No. 1 College of Idaho had one of its toughest tests to date in the first round of the NAIA National Tournament as the Yotes prevailed with a 78-61 win over No. 16 seed Westcliff.
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College of Idaho (31-1) extended four significant streaks with the win – 31 consecutive wins on the season, 36 at home, 13 by double digits and seven in the NAIA First Round.
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Westcliff (18-9) was paced by an 18-point effort from Gary Harris and Micaiah Hankins added 10 in the loss. The Warriors led for 10:24 in the contest, the most by an opponent since SOU led for 27:25 on January 21, 2023 in Ashland. Â
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The Yotes managed to shoot 46.6% from the field as four players scored in double figures with
Jake O'Neil scoring a team-high 16.
Samaje Morgan added 12,
Charles Elzie added 11 and
Drew Wyman provided 10. College of Idaho reserves outscored Westcliff, 36-16 in the win, it was the seventh-straight game where College of Idaho has scored at least 36 from its bench and 17
th on the season.
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A layup by O'Neil just before halftime put College of Idaho ahead 33-31 at the break. The two-point lead for the Yotes was the smallest since a five-point deficit to the Raiders on January 21. Furthermore, the two-point lead was the smallest at home since a one-point advantage on Providence on November 25, 2022.
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College of Idaho stretched the lead to 11 with nine-straight points to start the second half and would never relinquish the lead. A 3-pointer by the Warriors' Cap Uzan cut the deficit to four, 65-61 with 3:10 left to play. The Yotes answered with a 13-0 run to end the game that included a thunderous dunk by O'Neil.
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The win sends College of Idaho to the second round where they will face No. 8 seed Xavier University of Louisiana, who in the other first round matchup cruised to a 95-57 win over Hope International. Tip off for the second round matchup will be at 7 p.m., fans can tune in live to a special Yotes Digital Network pre-game show at 6:30 p.m.
