KANSAS CITY, Mo. (March 15) — No. 1 overall seed College of Idaho routed the No. 6 seed Tougaloo (Miss) 83-66 in the quarterfinal round of the 2023 NAIA Men’s Basketball National Championship Final Site to advance to the semifinal on Wednesday, March 15, at the Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri.
The game was evenly matched until the midway mark of the first half, when the score was tied at 19 with 9:23 remaining in the half. [Game Stats and Box Score] – Read more: NAIA Men’s Basketball Quarterfinals: How to watch Day 3 Your Ultimate Guide
However, College of Idaho then used a 24-4 run to take a commanding 43-23 lead at halftime. The Yotes then continued their momentum by scoring the first nine points of the second half, forcing Tougaloo to call a timeout.
For the College of Idaho (33-1), Jake O’Neil led the team with 20 points, 13 of which were scored in the first half, while also contributing eight rebounds and four assists. Drew Wyman recorded a double-double with eight points and 10 rebounds, adding five assists and four steals. Charles Elzie and Samaje Morgan also made contributions to the team with 11 and eight points, respectively.
On the other hand, Antonio Patterson was the top scorer for Tougaloo (31-1) with 17 points, including 11 in the first half off the bench. Cameron Copeland added 14 points, scoring 13 of those in the second half, while Trajan Fielder contributed nine points, three rebounds, and two assists.
In terms of key statistics, College of Idaho shot 53.7% from the field compared to Tougaloo’s 38.1%. The Yotes also outperformed the Bulldogs in three-point shooting, hitting 28.6% compared to Tougaloo’s 12.5%. However, the College of Idaho struggled from the free-throw line, making only 41.7% of their attempts.
The Yotes dominated the boards, grabbing 45 total rebounds to Tougaloo’s 32. They also recorded 23 assists, 10 turnovers, two blocks, and eight steals. In contrast, the Bulldogs managed 10 assists, 12 turnovers, two blocks, and three steals.
The bench contributed significantly to both teams’ performances, with Tougaloo’s bench scoring 35 points and College of Idaho’s bench adding 33 points.
With this win, College of Idaho advances to the Final Four of the 2023 NAIA Men’s Basketball National Championship tournament, while Tougaloo’s impressive season comes to an end.
