Coyotes Advance Past Owls
CALDWELL, Idaho – Demetrius Perkins recorded his third double-double of the season as the No.6 ranked College of Idaho advanced to the Cascade Conference semi-finals by way of a 71-64 victory over the Oregon Institute of Technology inside the J.A. Albertson Activities Center.
The Coyotes (26-5, 14-4) controlled the majority of the first period as both teams came out of the gates slow, combining to make just 19-of-53 shots, including 4-of-22 from 3-point territory. Despite the poor shooting effort, C of I carried a five point advantage into the intermission.
The Owls (13-16, 6-12) quickly cut into the C of I lead and drew level with the Coyotes as Josh Johnson made a pair of free throws with 15:44 remaining in the game.
Both teams would trade the lead back and forth for the next ten minutes until C of I finally grabbed control of the game with 2:42 left, going on a 9-1 run to take a 66-58 lead.
The CCC's leading scorer, Lavar Moore, led Oregon Tech with 20 points as three other Owls joined him in double-figure scoring.
Jordan O'Byrne continued his hot shooting streak from deep, leading the Coyotes with 16 points, including a tetrad of 3-pointers.
Perkins scored 11 points to go along with 12 rebounds; senior guard Syndey Donaldson added 10 points and Marko Kovacevic flirted with a double-double, finishing with nine points and 13 rebounds.
The victory marks the 32nd straight win for the Coyotes inside the J.A. Albertson Activities Center and the 38th straight inside the state of Idaho.
C of I will host No.7 seed Eastern Oregon in a battle of I-84 on Saturday night as the Mountaineers advanced to the CCC Final Four by way of knocking off the No.2 seed and tenth ranked Concordia in Portland. Tickets for the semifinal game go on sale Thursday morning at 10 a.m. with the tip-off Saturday night at 7 p.m.