PORTLAND, Ore. –
Jake O'Neil scored a season-high 23 points helping The College of Idaho clinch the outright Cascade Conference Men's Basketball title, rolling to a 91-61 victory over Multnomah University inside Lytle Gym.
The win for the No. 9-ranked Coyotes (26-4, 20-2 CCC) secured the squad the No. 1 seed in next week's CCC Championships, with C of I grabbing the league's automatic bid to the NAIA National Championships - their 24th all-time trip to Nationals.
C of I will earn a rematch with the Lions (13-17, 9-13) on Wednesday night in Caldwell in the CCC quarterfinals – with tip-off set for 7 p.m.
MU started fast, as Tyrese Taylor scored six of the first eight points, as the Lions led 8-2 five minutes into the contest. C of I fought back, as O'Neil converted a 3-point play and added two inside baskets in a 14-2 run that gave C of I a lead they would never surrender.
Leading 50-43 early in the second half, the Coyotes broke the game open with a 16-1 run, as
Ricardo Time hit three 3-pointers and O'Neil added a fastbreak bucket and a triple, as the lead ballooned to 66-44.
C of I made 52-percent of their field goals in the victory, including a season-high 13 made 3-pointers, while holding a 47-27 rebound margin.
O'Neil finished 10-of-14 from the field, adding seven rebounds, with Time scoring 18 points on 6-of-10 shooting from outside the arc.
Drew Wyman had 10 points and nine rebounds, with
Charles Elzie scoring eight points with seven assists.
Taylor led MU with 18 points, but the Lions were held 24 points below their season scoring average – as C of I held their sixth-straight opponent to 61 points or less.
