LA GRANDE, Ore. – Phillip Malatare scored all 11 Eastern Oregon points in overtime, including the game-winner with two seconds left, lifting the Mountaineers to a 93-91 victory over College of Idaho inside Quinn Coliseum.
The loss for the Coyotes (18-4, 12-2 CCC) snapped an 11-game win streak and spoiled a monster night from
Ricardo Time, who scored a career-high 26 points, including a game-tying 3-pointer with one minute left in the extra session, squaring the contest at 91-91.
After both teams could not convert on the offensive end, the Mountaineers (13-9, 7-7) left the game in Malatare's hands, converting a 12-foot jumper on the baseline for the lead. A desperation heave at the buzzer fell short in the fourth overtime contest between the squads in the nearly 200-game series between the rivals.
No team took control on the night, as the contest featured 11 ties and 19 lead changes – with no lead greater than six.
C of I grabbed their largest lead on a pair of
Ivory Miles-Williams free throws with just under three minutes remaining at 76-71, but a 9-2 EOU run, keyed by 3's from Zane Wright and Preston Chandler, gave the hosts the lead. The Yotes tied the game on a
Jake O'Neil runner, before both teams made big plays inside the final 30-seconds – as Wright rattled home a floater in the lane with 27 seconds left, only to have the Coyotes
Drew Wyman bully his way to the bucket for the tying score – sending the game to overtime.
In the extra session, the Coyotes took their final lead at 87-85 on a
Charles Elzie triple, but Malatare hit two free throws and two jumpers, but Time got the Yotes even – converting a triple off an offensive rebound.
Time made 7-of-10 field goals in the loss, converting his first five 3-point attempts before the 65-foot attempt at the final horn. Wyman scored 18 points with five rebounds,
Tyler Robinett added 11, O'Neil scored nine points and posted eight rebounds, with
Caden Handran scoring six points, adding seven rebounds, three assists and three steals.
The Yotes lost despite converting 53-percent of their field goals and recording a 36-28 rebound margin.
Malatare led all scorers with 27 points, with Xavier Lovelace adding 13 points and nine rebounds.
C of I returns home on Friday, hosting Corban at 7:30 p.m.
