C of I wins 2nd CCC title in three years
SALEM, Ore. - Kylie Hardison led four players in double-figures with 21 points, leading The College of Idaho to their second Cascade Collegiate Conference Championships title in three years, upsetting top-seeded Corban University, 80-68, inside the C.E. Jeffers Center.
Playing in their fifth-straight title game, the No. 20 ranked Lady Yotes (22-8) hit 59-percent of their second half field goal attempts to cut down the nets on the road for the first time in program history.
Leading 32-30 at the break, the Yotes used a 9-2 run early in the second half – started by a Hardison trey, getting two Felicity Jones baskets, and a Tina Fakahafua lay-up, to take a 47-35 lead with 16 minutes to play. The No. 10 ranked Warriors (23-7) got within 51-43 on an Emily Tsugawa triple, but Jones took over, scoring 11 points in a 15-6 C of I surge that gave the visitors their largest lead of the night at 66-49 at the 8:26 mark – and the Yotes were never threatened again.
Tsugawa scored six early points for Corban, as the Warriors led 12-6 four minutes into the game. Fakahafua would score six-straight points start an 8-0 run to give the Yotes their first lead at 22-20, with the teams combining for seven ties and three lead changes in the first half.
Hardison, earning her first start of the season – as starting post Laura Geis missed the game due to injury, hit 8-of-14 shots and added five rebounds. Jones added 19 points and five rebounds, with Fakahafua recording third double-double in four games, scoring 14 points, 17 rebounds, and a game-high seven assists. The Coyotes held a 41-33 edge on the glass and made 51-percent of their field goals for the game – the highest percentage allowed by Corban this season.
Shayla Fetters led the Warriors with 18 points, Tara VanWeerdhuizen had 17 points and 12 rebounds, with Tsugawa scoring 15 points. Corban connected on just 2-of-16 three-point attempts, including 0-of-9 in the first half.
Both teams have secured berths to the NAIA Division II National Championships in Sioux City, Iowa, March 7-13. Pairings are expected to be released late in the day on Wednesday.