PROVIDENCE, Mont. – A pair of three-point plays in the opening minutes by Samaje Morgan set the tone for No. 1 College of Idaho in an 82-53 rout of host Providence (Mont.) on Saturday evening.
Morgan finished the contest with a game-high 18 – 10 of which came in the second half - to lead four Yotes in double figures. He was joined by Johnny Radford (16), Straton Rogers (12) and Tyler Robinett (10). College of Idaho dominated the specialty points with a 46-8 advantage on points in the paint and 18-0 on second-chance points to go along with a 39-23 advantage in bench scoring.
Providence (0-1) was paced by a 14-point effort from reserve Jaylin Reed. He was joined in double figures by Sam Vining, who had 11 in the loss.
With the game tied at 2 in the opening seconds, Morgan converted on back-to-back 3-point plays that put the visitors ahead for the rest of the contest as they took an early 10-2 lead.
The Argos’ Davien Harris-Williams made a jump shot with 7:16 left in the opening half. Over the next 5:18, the defensive intensity of the Yotes kept Providence off the scoreboard with a 12-0 run that put the visitors ahead 40-19 with 1:58 left in the half. After the Argos got back on the scoreboard, Yotes freshman Dougie Peoples – one of four Montana natives on the roster – scored his first career points on a 3-pointer. In the first 20 minutes, College of Idaho held Providence to 27.6% shooting from field as they shot at a 45% clip.
The Yotes outscored the Argos, 37-30 in the second half as they stretched the lead to as large as 31 in the final 20 minutes.
For the other Montana natives, Drew Wyman and Alex Germer each had six and Peoples finished with three.
The victory is the 37th in a row for College of Idaho, who will now turn its attention to the home opener on Thursday against local rival, Northwest Nazarene.