SPOKANE, Wash. – Jake O'Neil's short jumper with 3.8 seconds left in the game lifted visiting College of Idaho to a 92-91 double overtime win over Whitworth in non-conference men's basketball game on Thursday night in the Fieldhouse, giving the Coyotes (4-6) a sweep of the two-game set.
O'Neil, only a freshman, had 25 points and 15 rebounds to lead his team to victory. C of I, which finished 30-3 in 2019-20 and was ranked #1 in the NAIA Div. II poll for several weeks, has lost five games this season to NCAA Division I teams.
Miguel Lopez led Whitworth (0-2) with his own double-double (21 points, 12 rebounds). The Bucs will travel to play NCAA Division I University of Montana on Saturday.
Thursday's game stood in stark contrast to Wednesday when the Pirates led most of the way before giving up a 20-point halftime lead in a 77-75 loss. The second contest featured 12 lead changes and 11 ties, with neither team leading the game by more than eight points.
Trailing 34-31 at the break, Whitworth took a 49-45 lead on Garrett Paxton's three pointer with 12:38 to play. The Coyotes fought back to take a 67-61 lead on O'Neil's free throws with 3:39 to go. Still trailing by five with under two minutes left, the Bucs tied the game on Paxton's three-point play and Rowan Anderson's free throws. Neither team had a good look at a final shot in regulation.
C of I had the upper hand in the first overtime after Anderson picked up his fifth foul and Jalen Galloway scored to give the visitors an 80-76 lead with 1:36 to go. But Paxton's layup with 13 seconds left tied the game 82-82 sent it to a second extra period.
The Pirates appeared to take control early in the final stanza, outscoring the Coyotes 7-1 out of the gate, capped by Liam Fitzgerald's three-pointer, for an 89-83 advantage. But C of I forced turnovers on consecutive Whitworth possessions in the final 1:10 to go ahead 90-89 on Charles Elzie's breakaway layup with under 50 seconds to go.
The Bucs retook the lead when Lopez hit a pair of free throws with 27 seconds left, but the Coyotes got the ball to O'Neil with ten seconds to go and he dribbled past a defender before pulling up to hit the game-winner.
Ricardo Time added 24 points and eight rebounds for C of I. Galloway scored 16 of his 18 points after halftime. Both Time and Galloway added eight rebounds.
Paxton finished with 18 points and seven boards for the Pirates, while Fitzgerald scored 14 to go along with four steals. Anderson had ten points and four assists.