Duncan Koga had a career-high tying 14 points vs. WWU
CALDWELL, Idaho - Holding Walla Walla University to the fewest points by a Coyote opponent in 60 years, The College of Idaho rolled to a 88-30 victory in the final game of the 25th Annual Duane Wolfe Memorial Golden Rule Shootout.
Lewis-Clark State won the de-facto tourney title with an 81-62 victory over Evergreen in the early game.
The Coyotes (3-4) used a stifling defense - holding the Wolves without a made field goal over the final 17-plus minutes of the first half, closing the period on a 34-5 run to take a 38-11 lead to the locker room. The C of I would limit WWU (1-7) to just one two-point field goal over the final 37-plus minutes of the game, recording the lowest total by an opponent since the Yotes defeated Pacific University, 54-29, during the season finale of the 1950-51 season.
Matt Ballenger hit seven mid-range jump shots in an 18-2 run that gave The C of I the lead for good, while Duncan Koga canned a pair of treys as the Yotes closed the half by scoring the final 16 points - as the Wolves missed their final 14 shots in the period and committed 16 turnovers.
A pair of triples from Tyreek Luckett got WWU within 49-20 early in the half, but the Yotes scored 26 of the next 29 points and cruised to the win.
Ballenger led all scorers with 20 points, with Rodney Delgardo adding 15 points - including two thunderous dunks. Koga had a season-high 14 points, with Krispin Banks and Tyler Young each scoring eight. The Yotes hit a season-best 57-percent of their field goal attempts.
Mark Moore had 11 points in the loss for WWU, as the Wolves made just 7-of-44 field goals and committed 27 turnovers.
In the early game, six L-C State players scored in double-figures, as Joey Wayman and Spencer Drury each hit three's in a key 9-0 run early in the second half to top the Geoducks. Wayman had 15 points to lead the Warriors, while Tyrell Stephens scored 19 for Evergreen.
A pair of L-C players - Wayman and Danny Marshall earned All-Tournament Team honors, along with WWU's Moore, Evergreen's Marice Tolliver, and the Yotes' Delgardo.
The C of I returns to action next weekend in Oakland, Calif., at the Holy Names Thanksgiving Classic - meeting William Jessup on Friday and host Holy Names on Saturday.