SPOKANE, Wash. –
Jake O'Neil converted a fall-away 10-foot jumper with three seconds remaining in the second overtime, lifting The College of Idaho to a 92-91 victory at Whitworth University inside the Whitworth Fieldhouse.
The redshirt freshman, who was a part of the Boise State golf team last year, recorded career-highs of 25 points and 15 rebounds, as the Yotes (4-6) completed a sweep of the No. 19 ranked Pirates.
After missing game-winning chances at the end of regulation and the first overtime, C of I rallied from an 89-83 deficit in the second extra session to win their ninth-straight over WU.
Liam Fitzgerald canned a corner triple with three minutes left in the second OT, as the Bucs scored seven of their first eight points of the frame. However, the Yotes forced three turnovers on WU's next four possessions – as an O'Neil dunk and a
Charles Elzie steal and basket gave the visitors a 90-89 lead inside the final minute.
Whitworth took their final lead with 27 seconds left after Miguel Lopez made a pair of free throws – but off an inbounds pass inside the final 10 seconds, O'Neil drove into the paint and converted the tough shot. C of I survived a last second heave by the Bucs to leave with the win.
O'Neil made 10-of-13 field goals on the night, as the Coyotes made 50-percent of their field goals in the victory.
C of I led the entire first half, with a
Paul Wilson dunk giving the Coyotes their largest lead of the night at 22-14. The Bucs battled back in the second half, using an 8-0 run to take a 49-45 lead midway through the period, but the Yotes turned the tables, with an Elzie jumper with two minutes left giving the NAIA squad a 71-66 edge. WU would score the final five points of regulation before a last second lob at the horn to
Elijah Jackson was knocked away by the Pirate defense, forcing overtime.
In the first extra frame, the Yotes took an 80-76 lead on a Galloway basket, but Garrett Paxton converted a backdoor lay-up with 13 seconds left to tie the game at 82-82. C of I nearly won it at the horn, but a Galloway made 5-footer off an offensive rebound was waved off by the officials.
Ricardo Time scored a career-high 24 points in the win, with Galloway scoring 18 points before fouling out in the second overtime.
Lopez led WU with 21 points and 12 rebounds, with Paxton adding 18.
NOTES:
- The double-double by O'Neil was the first by a Coyote since Connor Desaulniers had 10 points and 13 rebounds in a 2020 playoff win over Corban, with the 25-point night the most points scored by a Yote since Ivory Miles-Williams scored 29 points in a 2019-20 win over Northwest Christian
- The 20-point scoring games by both O'Neil and Time marked the first time since a 2019 NAIA Tournament win over Cornerstone that two C of I players scored 20-or-more points in the same game
- The 92 points scored by the Yotes was a season-high
- It was C of I's first double overtime game since an 86-82 victory over Northwest Nazarene in 2018 and the first road double overtime win since a 109-100 victory at Southern Oregon in 2014
- C of I held a 45-40 edge on the glass and has outrebounded their last three opponents
- Both Time and Elzie played over 40 minutes in the victory
