Yotes Win Mayors Cup In Double Overtime Thriller
CALDWELL, Idaho – The 205th meeting of Idaho's oldest college basketball rivalry was among the most epic, as Talon Pinckney drained a 3-pointer with 39 seconds left in double overtime to break an 81-81 tie, leading the College of Idaho to an 86-82 victory over Northwest Nazarene before a capacity crown in the United Heritage Insurance Mayors' Cup.
It marked the sixth-straight win for the Coyotes (7-0) at home in the series – with the two teams meeting in a rematch next Tuesday in Nampa.
Both teams had chances to win in regulation and the first extra session, with Obi Megwa giving the Nighthawks, who played the game as an exhibition, an 80-78 early in the second overtime. Gibson Berryhill answered with a corner 3-pointer – the first after halftime for C of I – to give the hosts the lead.
NNU would tie the score at 81-81 on an Adonis Arms free throw – but the Nighthawks would miss three other attempts – before Pinckney collected a pass from the block from Nate Bruneel and drained the 22-footer for the lead. Trailing 85-82, NNU had three cracks at a tie in the final 19 seconds, but could not find the range.
After squandering a 19-point first half lead, the Yotes (7-0) rallied from a 63-58 deficit with four minutes left in regulation, using a 9-2 run, capped by a Gibson Berryhill runner, to give the hosts a 67-65 lead. Arms answered with two free throws with 30 seconds left to force overtime.
C of I jumped to a 72-67 lead in the first extra session – keyed by an alley-oop dunk by Bruneel – only to see Arms rally the Nighthawks, draining a long triple and adding a 3-point play to tie the score at 78-78. Two consecutive Coyote turnovers gave NNU a chance for a win – but a traveling call on Arms and a steal by Pinckney on a Megwa baseline inbounds pass with 1.8 seconds left sent the game to double overtime.
The Yotes bolted out to a 24-5 lead just nine minutes into the game – as Justin Saunders, Berryhill, Pinckney hit 3's – and Matt Meyers added six points in the run. C of I would take a 42-26 lead to the break, but the Nighthawks got a pair of Adalberto Arms triples in a 15-4 run to open the second half to claw back in the game. NNU would hold C of I without a made field goal for a five minute stretch – with the 10-0 run, capped by a Megwa free throw line jumper, giving the visitors their largest lead of the night at 63-58 – setting up the frantic finish.
Five Coyotes scored in double-figures, led by 18 points and seven rebounds from Bruneel. Pinckney had 16 points, Connor Desaulniers had 15, Berryhill had 12 points and seven boards, with Meyers adding 10 points and eight rebounds.
Arms had a monster night for the Nighthawks, scoring 28 points, with 11 rebounds and seven assists – all team highs. Diaz scored 12, with Megwa and Jayden Bezzant each scoring nine.
C of I returns to action this weekend – hosting the Domino's Classic – meeting Montana Tech on Friday and Embry-Riddle on Saturday – with tip-off at 7 p.m.
NOTES – It was the first double-overtime game for the Coyotes since a 109-100 win at Southern Oregon in 2013-14 and their first home double-overtime game since a 89-84 win over Westminster in the 2004 Golden Rule Shoot-Out…it was the eighth all-time overtime game vs. NNU and the fourth double-overtime contest – and first since a 98-89 NNU victory during the 1996-97 season