Bryden Benke had six points and game-high seven boards for Yotes
LA GRANDE, Ore. - The College of Idaho forced 28 turnovers, as the No. 25 ranked Coyotes rolled to a season-opening 73-38 victory over Walla Walla University in the opening game of the Aramark Quinn Classic.
The 38 points allowed by the Coyotes (1-0) was the fewest by a C of I team in a season-opening win since 1946, when the Yotes defeated Montana Western, 70-36. It was the lowest scoring output by an opponent since holding Warner Pacific to 35 points in a win during the 2003-04 season.
The C of I broke a 7-7 tie four minutes into the game with a 9-0 run to take the lead for good, holding the Wolves (0-2) to just one field goal over the final 10 minutes of the period to grab a 37-17 lead at the break. WWU cut the margin to 42-27 with just under 17 minutes remaining on a Jordan Stimmel free throw, but the Yotes followed with a 20-2 run to put the game out of reach, leading by as many as 37 points down the stretch.
Matt Ballenger led a balanced Coyote attack with 18 points and five rebounds, with DeAngelo Jackson adding 11 points. Duncan Koga canned a trio of three’s for his nine points off the bench, with Rick Tolman logging eight points. Bryden Benke led The C of I with seven rebounds, with Sydney Donaldson recording six points and five assists.
WWU was limited to just 27-percent shooting in the contest, getting 11 points and 10 rebounds from Andrew Bailey and 10 points from Mark Moore.
The Yotes close out tournament play tomorrow, meeting No. 23 ranked Carroll, at 5:30 p.m. (PT) Live Stats and Live Video are available online at http://www.eousports.com.