Westminster Needs OT to Sink Lady Yotes
Mike Safford
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah - Kelsi Wells three-point play with 2:24 in overtime gave Westminster College the lead for good, as the No. 5 ranked Griffins overcame a gutsy performance by The College of Idaho, defeating the Lady Yotes, 60-56, inside Behnken Fieldhouse.
Box Score
The Yotes (3-1) trailed 54-50 in the final two minutes, but a pair of Chakala Carthen free throws got the visitors within a bucket, with Felicity Jones stealing a ball and converting at the other end to tie the score with 1:11 left. The Griffins (2-1) would get a pair of cracks at the lead, but missed both tries, with Jones missing a runner at the buzzer for The C of I to send the game to overtime.
In the extra session, the two teams combined to shoot 1-of-10, but Westminster caught a huge break early in the period, when Jones fouled out. The Coyotes took a 56-55 lead on a pair of Sienna Edmunson free throws, but on the ensuing possession, Wells scored inside and was fouled to give the Griffins a 58-56 lead. The C of I had three tries at a tie, but missed, and a pair of Brooke Larsen free throws sealed the win.
The C of I jumped out early, using a 9-0 run - keyed by five Jones points and a pair of Laura Geis baskets, to take a 9-4 lead - grabbing a 25-20 lead at the break. The second half was nip-and-tuck, featuring five ties, with neither team leading by more than four points.
Wells and Nicole Yazzie each had 17 points in the win for the NAIA Division I school, with Cydney Tibbetts recording 13 points and 13 rebounds. The Griffins held a 42-29 edge in rebounds.
Carthen led the Yotes with 15 points - but committed nine of C of I's 20 turnovers. Jones added 11 points and Kylie Hardison recorded nine points off the bench.
The Lady Yotes return home on Tuesday, hosting rival Northwest Nazarene in an exhibition game at 7 p.m.