Idaho fell at home in a devastating 65-67 loss to the Portland State Vikings Thursday night.
The Vandals dropped their 14th straight loss of the season and have only one remaining game left at home on Saturday. Three of their four wins have occurred in Moscow.
Photo By: Saydee Brass
“The last two games we have finally got the effort that is expected,” head coach Don Verlin said. “I thought our guys came out from the get go and played very hard.”
Idaho held the lead for nearly 28 minutes and even held a nine-point lead two minutes before halftime throughout Thursday’s affair, but late game struggles throughout the second half helped Portland State get back in it.
The Vandals committed 19 turnovers on Thursday, which was ultimately their demise when the clock hit zero.
“(Turnovers) cost us the game,” Verlin said. “At the end of the day, when you turn it over 11 times in the second half, that was the difference of the game.”
After a missed free throw by Portland State guard Holland Woods with 5.5 seconds left in the ballgame, Idaho was left to tie or finish with the win in the final seconds.
With only seconds left, the ball was inbounded to junior guard Trevon Allen before he furiously dribbled up the court for a pass the freshman RayQuawndis Mitchell. With a full head of steam, Allen ran up court to receive a handoff from Mitchell. Allen pulled up from the corner with the basketball going in and out at the rim with time running out.
“It was a good look,” Allen said. “Ray had the option to hand it off or turn and fake and he gave it to me and it’s something I have to be able to knockdown.”
Allen finished the night with 10 points, six rebounds and five assists but struggled with turnovers picking up a team high of five.
Freshman forward Cassius Smits-Francisco provided valuable minutes off of the bench for Idaho, finishing with nine points, 11 rebounds and two blocks.
“I think I had a chip on my shoulder today,” Smits-Francisco said. “My mindset was just coming out strong, grabbing rebounds and finishing the ball.”
Despite the rough shooting night, freshman forward Jared Rodriguez finished with 13 points, leading in scoring for the Vandals.
Five Idaho players finished with nine or more points on Thursday, showcasing the ball movement fans have been desperately waiting for all season.
Five Takeaways from Thursday’s Action
Despite the loss, there were a few takeaways to keep an eye on for the rest of the season as well as the future.
- The Vandals finally came out not looking flustered by pressure. The Viking defense was relentless with their full-court trap defense all game and for most of the first half Idaho still found open buckets near the rim after successfully breaking the press.
- The shooting woes came to a praising halt, with the Vandals shooting 47 percent from behind the arc and making 10 3-point field goals. The hot perimeter shooting forced Portland State’s defense to play and switch on all ball-screens, giving the Idaho frontcourt the advantage with the mismatches. On the opposite side though, Idaho couldn’t find the ball to roll in from inside despite the hot shooting from deep.
- The Vandals stepped up greatly on the defensive side of the ball, looking alive and forcing 12 Portland State turnovers. The Vikings came in as one of the hottest perimeter shooting teams in the Big Sky, but the Idaho defense held them shooting only 24 percent from 3-point land. If the Vandals can keep the emphasis on the defensive end, Idaho can start playing more up-tempo basketball where the program has usually succeeded.
- Idaho held the lead at halftime for the first time since Jan. 5 against Northern Colorado on the road and held the lead for most of the game on Thursday. While they might not say it’s a huge deal, it certainly is. To have that boost of confidence after the last month of chaos should definitely considered a positive. Idaho has lost it’s past two games by 11 combined points. That is a miraculous difference from the Vandals 11-game losing streak of double-digit losses.
- The passion and liveliness of the team was alive and strong inside of Cowan Spectrum for the first time in a long time for both the fans and the team. The crowd was hectic and the Vandal bench seemed full of life and drive for the first time in weeks. Vandal basketball has gotten some much needed confidence going into the final three games of the season and for the upcoming Big Sky tournament.
The Vandals will play their final game at home on Saturday in the last primetime matchup in Cowan Spectrum of the season.
Idaho will face off against the visiting Sacramento State Hornets Mar. 2 at 7 p.m.
Chris Deremer can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @Cderemer_VN