COMING UP: at No. 7 Lewis-Clark State, Saturday, 5 p.m. (PT)
COMPLETE MEDIA GAME NOTES
BROADCAST INFORMATION: Saturday's game at Lewis-Clark State will feature Live Video and Live Stats through LCSC's
SIDEARM Sports Portal and simulcast on 950 KOZE-AM with Brian Danner and Bert Sahlberg calling the action.
SCHEDULE UPDATES: The road game at Lewis-Clark State has been moved up two days and will be now played in Lewiston on Saturday night, with a 5 p.m. (PT) start. In addition, next weekend's home doubleheader with Simpson University will be the first women's/men's doubleheader of the season – with the Coyote men playing games at 7:30 p.m. on Friday (Jan. 22) and 4 p.m. on Saturday (Jan. 23). C of I is in talks to potentially add two additional games to their schedule, along with a home-and-home series with Northwest Nazarene and a home date with LCSC.
FEWEST GAMES IN A SEASON: The Coyotes have played 10 games so far this season and if they are able to play the six potential games on the docket – would finish with 16 contests prior to any postseason scenarios. The fewest games played by a C of I team since the end of World War II was in 1945-46, when the Yotes played 19 games (going 2-17). The Coyotes played a total of 10 games combined from 1943-45, while from 1919-36, C of I never played more than 15 countable games – though the team added multiple games against local "town" teams (American Legion, Police Departments and Fire Departments)
HUGE ROAD SWEEP: Last week, two of the most prolific small college programs in Northwest met in Spokane, as C of I and Whitworth renewed their rivalry after a nearly three decade hiatus. The Yotes were playing in one of the toughest venues in the Northwest, as Whitworth hadn't lost back-to-back home games in 20 years, having posted a 184-19 record in the Whitworth Fieldhouse since the 2004-05 season, with just one season with more than two home losses in that stretch. C of I battled back from a 22-point first half deficit to earn a victory on Wednesday, while grinding through two overtimes for 1-point win on Thursday. It was the first time since the 2014-15 season (70-69 over Warner Pacific, 73-71 over Concordia) that C of I won back-to-back games by two points or less and the first time in 17 years that they achieved the feat away from Caldwell (83-81 win over Robert Morris and 67-65 win over William Jewell at the 2003 Las Vegas Shootout).
BIG COMEBACK: The Coyotes trailed by 20 points at halftime of last Wednesday's win – just the fourth time in the last 20 years that C of I has won a game when trailing by 20-or-more points. In 2004-05, the Yotes trailed Westminster 37-16 early in the second half of the Golden Rule Shoot-Out title game, rallying behind 21 points from Derek Brown for a 66-54 win, while two years earlier, Westminster built a 22-point first half lead before the Coyotes stormed back behind 18 points from Eric Hare to claim a 67-65 victory. Seven years ago, the Coyotes trailed Northwest by 22 points in the first half, but Josh Wilson scored 19 points and added 10 assists C of I battled back for a 93-80 win.
ROAD STREAK VS. NON-DIVISION I TEAMS: The scheduling this season due to COVID-19 forced C of I to play five road dates against NCAA Division I teams – snapping a school-record road win streak at 10. However, counting their wins against Whitworth, the Yotes pushed the streak to 12 road wins in a row – not counting Division I opponents.
NEEDING 50 MINUTES: Thursday's game at Whitworth marked C of I's second overtime tilt of the year, with the Yotes pulling out a 92-91 victory – the Yotes first double overtime game since a 86-82 win over Northwest Nazarene in 2018. It was the Coyotes first road win in two extra frames since a 109-100 win at Southern Oregon in 2014. C of I is now 47-32 all-time in overtime games, with Thursday's game their 19th double-overtime contest, to go along with two triple-overtime games.
STRANGE WITHOUT THE YOTE FAM: The J.A. Albertson Activities Center is arguably one of the toughest venues in all of NAIA Basketball – but have been silent this season, as fans have been prohibited due to precautions surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the start of the 2013-14, season, the Coyotes have posted a staggering 110-12 overall record on their home floor – including an 18-1 record at home last season – averaging over 1,450 fans per game, tops among all small college teams in the Northwest. Since the Activities Center opened in 1991, the Yotes have recorded a 327-96 all-time record – with the mark ballooning to 443-105 when accounting the previous decade at O'Connor Fieldhouse.
