With a core group of ‘Idaho guys,’ C of I basketball aims for another decorated season
Round 2 of the 2019 United Heritage Insurance Mayors’ Cup started in strikingly similar fashion to the first meeting.
The College of Idaho men’s basketball team used a barrage of 3-pointers to build a sizable lead on Northwest Nazarene, only this time the Yotes didn’t let up.
C of I knocked down 14 3-pointers and led by as many as 29 points on its way to a 90-69 victory over the Nighthawks on Tuesday night at the J.A. Albertson Activities Center. The Coyotes will keep the traveling Mayors’ Cup trophy until next year’s series, which is the oldest collegiate rivalry in the state.
It was quite the turnaround from the 66-57 defeat the Yotes absorbed last week in the first game of the home-and-home series.
“I’ll tell you this, adversity brings out true character, and what you saw seven days after our loss at NNU was a team that handles adversity and loves each other,” College of Idaho coach Colby Blaine said. “They understand their road map to success.”
With the help of a largely Idaho-based roster, the Yotes have won back-to-back Cascade Conference Tournament titles and made two straight appearances in the NAIA Division II national tournament semifinals. Twelve of the 16 players on C of I’s roster hail from the Gem State, and Blaine is a Boise High graduate.
“I’m an Idaho guy, and I love Idaho guys. It’s been a huge key to our success,” Blaine said. “... When you get guys who are from the community and understand what this college is all about and our program is all about, they play with a spirit and they play with their soul and you saw it tonight.”
The Coyotes (5-1) return three starters and eight lettermen overall from last year’s team. They’re led by the trio of seniors Talon Pinckney (Centennial High), Nate Bruneel (Rocky Mountain) and Jake Bruner (Prairie). Coaches around the country believe the Yotes have the talent to make another run at a national title. C of I checked in at No. 3 in the Preseason NAIA Division II Coaches’ Top 25 Poll.
“We know that we want to win, and we know we have the system to do it,” Pinckney said. “It’s just a couple more tweaks and a little bit more advantages that are going to help us get to that national championship.”
A win over NCAA Division II NNU should help C of I prepare for a challenging conference slate that begins Dec. 6 at home against Warner Pacific. Conference rival Oregon Tech received the preseason nod in a poll of the league’s coaches after ousting the Yotes in last season’s national semifinals. The two teams meet Dec. 20 in Klamath Falls, Oregon, and Jan. 25 in Caldwell.
“Well, the funny thing about goals is there’s quantitative goals and qualitative goals,” Blaine said. “Quantitative is to win the national championship, no question. The qualitative goal that we want to do is become the best team we can become.
“So that’s where you see the huddles, you see the energy, you see the love for each other. That’s what we’re focused on every night. When we work to become legacy driven, which is our quote, then we get everything else that we want.”
In Tuesday’s rematch — the 208th meeting between the Canyon County rivals — Bruneel started off the scoring for C of I with back-to-back 3-pointers. Pinckney followed with a three-point play, and junior Connor Desaulniers (Centennial) added a jumper in the key for an 11-2 lead with 15:42 on the clock.
Bruneel tallied a season-high 24 points, including four 3-pointers and a monster dunk on an alley-oop pass from redshirt freshman Braydon West (Highland) that sent the C of I student section into a frenzy.
“He takes a lot of pressure off our team. He’s so dynamic. He can do a lot of things offensively,” Blaine said. “He hit his first two threes tonight, and it really just gave our team a lot of confidence. We do definitely need to keep playing through him. But he’s a great driver. He finishes at the rim, offensive rebounds. He does so much for this team to take pressure off of us and allow everybody else just to play their role.”
NNU fought back to within 14-12, but the one-possession game quickly evaporated as C of I went on a 20-5 run for a 34-17 lead with 7:49 left before halftime. The Coyotes dispelled any hopes the Nighthawks might have had about a second-half comeback by sinking four 3-pointers shortly after the break.
“I loved the confidence we showed,” Blaine said. “The other big thing is we handled momentum. In rivalry games momentum can shift really quickly, and we shot the ball with confidence, we played defense with confidence and that momentum never really shifted.”
Juniors Ricardo Time and Jalen Galloway (Mountain View) each notched 17 points, and Pinckney made it four Yotes in double figures with 13 points and a game-leading seven assists. Ezekiel Alley led NNU (3-1) with 18 points, Adalberto Diaz had 15 and George Reidy chipped in 12.
Football: Yotes open NAIA playoffs Saturday
Fifth-ranked College of Idaho will make its first playoff appearance since 1953 when the Yotes host No. 16 Ottawa University of Arizona at noon Saturday at Simplot Stadium in Caldwell in the first round of the NAIA Football Championship Series.
The Spirit (9-1), who are making their first playoff appearance in only their second season, average 45.2 points and 479.7 yards per game. Those averages rank third and fourth, respectively, among NAIA teams. Junior quarterback Austin McCullough leads the offensive attack with 2,980 passing yards, 33 touchdowns and nine interceptions. OUAZ’s defense has been stout, too. The Spirit have limited opponents to an average of 17.1 points per game this season.
The Yotes (10-0) enter Saturday’s matchup on a 16-game winning streak dating back to last season and have not lost a game at home in 2019. C of I averages 258.0 rushing yards per game and 472.2 total yards per outing, both of which rank fifth in the country.
College of Idaho’s first-round game will air on 1350 AM. General admission tickets (ages 18-59) start at $15.
This story was originally published November 20, 2019 at 12:30 AM.
