ASHLAND, Ore. — The College of Idaho raced out to a 9-0 burst and never trailed, building a lead that swelled to 20 points before closing out a 66-60 road win at Southern Oregon inside Lithia Motors Pavilion.
The Yotes set the tone early.
Brooke Beresford finished at the rim on the opening possession,
Maiya Hardy added a layup,
Kylie Waltermeyer sank two free throws and
Taryn Riley drilled a three to make it 9-0 less than three minutes in. The cushion kept growing, and The College of Idaho's largest advantage reached 20 late in the second quarter.
Southern Oregon rallied after halftime and eventually pulled even at 49-49 with 7:53 to play, then later tied it again at 60-60 with 2:07 left. The Yotes answered with Riley's go-ahead layup at 1:54, followed by late free throws to finish the job.
Riley led The College of Idaho with 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting, including a key fourth-quarter burst and 3-of-4 at the line. Waltermeyer posted a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds and added four assists.
Riley Beck provided a spark off the bench with 10 points and seven boards.
Annie Stinar chipped in nine points, four rebounds and three assists, while Beresford contributed seven points, two steals and a block. Hardy stuffed the box score with five rebounds and four assists.
Team numbers backed up the result. The Yotes shot 46.4 percent from the field compared to 41.4 percent for the Raiders, and they were sharper at the stripe at 73.3 percent to Southern Oregon's 50.0 percent. The College of Idaho won the glass 37-33, dominated points in the paint 44-32 and controlled the break 17-4. Bench production also favored the Yotes, 26-21.
The victory lifts The College of Idaho to 11-4 overall and 5-2 in league play, while Southern Oregon moves to 10-5 and 5-2. The Yotes led 24-12 after one and 41-25 at halftime, then withstood the late charge to bank another conference road win. The Yotes travel to No. 20 Oregon Tech tomorrow with a 4 PM MT Tipoff.
