CALDWELL, Idaho – A third quarter surge sparked The College of Idaho to a 69-61 defeat of Northwest on Saturday night, earning the Yotes a sweep of the weekend homestand.
With the score tied 33-33 at the half, the Yotes (12-15, 10-8 CCC) went on a 15-5 run to start the third, giving the home team a double-digit lead for the first time on the night at 48-38.
A
Tayla Sayer basket off of an assist from
Kiersten Rasmussen started the second half hot stretch, with a late in the shot clock triple by
Emily Harwood with 4:51 on the third quarter clock capping it off shortly before the media timeout.
Harwood was instrumental in the win on Senior Night, pouring in 15 points on a 5-of-10 effort from the floor, including a 3-of-4 performance from beyond the arc.
Freshman
Lexi Mitchell was the other double-digit scorer, adding 10 points and 11 rebounds for her second consecutive double-double.
C of I won the battle on the glass 41-40 over the Eagles (8-19, 6-11 CCC). Over their last 13 games, the Yotes are 8-0 when they outrebound opponents and 0-5 when the opposition wins the boards.
Multiple hustle plays were contributed by
Sophia Jackson in the victory, with the Bend, Ore. product scoring eight points and hauling in seven rebounds. The junior had two blocks and one steal as well.
The Yotes forced Northwest into 17 turnovers on the night.
It was a tale of quarters for C of I when it came to shots falling, as the home team was over 50 percent in both the second and third quarters, but below 27 percent in the first and final periods. For the game, the Yotes went 23-of-62 (37 percent) from the floor and 4-of-14 (29 percent) on 3-pointers. Northwest shot 20-of-57 (35 percent) from the field and 6-of-21 (29 percent) from outside.
The win moves C of I into the No. 6 position in the Cascade Conference standings with just one week to go before the CCC Championships get underway on Feb. 25. The Yotes have already clinched a berth, but will head to Corban and Northwest Christian next weekend to determine where they fall in the standings between the four and seven spots.
