SEATTLE, Wash. –
Sophia Jackson and
Lexi Mitchell combined for 30 points to lead The College of Idaho to a 51-42 win at Seattle Pacific on Friday inside the Royal Brougham Pavilion.
Jackson, who finished with a season-high 16 points and five rebounds, was part of a key run late in the first half which changed the complexion of the game.
Trailing 21-12 with 2:42 remaining before the break, the Yotes (4-8) rattled off 12 straight points heading into the locker room, including 11 from the hot hand of Jackson, who scored the final seven points of the half.
The hot stretch gave C of I a 24-21 lead at the half, which was extended out to a seven-point lead with 2:43 in the third quarter when Jackson drained a 3-pointer to make it 31-24.
SPU (3-3) would not go away however, retaking the lead at 39-38 with 4:57 remaining after a pair of free throws from Ashlynn Burgess.
C of I quickly responded to the adversity, putting up an 11-1 run over the next 3:19 of game action, including two made free throws and a 3-pointer from
Kenadee French, four points from Mitchell and a
Kiersten Rasmussen jumper.
With a 49-40 lead and just 1:38 remaining, the Yotes were able to hold off the Falcons the rest of the way to earn a key win on the road over a team that split with Cascade Conference foe Lewis-Clark State last week.
Mitchell scored a season-best 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the floor, adding five rebounds and a steal as well. Rasmussen had 10 rebounds, two blocks and a steal.
French was a major contributor on the offensive end out of the starting lineup, burying two 3-pointers and finishing with eight points and two steals.
By holding the Falcons to 42 points, C of I has now held three opponents below 50 points in the past week of action.
SPU was limited to 12-of-46 (26 percent) shooting from the floor and held without a made 3-pointer on 13 attempts.
After starting slow offensively, the Yotes shot 15-of-37 (41 percent) overall and 6-of-14 (43 percent) from beyond the arc over the final three quarters, finishing at 16-of-49 (33 percent) from the floor and 6-of-19 (32 percent) on 3-pointers for the game.
The rebounding battle went to C of I by a tally of 37-35.
By knocking off SPU, the Yotes won a contest over a Division II opponent for the first time since a 70-54 win over Northwest Nazarene on Dec. 5, 2006. It was the first road win against a Division II foe since a 58-39 win at UC-Colorado Springs on Nov. 29, 1996.
Both teams will return to action tomorrow afternoon at 2 p.m. PT to round out the weekend.
