has shown marked improvement as the season has progressed – including a career-high 11 points from the true freshman against Corban. Since CCC play began, Elzie is averaging nearly 14 minutes of court time per game and is averaging 5.3 points in league counters.
BRUNEEL GETS TO THE LINE: Senior
Nate Bruneel took over stretches of Friday's win against Corban, finishing the night with 22 points – his fourth game with at least 20 points this season and the 11th 20-point game of his career. Bruneel set a career-high with 14 free throw attempts in the victory – equaling the most by a Coyote player since the 2014-15 season, when Demetrius Perkins had 17 free throw attempts in a win over Cardinal Stritch at the NAIA Championships.
DESAULNIERS CONTROLS THE BLOCK: Post
Connor Desaulniers continues to be key for the Yotes on both ends of the floor – averaging eight points and six rebounds in the two weekend wins. In the six CCC victories, the junior is averaging 12.5 points and 8.8 rebounds, while making 59-percent of his field goal attempts. Desaulniers showed some range with his jump shot as well, connecting Friday on the first 3-pointer of his career.
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 94th win in Saturday's victory over NCU, with C of I 94-24 all-time when he sees the court, while Pinckney picked up his 93rd win in a game he played in for the Coyotes (C of I is 93-23 all-time when he sees the court).
OPPONENT PREVIEW - NORTHWEST: First-place in the CCC is on the line Friday in Kirkland, as Northwest looks for their third win at home this season against a Top-25 opponent. The Eagles (10-4, 5-0 CCC) swept Oregon Tech and Southern Oregon in December, part of a current 6-game win streak – thanks to an offense averaging 87 points a game and leading the league in both field goal percentage (.512) and 3-point percentage (.401). All-CCC forward Hussayn Ford (16.8 ppg, 11.8 rpg) leads the league in rebounding, while guards Ryan Ricks (13.6 ppg, 4.0 rpg), Christian Hakilimali (13.4 ppg, 5.0 apg, 4.4 rpg) and Dejwan Walker (10.7 ppg, 3.4 rpg) all make 40-percent or better from 3-point range. The Yotes have won the past eight meetings between the teams, including postseason wins in 2018 and 2019 and victories at NU the past two years.
OPPONENT PREVIEW – EVERGREEN: The weekend ends in Olympia against an Evergreen team looking for their first CCC win and to snap a 9-game losing streak. The Geoducks (3-10, 0-7) have dropped all seven conference games by double-digit margins, as the team ranks last in the circuit in scoring average (69.8) and field goal percentage (.414), while averaging 17 turnovers a night and a minus-8 rebound margin. Guards are the key to the success of TESC, as LaBrandon Price (12.7 ppg, 5.7 rpg), Elijah Fuller (11.9 ppg, 3.2 rpg) and Gloire Biongo (11.8 ppg, 3.2 rpg) each average in double-figures – with Price among the Top-10 in the NAIA, averaging 2.5 steals per game. The Coyotes have won 18-straight games in the series and have not lost at TESC since the 2009-10 season.
AROUND THE CCC: Both C of I and Northwest hold a 2-game lead on the rest of the conference heading into weekend competition. Along with the Yotes and Eastern making the tour of Western Washington schools, Multnomah and Warner Pacific travel down I-5 to face Northwest Christian and Corban, Southern Oregon plays a doubleheader at Walla Walla, with Oregon Tech having a bye weekend.
UNDER 60 / OVER 95 EQUALS WINS: C of I currently has a 37-game win streak in games where opponents fail to reach 60 points – and a dominating 194-12 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 1,020 – one of four programs (Kentucky – 1,095, UNLV – 1,085 and CCC rival, Corban – 1,076) 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 (490), No. 5 in steals (199), No. 11 in games started (81), No. 12 in field goal attempts (969), No. 13 in games played (114), No. 14 in points scored (1,175), No. 16 in field goals made (424), No. 24 in free throws made (228), No. 25 in free throw attempts (296) and in 3-point attempts (288), No. 29 in 3-pointers made (98), No. 43 in blocked shots (24) and No. 70 in rebounds (324).
Nate Bruneel is No. 8 in 3-pointers made (156), No. 9 in games started (87), No. 12 in 3-point attempts (359), No. 19 in points scored (1,106), No. 23 in field goals made (373), No. 28 in field goal attempts (778), No. 30 in free throw attempts (285), No. 31 in free throws made (204), No. 35 in blocked shots (29) and No. 44 in rebounds (412);
Connor Desaulniers is No. 13 in blocked shots (55) and No. 62 in rebounds (3376); with
Jake Bruner No. 11 in games played (116), No. 28 in blocked shots (36) and No. 39 in rebounds (433).
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.