ALL-IDAHO MATCHUP: Last season, Idaho dominated the NAIA ranks, as C of I claimed the Cascade Conference title and Lewis-Clark State won the Frontier Conference crown. The two powerhouse programs, now both CCC members, combined for a 60-6 record last season and have been pointed on a collision course since the start of the year, when the two clubs were picked No. 1 and No. 2 in the CCC Coaches Poll. It marks the first time since 1983 that the teams have played outside of November and December and just the seventh trip for the Coyotes to Lewiston in the last 36 years. C of I and LC have played 85 previous times – including 17 times when LCSC was known as Lewiston Normal School, 16 meetings with LC known as North Idaho College of Education and five meetings with C of I known as Albertson College of Idaho. The Coyotes hold a 48-37 series lead, including a 19-18 edge in Lewiston – and 3-0 all-time inside the LCSC Activity Center.
OPPONENT PREVIEW – LEWIS-CLARK STATE: The Warriors (10-1) have been outstanding this season, posting a perfect 4-0 home record before embarking on a road swing that saw the team play five games in seven days. LC logged big wins over William Jessup, Park-Gilbert and Benedictine Mesa, before splitting a Top-10 match-up at Arizona Christian. All-America guard Damek Mitchell (14.4 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 4.9 apg) anchors the Warriors attack, with shooter Hodges Bailey (11.6 ppg, 2.2 rpg) and lockdown defender Khalil Stevenson (8.5 ppg, 2.9 rpg) completing the guard line. Big man Trystin Bradley (17.0 ppg, 6.6 rpg) is an inside-outside threat and is the reigning CCC Player of the Week. LC is among the NAIA's most efficient offensive teams, making 51-percent of their field goals and 43-percent of their 3-pointers, while holding teams to just 66 points per game.
OFFENSE FINDS ITS RHYTHM: After failing to crack the 40-percent mark from the field over a 7-game stretch, the Coyote offense had a breakout moment in the second half on Wednesday at Whitworth. C of I made their first four field goals of the half – fueling the rally to erase a 20-point halftime deficit – making 59-percent of their field goals in the period. The success continued 24 hours later, as the Yotes made a season-high 34 field goals, converting at a 50-percent clip, in the double-overtime win. C of I scored a season-high 92 points – just the sixth time over the last two seasons the Coyotes reached the 90-point barrier.
REBOUNDING CONTINUES TO BE THE KEY: C of I continued to crash the boards in Spokane, combining for a 15-rebond edge in the two games against Whitworth. The Yotes have won the battle on the glass in 3-straight games and in six of their last seven starts – posting double-digit offensive rebounds in all seven games. Despite playing half of their games against Division I opponents, the Yotes have recorded eight total rebounds more than their foes.
O'NEIL HAS BREAKOUT WEEKEND: Forward
Jake O'Neil came through in a big way for the Yotes at Whitworth, posting his two best games in a C of I uniform. The redshirt freshman scored a career-high 11 points in Wednesday's win, the was the catalyst on Thursday, scoring 25 points – the most by a Coyote this season – along with 15 rebounds, in the come-from-behind win. O'Neil converted 14-of-19 field goals in the two games, upping his field goal percentage to a team-best 52-percent, while increasing his rebounds per game average to seven a night. It marked the first time a Coyote has recorded 25 points and 15 rebounds in a game since Antonio Garrett posted 26 points and 16 boards in the 2013-14 season opener at Montana Western.
JANUARY HAS BEEN GOOD TO TIME: Since the calendar flipped from 2020 to 2021,
Ricardo Time has filled up the scoring coffers. The senior scored a career-high 24 points in Thursday's overtime win and is averaging 19.8 points per game over his last four outings. Time leads the Yotes with a 14.8 points per game scoring average on the year, while averaging five rebounds and one steal per game.
GALLOWAY BOUNCES BACK: After a tough weekend in the home series vs. William Jessup,
Jalen Galloway had back-to-back big efforts in Spokane. The forward made 13-of-22 field goals in the two games, averaging 17 points per game – including 18 points in the overtime match-up before fouling out with two minutes left in the second extra session. Galloway is averaging a career-best 13.6 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.
