Christon Vander Esch scores school record 39 in OT win over SOU
Vander Esch Scores 39, Lady Yotes Outlast SOU in OT
CALDWELL, Idaho - Christon Vander Esch scored a school record 39 points, including 11 in overtime, as The College of Idaho secured their first trip to the NAIA Division II national tournament since 2001 with a wild 97-88 victory over Southern Oregon, in a Cascade Conference Tournament semifinal.
The win for the No. 14 ranked Lady Yotes (29-3), coupled with Concordia’s 74-58 victory over Warner Pacific, clinches The C of I the CCC’s second automatic bid to the tournament in Sioux City, Iowa.
It wasn’t easy for the Coyotes, as the teams saw nine ties and 12 lead changes in the first half, with the No. 21 ranked Raiders (25-6) leading 36-35 with 1:45 left, but a Nicole Bruce bucket and three’s from Vander Esch and ShaNae Horner pushed the hosts out to a 43-36 halftime edge.
The C of I would open the second half on a 9-2 run to build their biggest lead of the night at 52-38 on a Nicole Gall triple, but SOU would fight back behind all-star post, Jacki Speer. The Raiders would use a 12-0 spurt to get within 54-52, then take the lead at 69-68 on a Whitney Scott three-point play with six minutes left.
Speer would break a 74-74 tie inside the final two minutes with a three-point play, with Scott giving Southern an 80-77 lead with a pair of free throws with five seconds left. However, the Coyotes would get the equalizer, as Gall canned a triple with less than a second remaining, to send the game to overtime.
Vander Esch, who set another school record with 27 field goal attempts and had 19 rebounds, took over in the extra session, scoring four of the Yotes five field goals and hit all three of her free throws to earn the win, as The C of I used a 11-3 run to open overtime and were never headed.
Gall had 17 points, Horner scored 14, and Bruce added ten points and a career-high 13 rebounds in the victory, as the Coyotes improved to 27-0 all-time when scoring 90-or-more points.
Speer led the Raiders with 35 points and 17 rebounds, while Scott had 19 points and seven assists.
The Lady Yotes will meet Concordia in Portland, Ore., on Monday night for the CCC title – tip-off is slated for 7:30 p.m. (PT)