Tyler Young had 12 points and six boards in Coyote loss
NAMPA, Idaho - Montana Western used an 18-3 first half run to break open a tie game, as the Bulldogs won the 4th-Annual NNU/C of I Holiday Classic, topping The College of Idaho, 84-61, inside the Johnson Sports Center.
With the game deadlocked at 12-12, Western (9-3), ranked No. 22 in the NAIA Division I poll, Mark Lussier hit the first of five three-point buckets to start the spurt, with a Tyler Hurley runner pushing the margin to 30-15 with 6:23 remaining in the period. The lead would build to 41-19 on a Hurley bucket, before the Coyotes scored the final eight points of the half.
The Yotes (4-9) would get as close as 41-30 on a Steve Peres triple to open the second half, but UMW would respond, as a Brandon Brown trey gave the Bulldogs a 65-41 lead midway through the period, as Western coasted to their third win this season over The C of I.
Cody Thueringer led five Bulldogs in double-figures with 21 points, with Brown and Lussier each scoring 18. Western hit 14-of-26 shots from outside the arc in the win.
The C of I got 14 points from Matt Ballenger, with Tyler Young scoring 12 in the loss.
The Coyotes return to action next weekend, returning to Cascade Conference play with a 5:30 p.m. (PT) tip at Oregon Tech.