Nicole Gall scores 22 in Lady Yotes win over Whitman
CALDWELL, Idaho - Nicole Gall had a monster night, helping The College of Idaho to their second-straight win, defeating Whitman College, 66-48, in the nightcap of the 10th Annual Best Western Caldwell Inn and Suites Lady Yote Classic inside the J.A. Albertson Activities Center.
In today's opener, the University of Puget Sound made their tournament debut, using a big second half surge to stop Eastern Oregon, 67-48.
Gall led all players with 22 points, eight assists, and seven steals, while pulling down seven rebounds - sparking an 11-3 run to close the first half with a three-pointer and a steal to give the Lady Yotes (3-2) a 32-23 lead at the break.
The C of I would use a 14-2 spurt early in the second half to pull away, as Gall had five, with Nicole Bruce and Marquina Gilliam-Hicks each scoring a pair of buckets in the run - as the Yotes built a lead as big as 26.
Bruce had 19 points and nine rebounds in the win, while Gilliam-Hicks added eight points and three assists. Katie Strunk had a game-high 12 rebounds, part of a 52-43 C of I edge on the glass.
The Missionaries (1-2), who had just one lead in the game at 14-13, got 11 points off the bench from Michelle Krall and ten points from Rebecca Sexton. However, Whitman was victimized by 27 turnovers.
Game 1 today was a battle of streaks - as Jocelyn Riordan nailed four three-pointers in the UPS victory, part of a 20-point night.
The Loggers (3-1) got eight Riordan points in a 14-0 run in the opening half to build a 19-5 with 10:53 remaining, but watched as EOU scored the final 13 points of the period, capped by back-to-back Alyssa Garro three's, to take a 29-28 lead at the break.
The Mountaineers (4-3) would grab a 38-35 lead on a Kyle Miller lay-up with 14:26 remaining, but UPS used a 18-2 run over the next six minutes to put the game away.
Claire Ely had 16 points and eight assists, with Lindsay Layland adding 11 points and ten rebounds in the victory for the Tacoma, Wash., school. Garro had 20 points and Shaylee Neilsen added ten in the loss for the Mounties - who hit 10-of-22 shots from long range.
Eastern Oregon will meet Whitman tomorrow in the consolation game at 3 p.m., while the Lady Yotes and Puget Sound meet for the title at 5 p.m.