NAMPA, Idaho – Northwest Nazarene men's basketball dropped round one of the 2022 United Heritage Mayors' Cup on Tuesday, falling to NAIA No. 4 College of Idaho 70-67 in overtime.
The Nighthawks fall to 2-2 on the season. The return trip to Caldwell for round two of the Canyon County rivalry will be in two weeks on Dec. 6.
How It Happened
NNU started cold from the floor, allowing the Yotes to jump out to a 10-2 lead at the 14:48 mark.
The Nighthawks would chip away slowly, though, and tie things up at 23 on a
Yaru Harvey triple with five minutes to go in the opening half.
The teams would go back and forth over those last five minutes, with C of I taking a 34-32 lead into the break after a made three-pointer with eight seconds left.
The Yotes came out strong again to start the second half, opening on a 15-5 run to take a 49-37 lead with 11:03 to play.
The 12-point advantage was cut in half almost immediately, however, on back-to-back threes from NNU's
Ryzin Bergersen.
The Nighthawks would eventually come all the way back to take the lead with 4:12 to go, as
Tru Allen knocked down a jumper to make it 53-52 in favor of NNU.
Over the final four minutes, the lead changed hands five times before the teams ended regulation tied at 58.
Christian Rose started off the extra period with a layup to put NNU up, and the lead would change hands four more times before College of Idaho put through a pair of free throws to go up 67-65 with 1:38 to play.
A Yote layup and free throw extended the lead to five, and a pair of NNU free throws would not be enough to close the gap as College of Idaho took the three-point win.
Nighthawks Notes
- The Nighthawks shot over 30% from deep (31.8%) but overall the shooting percentage was at 34.9%
- NNU outrebounded C of I 46-42
- Tru Allen led the Nighthawks with 18 points, including going 8-10 from the free throw line
- Yaru Harvey was also in double digits with 10 points
- Gabriel Murphy pulled down 13 rebounds but just missed a double-double with eight points, while also adding three blocks
- Kobe Terashima had six boards, four assists, and four points
- Ryzin Bergersen tallied nine points on three triples, tying his scoring career high
- NNU had won back-to-back Mayors' Cup games before tonight, falling to 5-5 in the last 10 matchups with the Yotes
Next Up
The Nighthawks will remain home for the NNU Thanksgiving Classic this weekend, hosting Azusa Pacific on Friday at 7:30 p.m. and Midwestern State on Saturday, also at 7:30 p.m.
