CALDWELL, Idaho - The defending national champions are returning to Kansas City to defend their national title. No. 3 College of Idaho punched its ticket to the round of 16 with a 74-62 win over Cornerstone on Saturday night.
The win raises the record for College of Idaho to 30-3 on the season and marks the sixth-straight year of 30+ wins in a season. The Yotes are the lone program in the nation at any level to achieve that feat. The win also sends the College of Idaho to the round of 16 for the seventh straight year.
To get these milestones, it took a team effort where they landed four players in double figures with sophomore Samaje Morgan taking home team-high honors with 18 points. It is the 14th time in the season that the Eugene native has been the top scorer. Three seniors Johnny Radford (13), Jake O’Neil (12), and Tyler Robinett (11) each were in double figures along with Morgan.
Cornerstone (25-8) was paced by a 21-point game by Cory Ainsworth, who went 10-for-16 from the field. Luke Rowlinson added 15 and Jack Joldersma provided 12 in the loss.
With the game tied at 17 with 10:20 left in the first half, the host Yotes went on a 16-4 run to go up 33-21 with 3:59 to go in the first 20 minutes. During that run, Radford accounted for eight of the 16 for the Yotes.
Twice, in the second half, Cornerstone cut the deficit to seven. With the Yotes holding a 58-51 lead with 6:54 left to play, Radford hit his third 3-pointer of the game to spark a decisive 10-2 run.
The 12-point win marked the 25th time in 30 wins that the College of Idaho has won by double digits. After hitting eight 3-pointers in the win, the Yotes have made at least eight 3’s in 17 of the last 18 games. In holding Cornerstone to just three 3-pointers, the defense has allowed an opponent to hit three or fewer 3-pointers in three games in the season. The 10-board advantage marks the 32nd time in 33 games that the College of Idaho has outrebounded its opponent.
Morgan, who was held to four points in Friday’s first-round game, came back with 18 for his 27th time in double figures. The 13 points by Radford is the 23rd time that he has scored in double figures. The team-best 11 rebounds by Paul Wilson marks the third time in the season that he has pulled down double-digit boards.
The win at the friendly confines of the J.A. Albertson Activity Center was the 19th of the season for the Yotes.
Next, the College of Idaho will face Madonna (Mich.) on Friday, Mar. 22 at 5 p.m. (CST)/4 p.m. (MT). Madonna won its regional with an 81-78 win over Shawnee State (Ohio) on Saturday as the Crusaders head to the final site for the first time in program history.