No. 5 College of Idaho men's basketball started its final game of 2023 on a 13-3 run against host Eastern Oregon on its way to a 64-57 win on Saturday.
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College of Idaho (10-2, 5-1 CCC) utilized an all-around team effort in the win as
Jake O'Neil scored 10 points and grabbed nine rebounds;
Tyler Robinett added 11 points and five rebounds;
Johnny Radford made 10 free throws on his way to 14 points.
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The Yotes outscored Eastern Oregon, 19-7 on points off turnovers and 30-12 on points in the paint. It was not just an offensive showcase for the Yotes, who held the Mountaineers to 36.2% shooting and forced 16 turnovers.
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Eastern Oregon (3-9, 2-4 CCC) were led by a game-high 20 points – 13 of which came in the second half - from Jared Hansen. The Mountaineers cut the deficit to three on a pair of times in the first 20 minutes.
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After going into halftime with a 39-28 lead, College of Idaho picked up baskets by Robinett and O'Neil for its biggest lead of the night at 15, 43-28 with 17:04 left to play. A late surge by the visiting Mountaineers made it a four-point game, 58-54 with 3:05 to go. After a pair of offensive rebounds, Radford made two of three free throws after being fouled on a 3-pointer to make it a six-point game, 60-54, with 1:45 left to play.
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Next, College of Idaho will be home for six of its next eight games as they begin the stretch with a 2 p.m. tilt on Friday, January 5
th at noon against Walla Walla.
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