Kelly McCarty led the Yotes with 14 points in the loss
CALDWELL, Idaho - Adam Orchard and Michael Stockton each scored 18 points, lifting Westminster College to their fourth-straight Duane Wolfe Memorial Golden Rule Shootout crown, stopping host College of Idaho, 74-65, inside the J.A. Albertson Activities Center.
In the early game, Warner Pacific used a late second half run to defeat Montana Western, 80-73. (Purchase photos from the Western-WP game at http://www.backprint.com/view_event.asp?pid=bp%1E%7EFq&eventid=77054)
Stockton scored 14 points in the second half, with his three-point play with just over a minute remaining gave the No. 12 ranked Griffins (6-0) a 65-57 lead. Westminster converted 26-of-31 free throws on the night, with Stockton going 10-for-12 at the stripe.
The Yotes (2-5) never led in the game, but used an 11-2 run early in the second half to pull within 40-39, but the Salt Lake City school held The C of I without a field goal for a four minute stretch in the period, with a Stockton lay-up giving the Griffins their biggest lead of the night at 62-49 with five minutes remaining.
Westminster used a 19-8 rebound edge in the second half – withstanding 11 turnovers in the final 20 minutes.
Orchard had a big night, going a perfect 4-of-4 from three-point range and added a team-high seven rebounds. Nick Hovda added a season-high 12 points, while Jordan Bjornberg chipped in with nine.
Kelly McCarty led four C of I players in double figures with 14 points, while Miguel Rodriguez had a career-high 12 points and five assists. Steve Peres had 11 points and Matt Ballenger added ten, but the duo struggled from the floor all night, combining for 8-of-29 shooting, including 3-of-18 from outside the arc.
Earlier in the day, Warner Pacific used a 15-3 run over the final five minutes to hand Montana Western their first loss of the season. The Knights (4-1) trailed 56-46 with 13-minutes remaining in the game, but chipped away at the deficit, taking the lead for good at 74-73 on a Biniam Tadele triple with two minutes to play. Western would commit two turnovers and miss their final four shots, while WP went 5-for-6 from the foul line in crunch time.
Cody Thueringer had a game-high 32 points for Western – the fifth-highest scoring game in the 24-year history of the tournament. Six players for the Knights scored in double figures, led by a 19-point effort from Tadele.
Five players were named to the All-Tournament Team – Orchard and Stockton from Westminster, Peres from The C of I, Thueringer from Western, and Tadele from WP.
The Coyotes return to action next weekend, heading to Atherton, Calif., for the Lamont Ramsey Classic, hosted by Menlo College.