SALEM, Ore. - With the Cascade Conference title race tightening and every possession carrying added weight, College of Idaho battled into the final minutes before dropping an 85-75 decision to Corban on Thursday night at the C.E. Jeffers Sports Center.
The loss drops the Yotes to 17-8 overall and 12-5 in conference play, keeping the title chase alive but narrowing the margin for error down the stretch.
College of Idaho led 37-34 at halftime and held the advantage for nearly half of the opening 20 minutes. The Yotes built an eight-point first-half lead and used balanced scoring and active hands defensively to keep Corban on its heels early.
Utrillo Morris paced the Yotes with 25 points on 12-of-20 shooting, adding six rebounds, seven assists and three steals in a strong all-around effort. Alex Germer added 17 points, knocking down five 3-pointers, while Dougie Peoples chipped in 12 points and three steals.
Corban (12-12, 8-8 CCC) responded in the second half with an efficient offensive stretch, shooting 57.7 percent after the break. The Warriors scored 51 second-half points and went 20-for-25 from the free-throw line in the final 20 minutes to create separation.
Joe Gould led Corban with 22 points, including 9-of-11 from the free-throw line, while T.J. Zimmermann added 20 points on 8-of-10 shooting. Oreon Courtney contributed 17 points and six rebounds.
The game was tied at 52 with just under 10 minutes to play before Corban used a series of second-chance opportunities and trips to the line to build a multiple-possession lead. College of Idaho trimmed the deficit to four on a pair of Germer 3-pointers inside the final three minutes, but Corban closed the game at the stripe. The Yotes shot 39.7 percent from the field and 9-of-34 from beyond the arc, while Corban finished at 51.7 percent overall.
With multiple teams still in contention atop the conference standings, the Yotes will look to regroup quickly as the regular season heads into its final stretch.
