Harwood Double-Double Leads Yotes to 52-48 Win
CALDWELL, Idaho – The College of Idaho withstood a valiant effort from Walla Walla on Saturday night in the J.A. Albertson Activities Center to win a defensive battle 52-48.
Mackenzie Royce-Radford broke a 48-48 tie with a left-handed driving layup with 37 seconds remaining and Sophia Jackson provided some extra cushion by draining a pair of free throws with four seconds left to lead the Yotes (7-12, 5-5 CCC) to a pivotal conference win.
Walla Walla (2-16, 0-9 CCC) held leads of 18-14 and 26-23 after the first two quarters, with a Kiersten Rasmussen layup late in the third quarter allowing the Yotes to even the score at 36 entering the final 10 minutes.
The best chance for the Wolves late came on an attempted 3-pointer from Anissa Babitu. The opportunity for Babitu came after a steal from Isabella Robles got Walla Walla the ball with 15 seconds on the clock. Babitu was not able to connect on the shot however and Jackson hauled in the rebound and was fouled, allowing her to secure the win at the line for C of I.
Emily Harwood provided a key effort for the Yotes in the victory, posting her second double-double of the season with 11 points and 12 rebounds. Freshman Lexi Mitchell added key contributions as well, finishing with 10 points, nine rebounds, three assists and a steal.
The Wolves led from the 8:36 mark of the first quarter until the 8:32 mark of the third quarter when Jackson converted a transition layup. The lead would go back-and-forth the rest of the way until the Royce-Radford basket with 37 seconds left gave the Yotes the lead for good.
Walla Walla shot 15-of-45 (33 percent) from the floor and 4-of-14 (29 percent) on 3-pointers. The Yotes were 19-of-67 (28 percent) and 5-of-19 (26 percent) from downtown.
Both teams return to the floor for an early afternoon matinee on Sunday at 1 p.m. All seniors age 60 and over can get in for $5 off the posted ticket price for the men's and women's doubleheader.