Lavar Moore scored a game-high 32 points in 77-74 win over No. 2 College of Idaho. (photo by Kelly Caleb)
Moore Leads Oregon Tech to Upset Over No. 2 College of Idaho
KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – Lavar Moore led the charge with 32 points, Oregon Tech battled back from a 10 point deficit with just over seven minutes to play and the Owls upset second-ranked College of Idaho 77-74 in Cascade Conference men’s basketball action tonight at Danny Miles Court.
The win for Oregon Tech snapped a four-game skid to C of I and ran their overall record to 8-5 and 1-2 in CCC action. C of I fell to 13-2 overall and 2-1 in CCC play.
C of I led the first nine minutes of the opening period before a Sherman Simpson free throw gave the Owls their first lead of the night at 10-9 nearing the midway point of the first half. Lavar Moore increased Tech’s lead on a jumper to eight, 19-11, with 7:40, while a Kyle Waits free throw with just over five minutes on the clock helped maintain the lead at 22-14.
The Yotes’ Marko Kovacevic sparked an 8-0 run, while a Joey Nebeker triple capped the scoring to make it 22-all with 3:46 remaining in the first half. Tech would regain the lead but a Kovacevic basket at the buzzer gave the visitors a 28-27 lead at intermission.
Tech jumped up eight points to open the second half, but another Nebeker trey cut the Yotes’ deficit to 44-43. Tech held the one point advantage, 51-50, but C of I reeled off 11-straight, capped by a Josh Wilson 3-pointer, to go up by double digits, 61-51 with just over seven minutes remaining to play.
Tech would outscore C of I 19-6 over the next four minutes and when Kyle Waits scored and was fouled, his free throw put the Owls ahead 68-67 with 3:03 to go.
Kovacevic next scored to push the Yotes in front 69-68 but that would be the last lead for the Yotes on the night.
Tech moved up five, 76-71, but Demetrius Perkins connected from long distance get the Yotes to 76-74 with 14 seconds.
The Owls’ Austen Flint was fouled, but only hit 1-of-2 from the charity stripe giving C of I last possession. Perkins’ catch-and-shoot opportunity for C of I off a baseline inbound play with .4 seconds, however, missed left and Tech would escape with a 77-74 victory.
Lavar Moore led all scorers with a game-high 32 points, with no other Owl reaching double figures. Kyle Waits grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds.
Four Yotes finished in double figures with Marko Kovacevic netting 21 to lead the C of I offense. Joey Nebeker and Sydney Donaldson tacked on 15 points each with Josh Wilson following with 10.
Oregon Tech will host Eastern Oregon University tomorrow while C of I takes on Southern Oregon University in Ashland.