Box Score



NAMPA, Idaho – The Crusaders showed the heart of a champion, an asset that will bring many wins as the season rolls on.

Unfortunately for Northwest Nazarene, there was no win on Monday night against rival The College of Idaho, despite a dramatic comeback, as the Coyotes picked up a 78-75 victory in the second game of the United Heritage Mayor's Cup series.
 

"I was really, really proud of how the guys battled back," NNU head men's coach Dave Daniels said. "We were down 13 in the second half and I thought really played possession by possession defensively and got really good looks on the other end. We just ran out of steam there at the end."

The Crusaders (1-4 overall) started the night strong as a pair of David Shedrick free throws capped a 12-3 run, snapping an early 13-13 tie.

A Kevin Rima bucket with 8 minutes left until halftime helped keep NNU in charge, up 29-20, and when Erik Kinney slammed home an alley-oop on the Crusaders opening play of the second half, NNU looked solid, up 42-34.

"I thought we showed some stuff right at the beginning of the first half; we defended and we played well together," Daniels said.

But the lead quickly turned into a hole to dig out of as the Coyotes (10-0) used an 8-minute, 22-2 run to grab a 67-54 advantage.

"The thing we really look at is are we getting good shots, are we getting our shots and in rhythm, in our stuff, and I felt we did," Daniels said of the offensive lull.
 

"We had several really good looks, stuff that we called in our stuff, and they just didn't go down."

But the Crusaders kept battling, needing only a bucket to spark a charge, and Pol Olivier provided the spark, splashing a 3-pointer with six minutes play, and suddenly NNU's heart was on display.

Rima followed with a hoop-and-the-harm 3, then Bouna N'Diaye added a free throw and a dunk and the Crusaders were right back in the game, down just 67-63.

But the comeback wasn't complete, as another Rima 3-point play trimmed the margin to 69-66, then – SPLASH – a 3 by Mike Wright tied it.

A Kinney layup completed a 17-2 comeback charge that put the Crusaders up, 71-69, with a minute and  a half left to play.

"There's times I think you see glimpses of how good we can be," Daniels said, NNU's comeback being one of those times.

But then the magic ran out, the Coyotes tied it on a Marko Kovacevic bucket, the The C of I hit 7-of-10 free throws late to ice the win.

The fourth straight in the series for The C of I, a bitter pill to swallow.

But the Crusaders can wash away Monday's result knowing they grew by leaps in bounds in a game that won't affect their playoff chances, but only enhance them as NNU showed the heart and character needed to win.

"We're still young together and we don't know how to win yet, we're learning how to win," Daniels said.

Kinney led the way with 19 points for the Crusaders, who look to build on Monday's display of heart when they play Texas A&M Kingsville on Friday in a tournament hosted by Tarleton State in Stephenville, Texas, then NNU meets the host school on Saturday.

Rima added 15 points and 11 rebounds while Olivier scored 12, Shedrick tossed in 11 points and N'Diaye scored 10 for NNU.