LEWISTON, Idaho – College of Idaho's inside one-two punch of Aziz Leeks and Joey Nebeker combined for 24 second-half points and sparked a big run to help the Coyotes hand Lewis-Clark State College a rare home defeat with an 85-75 triumph in the Clearwater River Casino & Lodge Class at the LCSC Activity Center on Friday night.
Leeks and Nebeker, both 6-foot-7, led the Coyotes on a 37-11 run over the smaller Warriors during a 13-minute span of the second half that turned a 12-point deficit into a 77-63 advantage with less than four minutes remaining.
"We've been doing OK against bigger teams the last two games as far as being exposed, but we got exposed tonight with our lack of size," LCSC coach
Brandon Rinta said. "But you can't really can't blame it on our lack of size. Our help defense wasn't good. We weren't rotating and we had too many breakdowns in the second half to expect to be able to beat a team like that."
College of Idaho, now 2-1 on the season, is the preseason favorite to win the Cascade Conference and is ranked No. 7 in the NAIA Division II preseason poll. LCSC, also 2-1, is ranked No. 15 in the NAIA Division I preseason poll.
The contest lived up to its billing, even late when the Warriors cut the margin to 79-74 with 55.8 seconds left. Nebeker, however, ended the threat with a pull-up jumper on the Yotes' next possession.
"We are going to have to be really good defensively as a team," Rinta said. "Tonight we just weren't good defensively. One guy would have a break down and then another guy would have a break down. With how we are going to have to play in the half court, we need all five guys on the same page."
The Warriors definitely were more tuned in during the first half when they used runs of 10 and seven straight points to grab a 42-34 halftime lead.
"It was a game of runs back and forth in the first half," Rinta said. "We ended it with a good run at the end of the first half. They just had a few more runs in them in the second half."
LCSC started the second half with a 10-6 run as 3-pointers by
Isaiah Omamogho and
Anthony Sullen put the Warriors ahead 52-40 with 16:54 remaining. However, during the next 13 minutes, College of Idaho pounded the ball in the paint for easy buckets while LCSC's shooting touch went cold. The Coyotes ran off nine straight points, then went on an 11-2 run, and finished with a 15-4 run to outscore LCSC 37-11 and take control of the game.
"Offensively we sputtered a little bit," Rinta said. "And that's where our defense is really probably our best offense. When we are not getting stops and getting out in the open court, it becomes really difficult for us."
LCSC shot just 33 percent from the field in the second half and finished the game 26-of-64 from the field for 40.6 percent. It also was 10-of-30 from the 3-point line for 33 percent.
"The first half was really good," Rinta said. "I think we had 12 assists and 5 turnovers. And then we had six assists and nine turnovers in the second half."
College of Idaho, on the other hand, hit 57 percent from the field in the second half. For the game, the Yotes were 31-of-56 from the field for 55.4 percent and scored 48 of their 85 points in the paint.
Leeks finished with game-highs of 24 points and 10 rebounds. He was 9-of-15 from the field and also had three assists. Nebeker added 12 points, 10 in the second half. Roosevelt Adams added 10 of his 14 points in the second half as well.
Doug McDaniel led LCSC with 21 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals. Sullen finished with 15 points while Omamogho added 12.
"This is a game we can definitely learn a lot from," Rinta said. "Hopefully we can shoot it a bit better, especially from the free throw line (LCSC was 12-of-20 at the line).
Coming into the contest, LCSC had only lost seven games at home during the past four seasons.
"Every loss is tough to shake off," Rinta said. "This one is magnified because it was at home. This is our third loss in three years here at home so it doesn't sit well, but we have no choice. We have to shake it off, turn around, and tomorrow we need to play well for 40 minutes. Both halves."
The Warriors continue play in the Classic on Saturday night at 7 when they face first-year program Yellowstone Christian out of Billings, Mont., in the pre-determined schedule. Yellowstone Christian fell to Montana Tech 89-78 in the other contest on Friday.
Montana Tech and College of Idaho will play at 3 p.m. on Saturday.
