Coyotes Stop Voorhees 87-74 in NAIA Tournament Opener
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – A slow start did not faze the College of Idaho in the first-round of the NAIA Division II Men's Basketball Championships, using a commanding 19-3 edge in offensive rebounds to a decisive 87-74 victory over Voorhees (S.C.) inside the Sanford Pentagon.
The fifth-ranked Coyotes (29-5) advance to meet 3-time NAIA champion, Cornerstone (Mich.) at 3 p.m. (MST) in tomorrow's second-round – the first-ever meeting between the powerhouse programs.
C of I struggled out of the gate, missing their first eight shots from the field and committing four turnovers in the opening five minutes, as the Tigers (24-6) jumped to an 8-0 lead.
"I was surprised how nervous our guys were to start the game," said C of I head coach
Colby Blaine. "You could see it in their passes, their cuts, their shots. However, credit to the leadership of the team to work through the jitters and find our game."
Talon Pinckney started the charge, scoring seven of his 17 points in a 9-2 run over a two minute period to cut the margin to 10-9, with a pair of Matt Meyers free throws tying the score for the first time at 18-18.
C of I took command midway through the period – using a 9-0 run to grab the lead. Derek Wadsworth canned a triple, Meyers converted twice on the block and Nate Bruneel slammed down a deuce, as the lead grew to 29-20.
"We made a couple key defensive adjustments midway through the half and it ignited us on both ends of the floor," Blaine said.
A Jaylen Hill bucket got VC within 36-28 inside the final 90 seconds – but Pinckney hit two free throws, Keun Palu-Thompson splashed a triple and added a bucket off a Jake Bruner steal at the horn to give the Yotes a 15-point lead at the break.
Bruneel gave C of I their largest lead of the game at 49-28 after an early 3-pointer in the second half, but the Tigers did not fold. Famble scored seven points in a 20-7 run over a six minute stretch – holding the Yotes without a made field goal in the run, cutting the gap to 69-61 with six minutes remaining.
The Yotes put the game away late, as a put-back basket from Meyers with 2:28 remaining gave C of I a 78-68 lead – the start of a 10-0 run that secured the first-round win.
C of I made 29 of their final 57 field goals in the win and converted 23-of-33 from the free throw line, while using a 44-25 edge on the glass – including 19 second-chance points.
Bruneel had 19 points and six rebounds, with Pinckney adding six assists and five steals – needing just nine points to reach 1,000-points for his C of I career. Meyers had 16 points and six boards, Palu-Thompson had 15 points and eight rebounds, with Bruner scoring six points with 10 boards.
Famble led VC with 25 points, as the Tigers made 51-percent of their field goals and 7-of-14 shots from 3-point range.