YOTES STIFLE MARIAN 75-47, MOVE ON TO NAIA SEMIFINALS
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Defense has been the story throughout the 2017-18 season for the College of Idaho men's basketball team – with the latest chapter of the novel coming on the biggest stage. The Coyotes held No. 24-ranked Marian University to 27-percent shooting and 41 points below their season scoring average in a 75-47 victory in the quarterfinals of the NAIA Division II Men's Basketball National Championships, presented by Cypress Risk Management, inside Sanford Pentagon.
The Yotes (30-6) advance to their first national semifinal since the 1995-96 season – meeting No. 7-ranked Saint Francis (Ind.) on Monday night at 7 p.m. (MT) The game will be carried live on 99.1 ESPN Boise.
"A credit to our players," said head coach
Scott Garson. "They got a great game plan from our assistant coaches this morning and they followed it to a T. I am the luckiest coach in the world to have the players that we get to coach and the staff that we have."
C of I limited the Knights (22-12) top two players – guard Wes Stowers and 7-foot post Reggie Kissoonlal to just six total points – 37 points below their combined season average.
Leading 33-23 at the break, the Yotes watched MU score the first five points of the second half – before C of I went on a backbreaking 32-5 run.
Keun Palu-Thompson drained a jumper and had a fastbreak lay-up to push the lead to nine – with
Aziz Leeks taking over from there. The senior scored 14 of his game-high 18 points in the run – attacking the much taller Kissoonlal each time on the offensive end.
"There is a reason
Aziz Leeks was the player of the year in our conference," Garson said. "He didn't have the greatest individual performance last night, but I had a feeling today, knowing that a guy like Aziz comes back from everything – through injuries, through tough performances. He is the most positive person there is and always takes the next step and doesn't dwell on the past – and my gosh, he was absolutely incredible tonight – he destroyed them in the second half."
Gibson Berryhill hit three 3-pointers;
Roosevelt Adams added a trey and Matthew Duniphan converted on the block, to extend the margin to 65-33 with seven minutes to go.
Things did not look good for the Coyotes early – as the Cascade Conference champions missed 11-straight shots at one point, falling behind 9-2. The MU lead was 19-14 with six minutes left in the half – before C of I cranked up the pressure – limiting the Indiana school to just one made field goal the rest of the way. A Leeks post move started the 19-4 run to end the frame – with Adams,
Justin Saunders and
Nate Bruneel all hitting 3-pointers in the surge.
Berryhill scored 15 points off the bench for the Yotes, with Palu-Thompson scoring 13 and Bruneel 12. C of I made 11-of-21 3-pointers in the victory, including 6-of-9 after the half – with the Coyote bench outscoring MU's reserves 30-11.
Kissoonlal had six points – a night removed from scoring 30 – while Stowers, who averaged a Crossroads League best 23 points a game, ended the night without scoring a point. Christian Stewart had 11 points and Andrew Jordan scored 10, as the Knights made just 4-of-24 3-point attempts in the rout.
NOTES – The win ends a two-game losing streak by the Yotes in quarterfinal games (losing to Northwestern (Iowa) in 2001 and Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) in 2015)…it was the largest victory margin at the NAIA Championships in C of I history (28 points) – surpassing a 99-80 win over Cardinal Stritch (Wis.) in 2015…the Coyotes last reached the semifinals in 1996, defeating Walsh (Ohio), 92-79…the 47 points allowed by the Yotes were the fewest in the tournament since Cornerstone (Mich.) topped Dakota Wesleyan, 66-45, in the 2015 title game and were the second-fewest ever allowed by C of I in the tournament (44 points vs. Taylor (Ind.) in 2003)…C of I has established a new single-season school record with 2,266 shot attempts…the 30 wins by the Yotes are the second-most in program history (30 wins in 2015, 31 wins in 1996).