Travis Pacos had a game-high 22 points in NCU win
Northwest Christian Hangs On for Road Win at C of I
Mike Safford - C of I
CALDWELL, Idaho - A game-tying three-point attempt at the buzzer by Sydney Donaldson was blocked by Calvin Green, helping Northwest Christian earn a 64-61 victory over The College of Idaho, inside the J.A. Albertson Activities Center.
The Beacons (9-10, 2-5 CCC) won for just the second time in program history against the Yotes in Caldwell - while handing The C of I their fifth-straight home loss.
NCU seemingly had the game in hand, as a pair of Travis Pacos free throws with 23 seconds left gave the visitors a 64-57 lead. However, Rodney Delgardo drained a jumper and after a missed front end of a Beacon 1-and-1, Delgardo converted a driving lay-up with two seconds left to pull the Coyotes (6-13, 1-7) within three. The Beacons would try a full court inbounds pass that went out of bounds, giving The C of I a final chance. Donaldson tossed the ball in to Matt Ballenger, who touched the ball back to Donaldson in the corner, but Green contested the shot, and the ball fell harmlessly to the floor to end the game.
The see-saw contest was deadlocked at 29-29 at the break - with the teams exchanging the lead 15 times on the night. The Yotes grabbed their biggest lead of the night on a pair of Krispin Banks free throws at 35-31, but a Jordan Myers trey started a 7-0 NCU run to give the Beacons the lead. A Banks lay-in with 10 minutes left gave the Yotes a 48-47 lead, but The C of I would convert just one field goal in the next nine minutes, as NCU methodically extended the lead to as many as seven.
Pacos led all scorers with 22 points and eight rebounds, with Greg Shepard scoring 12 points, and Brody McGowan adding 11 points and seven rebounds. NCU hit 52-percent of their field goals in the second half, while converting 6-of-13 shots from outside the arc on the night.
Delgardo led the Yotes with 20 points, with Ballneger adding 17 points. The C of I struggled in the second half, making just 37-percent of their field goal attempts and lost despite a 15-8 edge in points from the foul line.
The C of I returns to action next Friday at No. 23 Eastern Oregon.