Christon Vander Esch had 12 points and seven boards for College of Idaho.
Yotes Post Convincing Win Over OIT, Will Face SOU for Title Monday
CALDWELL, Idaho - The College of Idaho women's basketball team moved one win away from the NAIA Division II national tournament with a convincing 63-44 victory over Oregon Tech in a Cascade Conference Tournament semifinal in the J.A. Albertson Activities Center.
The win for the Lady Yotes (19-10) was their third in three tries against the visiting Owls and moves The C of I into Monday's CCC title game against Southern Oregon, a 65-58 winner over Cascade in the other semifinal. The championship game will be played at McNeal Pavilion in Ashland. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.
After brief 3-0 and 5-4 leads by OIT (22-10), the Lady Yotes used a 12-3 run to take control of the game at the 13-minute mark of the opening half. A Christon Vander Esch lay-up with six minutes left in the period gave The C of I a 24-13 lead, a margin that would not drop below double-digits the rest of the way.
Whitney Owen had 14 points and 11 rebounds in the win, as the Coyotes will play in their first CCC final since 2005. Whitney Clark had 14 points, with Vander Esch adding 12 points, seven rebounds, and five assists for the victors, who improved to 7-1 all-time in home playoff games.
Tech struggled all night on the glass, allowing 15 C of I offensive boards and did not have a second-chance point in the game. Jenna Ball led the Owls with 16 points - their lone scorer in double figures.