CU's Desmond Meray connected on 9-of-12 from the free throw line to push the Cavs to an 85-74 win over C of I on Saturday.
Free Throws Help Concordia Upend College of Idaho
PORTLAND, Ore. –Concordia scored the last five points of the first period and the first eight points in the second to propel themselves to an 85-74 win against The College of Idaho on Saturday.
With the win, Concordia moved to 8-16 on the year and 3-12 in the Cascade Collegiate Conference while the Yotes dropped to 13-12 overall and 9-6 in league action.
In a first-half of play that featured a dozen lead changes, the Cavaliers got the final word of the period with the final five points to take a 36-31 lead at intermission.
Behind back-to-back three by Steven Vaughan and Alex Tiefenthaler, CU extended its string to 13 unanswered for a 44-31 lead with 17:56 remaining.
Concordia would continue its surge over the next eight minutes, eventually pushing its advantage to 21by way of a pair of makes from the free throw line by Jourdan Sweeney. The Cavs would generate more than half of their points via the foul line, converting 25 shots in a whopping 37 attempts in the second period, to stave off any comeback hopes by the Yotes.
C of I managed to come to within 11 late in the half before falling by the same margin.
Vaughan paced the Cavs with 26 points after shooting 9-of-16 from the floor. Desmond Meray added 17 while Tiefenthaler finished with 14.
Craig McGee posted a double-double for C of I with 19 points and 16 rebounds. The Yotes outrebounded CU 44-39 and held a 15-8 edge in offensive boards, but fired from just 388 percent from the field while the Cavaliers converted 47.1 percent of its attempts.
Concordia will stay in Portland for a pair of road matches next weekend as the Cavaliers travel to Cascade for a Friday match before facing Warner Pacific on Saturday. C of I will host Evergreen State and Northwest next week.