Raiders Look For Another Upset Friday
2/25/2010 8:49:26 AM
Fresh off an upset of second-seeded Warner Pacific in the opening round of the Cascade Conference Postseason Tournament, the seventh-seeded Southern Oregon women’s basketball team will look to make it two upsets in a row when they travel to top-seeded College of Idaho Friday night in Caldwell, Idaho.
Tipoff between the Raiders (20-10) and 20th-ranked Coyotes (19-7) is set for 7:30 p.m. (CST) and live video will be available on www.souraiders.com.
The Raiders advanced to the conference semifinals after a 68-55 victory over Warner Pacific. The Raiders used a 25-8 run to start the second half to put the game away. Jacki Speer led all scorers with 20 points and also added 15 rebounds. Krystal Smith added a much needed spark for the Raiders, going for 16 points.
The Coyotes advanced to the semis after a 68-50 victory over eighth-seeded Concordia in the opener. Lindsey Gall led the Yotes with 12 points, seven assists and six rebounds. The Coyotes are 10-1 all-time at home in the postseason and last year eliminated the Raiders in the semifinals in Caldwell.
The game is a must-win for the Raiders if they hope to advance to the NAIA National Tournament for the third straight year. Southern Oregon will have to beat the Yotes and then win on the road against either Eastern Oregon or Corban in Monday’s Championship game to win the league’s second automatic berth. College of Idaho claimed the first berth by winning the regular season title.
This will be the third matchup of the season between the Raiders and Yotes. The College of Idaho won a hard to watch 58-33 game in early December that featured a combined 73 turnovers. The Yotes then escaped with a 65-64 victory in Ashland.
The game will also feature a chance for Speer to claim her seventh school or career record. The All-American needs 25 points to pass Melissa Bogh’s 1,865 points for first place on SOU’s career scoring list.