Eastern Overcomes Slow Start, Wins 15th Straight
CALDWELL, Idaho – College of Idaho controlled the tempo for the first 15 minutes in their matchup with No. 7 ranked Eastern Oregon, unfortunately, the Mountaineers put the foot to the throttle, forcing 25 turnovers in a 91-57 victory inside the J.A. Albertson Activities Center.
It was not as easy for the Mounties (21-2, 14-0 CCC) as the final score indicated, as the Lady Yotes dominated the first quarter. Early 3-pointers from
Madison Holly and
Alyssa Case and a buzzer-beating floater from
Keahi Roy gave C of I (4-14, 4-8) a 14-9 lead at the period close.
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Jocelyn Cook-Cox lay-up early in the second quarter gave the Yotes their largest lead at 16-9 – with the hosts leading 22-19 at the 6:43 mark – before EOU took command. Payton Parrish had a lay-in and a 3-ball, part of a 12-0 run that gave the Mountaineers their first lead of the night.
Leading 43-29 at halftime, Eastern turned to Stormee Van Belle and Maya Ah You-Dias in the third quarter, combining for 22 of their 29 points – including the final nine points of the period – to push the margin to 72-41 - as EOU won their 15th-straight.
Despite the loss, C of I made 46-percent of their field goal attempts – their second-highest total of the year – as
Alyssa Case led the way with 17 points, four rebounds and four assists. Holly had nine points, making 3-of-4 3-point attempts;
Lindy Westendorf and Cook-Cox each scored eight, with
Mackenzie Collins scoring a career-high seven.
Van Belle led all scorers with a season-high 28 points for EOU, with Ah You-Dias scoring 18 points with seven steals. The Mountaineers made 56-percent of their field goals after halftime and scored 34 points off C of I turnovers.
The Lady Yotes return to action this weekend, hosting Walla Walla in a pair of games – Friday at 1 p.m. and Saturday at 7:30 p.m.