CU's Angela Gimeno scored 19 points in the win against C of I on Saturday.
No. 13 Cavs Defeat No. 9 Yotes to Take First Place in the CCC
PORTLAND, Ore. – After a back-and-forth battle through the first 15 minutes, No. 13 Concordia used a 15-4 run late in the first to pull away from No. 9 College of Idaho in women’s basketball action on Saturday night.
The two teams entered the game with a share of the Cascade Collegiate Conference lead, but with the win, Concordia improved to 21-2 overall and 14-1 in the CCC while C of I dropped to 22-3 and 13-2 in league action. The Yotes handed Concordia its lone CCC loss earlier in the year with a 62-53 win in Caldwell, Idaho on Jan. 16.
“It’s always hard to put a team that good away,” Concordia head coach Aaron Christian said. “We knocked down some key shots, especially from the free throw line, but in a game against a tough pressing team, leadership is always big and our seniors carried us through tonight.”
The game was at a near stalemate through most of the first half with five lead changes and six ties, the last of which occurred at 4:29 with the score nodded at 30-30, but the Cavaliers reeled off a 15-4 run behind buckets from five different players to generate a double-digit lead.
A Rebecca Gimeno jumper with 34 seconds in the period gave CU a 45-34 lead, its largest of the half, but a Christon Vander Esch layup with three ticks remaining would cut the deficit back to single digits entering the locker rooms.
The Cavs widened the gap out of the gate in the second with nine unanswered to take an 18-point lead, its largest of the game, with the score 55-36.
The Yotes would immediately respond with 11 straight points of their own. Punctuated by a three via Kayla Brewer followed by a drive to the basket from Vander Esch, the Yotes trimmed the margin to 57-50 with 10 minutes remaining.
Vander Esch, who tied for the game-high with 23 points, continued to be a force in the second, pushing the Yotes back to within five with a layup on a fouled shot attempt and connecting on the subsequent free throw.
It would be as close as the Cavaliers would allow their visitors to come the rest of the way as CU would outscore the Yotes 15-9 the rest of the way with 13 of the points coming by way of the free throw line.
The Cavs converted 24-of-26 from the charity stripe in the contest for a 92.3 percent success rate while C of I made 19 shots in two extra attempts for a 67.9 percent exchange.
CU’s Rebecca and Angela Gimeno each made 9-of-9 from the free throw line as Rebecca tallied 23 total points to her sister’s 19. Danielle Clauson added 11 points and 10 rebounds.
After Vander Esch’s 23, Nicole Gall recorded 18 points and Whitney Owen contributed 14 off the bench.
Overall, CU shot 46.7 percent from the field compared to 37.1 for the Yotes. The Cavs also enjoyed a 42-38 advantage in rebounds.
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.