Coyotes Home Streak Snapped in 68-64 Loss to Jessup
CALDWELL, Idaho – The College of Idaho could not overcome a second-straight off-shooting night, as William Jessup scored the final six points to steal a 68-64 victory over the Yotes inside the J.A. Albertson Activities Center.
The win for the California based Warriors (1-1) ended a string of 27 consecutive victories by C of I against NAIA opponents and snapped a 15-game home win streak by the Coyotes.
Jake O'Neil broke a 62-62 tie with just over three minutes remaining with a driving lay-up, but freshman Myles Corey answered, beating the Yote defense up floor for an acrobatic lay-in to get the visitors square. Following a C of I turnover, Corey was fouled, sinking the two free throws to cap a 31-point night to stake WJU to a lead they would not relinquish.
The Coyotes had a chance to tie, but a Ricardo Time 3-pointer with eight seconds remaining rimmed out and Jessup iced the game at the foul line.
Time, who scored 17 points in the loss, was instrumental in an early C of I run, converting a pair of lay-ins and a 3-pointer in a 12-4 run that built the hosts a 29-19 lead. WJU clamped down defensively, holding the Yotes without a made field goal over the final four minutes of the half, with consecutive triples from Corey cutting the deficit to 29-27 at the break.
The second half featured six ties and seven lead changes – as C of I took a 54-48 lead after a Time put back, before Corey fueled a 12-3 run with a long 3-pointer that gave Jessup a 58-57 edge.
C of I made just 36-percent of their field goals on the afternoon and converted 8-of-18 free throw attempts – including 5-of-12 in the second half.
The Yotes hit the road next week for games Wednesday and Thursday at Division III Whitworth University in Spokane.
NOTES:
- It was the Coyotes first home loss since Lewis-Clark State defeated C of I, 76-56, in November of 2019 and the first loss to an NAIA foe since a 86-76 loss at The Master's on Nov. 29, 2019
- A night after combining for 43 turnovers, the two teams each forced eight turnovers
- C of I held a 51-45 edge on the glass – including 20 offensive rebounds, but turned the extra possessions into just nine second-chance points
- Paul Wilson recorded career-highs of 10 points and eight rebounds in the loss, while O'Neil had nine points and nine rebounds
- Elijah Jackson scored eight points with five rebounds – including a thunderous dunk in the second half
- Charles Elzie scored just two points, but logged a career-high seven assists in his first start of the season
- Tarren Storey-Way posted a double-double for WJU, scoring 12 points and 14 rebounds – including the game-clinching free throw with six seconds left
- Corey finished the night 7-of-11 from 3-point range – including five triples in the second half, while the rest of his team finished 3-of-19 from outside the arc
- Jessup will remain in the Treasure Valley, meeting Lewis-Clark State in a neutral-site game, hosted by C of I, on Monday at 1 p.m.