CALDWELL, Idaho –
Kaylee Krusemark scored 12 of her game-high 14 points in the second half, but The College of Idaho could not rally from a 27-point first half deficit, as William Jessup outlasted the Yotes, 64-52, inside the J.A. Albertson Activities Center.
A day after missing 12 of their 15 3-point attempts, the visiting Warriors (2-5) made 7-of-12 shots from long range in the first 20 minutes, opening up the big margin.
WJU held the Coyotes (1-4) without a made field goal over the final five minutes of the first quarter, using the 15-1 run to take a 23-7 lead. The run spilled over into the second quarter, as a Victoria DeLaCroix triple gave Jessup their largest lead of the day at 36-9 – with the California club taking a 41-21 edge to the break.
C of I clamped down defensively in the second half, holding the Warriors to just 25-percent shooting from the field. An
Allie Cannon 3-pointer and a Krusemark 3-point play highlighted a 9-0 Coyote run that cut the margin to 48-36. The hosts cut the margin to 12 on four occasions, but could not get closer.
JoeLyn Stirton led WJU with 14 points, with post Miranda Zaragoza recording 11 points, 12 rebounds and six blocked shots.
Kiersten Rasmussen scored 11 points, with
Lexi Mitchell adding nine points and 11 rebounds in the loss for the Yotes.
The Coyotes return to action on Wednesday, traveling to Boise State for a 2 p.m. tip.
NOTES
- The 11 rebounds by Mitchell was a season-high for a Coyote player, with the sophomore recording 11 rebounds for the third time in her career
- Krusemark's 14 points was a season-high and the 14th double-digit scoring game of her career, while Rasmussen logged a double-digit scoring game for the fifth time as a Yote
- Cierra Dvorak filled up the stat line, finishing with eight points, six rebounds and five assists, her third game this season with 4-or-more assists
- C of I recorded a season-low 10 turnovers – the lowest turnover total in a home game since the 2015-16 season (nine turnovers vs. Corban on Jan. 12)
- Jessup recorded nine blocked shots as a team, the most allowed by C of I since the 2017-18 season (10 blocks by Bushnell on Dec. 16)
