No. 3 Yotes own second half to down No. 11 Concordia in NAIA Game of the Week
PORTLAND, Ore. – No. 3 College of Idaho validated its lofty national ranking by withstanding a strong challenge from No. 11 Concordia University, outlasting the Cavaliers 78-65 on the road inside a raucous Cavalier Gymnasium.
The teams traded baskets for the first 30 minutes in a tight affair before the Coyotes' defense proved too stiff for the Cavaliers to overcome. College of Idaho (21-3, 10-2 CCC) trailed 51-50 with 12 minutes left, then outscored Concordia 28-14 the rest of the way to earn the tough road conference victory.
Concordia (18-4, 8-3 CCC) had the game's high scorer in
Tyler Velasquez, who finished with 25 points, but couldn't overcome C of I's balanced scoring and their own poor shooting. The Cavaliers hit only 20-of-68 shots (29 percent) for the game, while the Yotes made 28-of-53 (53 percent).
The contest started slowly as the teams felt each other out. It took nearly 10 minutes for both sides to reach double figures—a 15-11 C of I lead—after which the Yotes took off on the first run of the game. Jordan O'Byrne scored five straight as College of Idaho went up 22-13 with eight minutes left in the half.
Just as quickly, though, Concordia turned the tables. A three-point play from
James Phillips was followed up by a 3-pointer from Velasquez, and a few minutes later another long ball from
Zach Geary gave the Cavs their first lead at 28-26. The score was knotted at 33 at the break.
The hosts continued the run in the early stages of the second half, when two sides seemed poised to battle to a tight finish. Instead, College of Idaho took over. After neither team had led by more than a single basket for more than 16 minutes of play, the Yotes suddenly locked down defensively. The Cavaliers, struggling all night to make shots, finally couldn't keep up.
Concordia had chances, but every time the Cavs cut the lead or had an opportunity to make a big play late they found themselves unable to do so, stymied by their own miscues and a strong late push from one of the nation's best squads. C of I upped the lead to double digits for the first time with two minutes left, putting the game away.
Thomas Pierce finished with 13 for Concordia, while
Esvan Middleton notched his 11th double-double of the year with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
College of Idaho was led by Joe Vaz's 19 points and nine boards while coming off the bench. Josh Wilson had 18, Demetrius Perkins had 12 and Marko Kovacevic had 10. Wilson and Perkins also both finished with eight rebounds.
Concordia next faces Eastern Oregon at home on Jan 31 at 7:30 p.m. College of Idaho is at No. 18 Warner Pacific at 7:30 p.m. on Jan 31.