Jessalyn Jackson's game winner helps NU over C of I
CALDWELL, Idaho - Jessalyn Jackson converted a driving lay-up with two seconds remaining, lifting Northwest University to a 70-68 upset of No. 19 ranked College of Idaho, tonight inside the J.A. Albertson Activities Center.
After the Lady Yotes (18-7, 14-4 CCC) tied the score at 68-68 on a long Nicole Gall three with 18 seconds remaining, the Eagles weathered The C of I backcourt press, as Emily Drivstuen worked the ball to the right angle, tossing a perfect lob to Jackson. The sophomore made a nice spin move and scooped the ball into the basket – helping NU into a second-place tie in the final Cascade Conference standings.
The Eagles (17-9, 13-5) led the entire second half, taking a 64-58 lead on a Jackson lay-up with three minutes to play. A Whitney Owen triple and a Katie Strunk jumper pulled the Coyotes within a point, but Jackson responded with a jumper of her own to push the lead to 66-63. Gall had a chance to tie the score with three free throws with 45 seconds remaining, but hit just 2-of-3. NU would call a timeout after struggling with the Coyote press, but diagramed a perfect play, getting Drivstuen open on a back-pick for a basket, increasing the lead to 68-65. Gall would go the distance of the court, canning the triple in the right corner to set up the NU heroics.
Jackson had 18 points and seven rebounds for the Eagles, with Drivstuen and McKenzie McKean each scoring 14. NU hit 52-percent of their field goal attempts – despite playing the contest without their leading scorer, Jessica Wilkerson, who sat out due to a minor injury.
Gall led all scorers with 24 points, six assists, and six of the Coyotes 20 steals. Owen added 15 points and six rebounds, but the Lady Yotes connected on just 37-percent of their shots.
Both teams advance to the CCC Tournament, beginning Tuesday night. The Lady Yotes will host Concordia at 7:30 p.m., while Northwest plays host to Corban. The remaining pairings have Southern Oregon at Warner Pacific, and Oregon Tech at Eastern Oregon.