CORVALLIS, Ore. – In a best-of-three series, Lewis-Clark State College and the College of Idaho will battle it out to see who will represent the Cascade Collegiate Conference at the NAIA National Championship as the automatic qualifier (AQ).
Due to the coronavirus and county mandates, the CCC basketball season was pushed back, but the two Idaho teams were still allowed to compete and begin the revised CCC Women’s Basketball Tournament Championship, presented by U.S. Bank, tonight in Lewiston, Idaho.
LC State earned the right to host the first game after holding a higher ranking on the Feb. 10 NAIA Top-25 Coaches’ Poll, with the Warriors currently sitting in the No. 24 spot.
The Warriors boast a 10-5 overall record coming into the contest. LC State split with NCAA Division II opponent Montana State-Billings most recently, grabbing a 67-61 victory before dropping a tough 82-81 overtime loss.
As a team, the Warriors average 68.9 points per game (ppg), with three individuals averaging double figures. Kiara Burlage leads LC State with 16.9 ppg, followed by Abbie Johnson with 12.4 ppg and Jansen Edmiston with 11.5 ppg.
The Coyotes come into the contest with a 4-12 record, looking to snap a four-game slide. College of Idaho averages 49.5 points per game against a tough schedule, full of non-NAIA opponents due to the coronavirus.
Kiersten Rasmussen leads the Yotes with a 7.9 scoring average, while Allie Cannon follows with 7.1 ppg. Rasmussen has now tallied a double-figure scoring total on five occasions this season.
LC State and C of I met twice earlier this year with the Warriors edging out the Coyotes both times (75-39 in Lewiston and 76-57 in Caldwell, Idaho). The two teams tip off tonight at 5:00 p.m. PST on the Warriors’ home court. No fans will be permitted to the games, but all games will be streamed online. Fans can follow Wednesday night’s action through the LC State
portal.
CCC Women’s Basketball Tournament Championship, presented by U.S. Bank
Feb. 18 @ LC State – 5 p.m. PST
Feb. 21, @ C of I – 3 p.m. MST
Feb. 27 (if necessary)