Steffen Spinks had a game-high 19 points in C of I win
C of I Wins Overtime Thriller with EOU, 85-81
CALDWELL, Idaho - A driving Craig McGee lay-up with 2:28 left in overtime gave The College of Idaho the lead for good, as the Coyotes held off No. 19 ranked Eastern Oregon, 85-81, in tonight's I-84 Cup battle inside the J.A. Albertson Activities Center.
After two Kris Groce free throws with nine seconds left forced overtime for the Mountaineers (8-4, 2-3 CCC), the Coyotes would never trail in the extra session. Tied at 76-76, McGee split a double-team and kissed a high-arcing shot off the glass for a two-point lead. An offensive rebound a put-back by Steffen Spinks would push the lead to four, but EOU would not go away, cutting the deficit to 80-79 on a Groce triple, but the Yotes responded with a Terriel Thomas lay-up and converted free throws down the stretch for the win.
The Yotes (7-8, 3-2) hit eight of their first ten shots on the night, jumping out to a 26-7 lead midway through the first half, but EOU rallied, scoring 16-straight points late in the half, as the two teams were deadlocked 35-35 at the break. Eastern would take their biggest lead of the night at 60-50 on a Jordan Gregg putback with eight minutes left, but the Coyotes fought back, using a 13-2 run, capped by a Thomas lay-up to retake the lead. Two ties and four lead changes would occur in the final two minutes of regulation.
Spinks led The C of I with 19 points and a career-high nine rebounds, with McGee adding 15. Kurt Nielson had a season-high 14 points off the bench, with Kelvin Potts scoring 12 - six coming in overtime.
Groce led the Mounties with 24 points and six assists, with Neil Fryer adding 20 points and six rebounds. Gregg had 13 points and a team-high nine rebounds off the bench for EOU.
The Yotes return to action this weekend with a pair of road tilts - Friday at Northwest and Saturday at No. 15 Evergreen State. Both games can be heard live in the Treasure Valley on 1490 KCID-AM, beginning at 8:30 p.m.