Idaho sophomore Chad Sherwood made the most of his first career start Saturday afternoon.
The walk-on guard sunk six shots behind the arc to lead the Vandals to the team’s fifth straight win. Idaho defeated Northern Colorado 75-70 on the road in the second game of Big Sky Conference play.
“I thought Chad played great,” said Idaho Vandals head coach Don Verlin. “I thought our guys did a great job of finding him open shots.”
Idaho (10-5 overall, 2-0 Big Sky Conference) began the game with a different lineup from the team’s previous matchups. Verlin made the decision to sit sophomore guard Victor Sanders and senior forward Nahshon George in favor of Sherwood and junior forward Ty Egbert.
The move by Verlin paid off early for the Vandals, as Egbert’s defensive play aided Idaho in a 5-0 run in the first half, as the Vandals took a 28-24 lead.
Senior guard Chris Sarbaugh led the way for Idaho in the first half with seven points, while sophomore forward Arkadiy Mkrtychyan added another six.
Jamal Evans scored eight points in the first half for Northern Colorado (4-10 overall, 1-1 Big Sky Conference), while Jordan Davis collected four rebounds for the Bears.
The Vandals entered halftime with a 28-27 lead.
The two teams traded baskets throughout the second half, but Idaho began to pull away from the Bears late in the second half. A 65-57 lead for the Vandals with a minute left in the game forced Northern Colorado to commit to fouling.
Junior guard Perrion Callandret was fouled six times in the final minute of play, guiding Idaho to victory as he went 11-12 from the free throw line.
The clutch shooting by Callandret from the charity stripe allowed the Vandals to secure a 75-70 win.
“We kept being aggressive and got to the line, that was the difference in the game,” Verlin said. “We made our free throws, especially down the stretch.”
Callandret and Sherwood both led the Vandals with 18 points apiece. Callandret also reeled in seven rebounds for Idaho.
“Defensive rebounding wins championships,” Verlin said. “Our defensive rebounding was great all night.”
Evans finished with 24 points for Northern Colorado, while Dallas Anglin added another 14.
The victory for Idaho extends the team’s winning streak to five games, including two against Big Sky Conference opponents.
The Vandals are now scheduled to travel to Eastern Washington to face the Eagles on Jan. 9 at 12:05 p.m.
Josh Grissom can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @GoshJrissom