The absence of senior guard Perrion Callandret did not appear to phase the Idaho men’s basketball team Monday.
Standout performances from senior point guard Pat Ingram and junior guard Victor Sanders helped the Vandals fend off South Dakota State in a 96-89 overtime victory at the Memorial Gym.
“It was a heck of a win,” Idaho head coach Don Verlin said in a news release. “It was definitely a shootout tonight. I thought our guys showed a lot of character there.”
The Jackrabbits (1-4) opened the game with an 8-2 scoring run featuring a pair of 3-pointers from senior A.J. Hess.
Sanders powered Idaho with 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field.
Ingram answered with consecutive baskets and fueled a rally allowing the Vandals (3-1) to knot the game at 38-38 at the half.
Hess led South Dakota State during the first half with 16 points and 4-of-6 shooting from behind the arc. Junior Reed Tellinghuisen added 12 points. Sophomore Chris Howell collected three rebounds.
The Idaho bench outscored South Dakota State 19-2 in the first half.
“Somewhat disappointed in our bench,” South Dakota State head coach T.J. Otzelberger said in a news release. “We need to have guys ready to go, because our guys that played a majority really fought, but on the second leg of a big road trip they’re playing big minutes. So we need to have all hands on deck for us to get a different result in these types of games.”
The teams were locked 52-52 midway through the second half when Ingram connected on back-to-back 3-pointers, giving Idaho the lead and making seven consecutive shots.
With 47 seconds left, sophomore power forward Nate Sherwood made what appeared to be the game-deciding jumper, giving the Vandals a 76-73 lead.
But Hess drained a fadeaway shot from the perimeter as time expired.
The Vandals recorded an 8-1 run in the opening minutes of overtime. South Dakota State failed to rally back, giving Idaho a two-game win streak in nonconference play.
“They hit a desperation three there to force overtime and I thought our guys did an excellent job of changing the momentum of the game and fighting their tails off,” Verlin said.
Sanders and Ingram combined for 52 points in the win. Junior small forward Jordan Scott grabbed seven rebounds.
Hess led all scorers with 31 points, including seven 3-pointers. Sophomore Mike Daum added 23 points and six rebounds in the loss.
Idaho takes on Sam Houston State 4:30 p.m. Friday in Huntsville, Texas.
Josh Grissom can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @GoshJrissom