ELZIE KEY AT THE POINT: After taking over the starting point-guard spot on Jan. 2 vs. William Jessup,
Charles Elzie has seen his playing time increase – along with his production. The sophomore scored a career-best 15 points – all in the second half – of Wednesday's win, including the two free throws that broke a 75-75 tie with five seconds remaining. He added seven points and five assists in the overtime win and is averaging eight points and four assists per game in his three starts. Elzie is tops on the team with 30 assists and has converted 84-percent of his free throw chances.
RECORD BOOK: Four Yotes rank among the Top-50 in C of I's career record book, as
Connor Desaulniers is No. 9 in blocked shots (83) and No. 25 in rebounds (503);
Ricardo Time is No. 33 in 3-pointers made (96) and No. 37 in 3-point attempts (234);
Derek Wadsworth is No. 45 in both 3-pointers made (66) and attempted (195); with
Ivory Miles-Williams No. 34 in games played (94).
AROUND THE CASCADE CONFERENCE: Last week, the Cascade Conference announced that seven members of the league (Bushnell, Corban, Eastern Oregon, Multnomah, Northwest, Oregon Tech, Warner Pacific) plan to compete during a spring season which will begin in late March. Three teams – Evergreen, Southern Oregon and Walla Walla – have opted out for the entire basketball season, while both C of I and Lewis-Clark State are currently playing, both with hopes to qualify for the NAIA Championships. The CCC announced that one automatic qualifying berth will be available for the NAIA Championships, with the athletic administrations of both C of I and LC, along with the CCC, working to determine the process to determine the berth.
NEW NATIONAL POLL RELEASED: Despite posting a 3-1 record in the month of January, including two wins against a Top-25 opponent, the Coyotes dropped eight spots to No. 23 in the latest NAIA Top-25 Coaches' Poll. C of I received 167 voter points from the 20 conference raters - the 31st-straight poll that the Yotes have been in the Top-25. Indiana Wesleyan holds the No. 1 spot, but split the 20 first-place votes with No. 2 LSU-Shreveport, with William Penn (Iowa), Lewis-Clark State and Loyola (La.) rounding out the Top-5. The poll will be released every-other week for the remainder of the regular-season.
AROUND THE NAIA: A total of 189 of the 231 men's basketball playing schools in the NAIA have begun their 2020-21 season, with only four leagues – the CCC, California Pacific, Golden State Athletic and Wolverine Hoosier Athletic Conferences yet to begin conference play and the CCC the only league with the majority of their teams not in action. Nine of the 23 teams heading into last week unbeaten suffered their first loss of 2020-21 – with LSU Shreveport (10-0), Loyola (7-0) and The Master's (7-0) holding the longest win streaks in the association. Indiana Wesleyan saw a 26-game win streak snapped by Grace (91-87), William Penn lost at Baker (91-67), while Lewis-Clark State lost at Arizona Christian (81-76).
A NEW LOOK NAIA: The 2020-21 season marks the first time since 1991 that the NAIA will operate with just one division in basketball – combining the Division I and Division II leagues. The association will operate with an eight scholarship maximum (three less than the Division I used previously, but two more than the Division II allowed). The change will also affect the NAIA Championships, as the field will grow from 32 teams to 64, starting with 16 4-team Opening Round sites, with each of the 16 winners earning a trip to the Final Site in Kansas City. The J.A. Albertson Activities Center has been certified as a potential venue for the NAIA Opening Round, with the decision made by the national office in February.
3-POINT STREAK: 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 1,048 – one of five programs (UNLV – 1,110, CCC rival, Duke – 1,099, Corban – 1,090, Arkansas – 1,057 and Western Kentucky – 1,054) which have made a 3-pointer in over 1,040-or-more straight games.
UNDER 60 POINTS / OVER 95 POINTS: C of I currently has a 48-game win streak in games where opponents fail to reach 60 points – and a dominating 205-12 mark in such games over the last 41 years. During the same stretch, the Coyotes are 58-2 when opponents fail to score 50. In addition, the Yotes have won 47 of their last 48 contests (dating back to 2006) when scoring 95 points per game.
