PORTLAND, Ore. – After a closely fought first half between two Cascade Conference heavyweights, #20 Warner Pacific ran away in the second half to upset #3 College of Idaho, 81-62, tonight at
Bart Valentine Court.
The Basics• Score: Warner Pacific 81, College of Idaho 62• Records: WPC (19-5, 9-3 CCC), COI (21-4, 10-3 CCC)• Location: C.C. Perry Gym, Portland, Ore.• The Short Story: After 20 minutes of action from Portland, Warner Pacific and College of Idaho treated fans to back and forth battle but the host Knights imposed their will after halftime to claim an important CCC win. The Knights received double-digit scoring from four players to pull away late, outscoring the Coyotes by 21 points in the second half. C of I looked prepared for WPC's zone defense to begin the game, punctuated by a pair of dunks from Marko Kovacevic in the first half. The Knights adjusted at the break and closed off the lane effectively, holding the Yotes to 9 of 29 shooting in the second period. How it Happened• WPC held a slim four point lead in the early action, and a Laron Daniels basket gave the Knights their last lead of the half at 21-19. • The teams traded the lead seven times in the first half, and Jordan O'Byrne put the Yotes in front for the rest of the period with a trey at the 6:28 mark. • C of I scratched out a seven point lead (34-27) after two Demetrius Perkins free throws. • Michael Hall brought the Knights back with an interior score and a rare three pointer, making the score 36-34 at halftime. • The Yotes maintained a slim lead in the second half until Hall converted a layup with 13:46 remaining in the contest to give the Knights their first lead.• The Knights would not trail again as Earl Jones poured in 14 of his 17 points after halftime.• The advantage for WP stretched out to as many as 20 points as time ticked off the clock thanks to an 18 of 22 effort from the free throw line. Notable• The Coyote loss marks just the second time this year the Yotes have lost by double-digits as well as the second lowest scoring output this season.
