Coyotes Complete Weekend Sweep in California
COSTA MESA, Calif. – A 12-1 first half run erased an early Vanguard lead, as the College of Idaho hung on down the stretch for a key 77-68 victory over the Lions at The Pit.
Roosevelt Adams scored a season-high 19 points and added nine rebounds for the Coyotes (6-3), who extended their win streak to five games, completing a two-game road sweep in the Golden State.
The Lions (4-2), ranked No. 23 in the NAIA Division I, got seven early points from Shacquille Dawkins, including a 3-ball that gave the hosts their largest lead of the night at 13-5. The lead was 23-17, when C of I responded with a Keun Palu-Thompson lay-up, an Aziz Leeks free throw and a Nate Bruneel dunk to get within 23-22. Consecutive baskets from Leeks gave the Yotes the lead, with a Justin Saunders triple giving the visitors a 29-24 lead late in the period.
Treys from Palu-Thompson and Gibson Berryhill early in the second stanza extended the lead to 46-37, while an Adams 3-pointer midway through the period giving C of I their largest lead of the night at 55-43.
VU fought back behind Brandon Hood, who drained a pair of 3s in an 11-2 run, cutting the deficit to 63-62 with four minutes to play. The Coyotes were just too much – as Nate Bruneel and Adams each hit triples and Leeks converted a basket inside to extend the margin to 71-64 – with Adams making 4-of-4 free throws inside the final 20 seconds to secure the win.
Bruneel had 15 points and five rebounds in the win for C of I, with Leeks adding 12 points and six boards and Berryhill chipping in with 10 points off the bench. The Yotes forced 22 VU turnovers, outscoring the Lions 25-9 off the miscues.
Dawkins had 17 points and Geremy McKay had 13 points and seven rebounds in the loss for VU. The Lions lost despite making 53-percent of their field goals and 11 3-point baskets, but were outscored 17-3 at the foul line.
C of I opens Cascade Conference play next weekend with road games Saturday at Oregon Tech (6 p.m. PT / 99.1 FM) and Sunday at Southern Oregon (6 p.m. PT / 99.1 FM).