The Idaho men’s basketball team ended their season with a loss in the first round of the 2020 Big Sky men’s basketball Championships against the No. 7 seed, the Southern Utah Thunderbirds 75-69 in Boise, Idaho.
“These guys were great, they turned it into a one-possession game with a minute to play,” Idaho Head Coach Zac Claus said. “We had to try to control tempo a little bit, and I thought these guys competed like crazy. Everybody was bringing something positive to the floor, we had great energy on the bench, and that’s what we were capable of. To compete like we did today is very encouraging.”
Senior guard Trevon Allen scored 35 points with eight rebounds and two steals on his stat line. This is Allen’s third straight game with over 30 points, but he ends his Vandal career in Boise.
“I came out and tried to play as hard as I could. Credit to my teammates for finding ways to get me the ball, setting good screens and allowing us
to operate on the offensive end,” Allen said. “Sad it’s the last one, but not too bad, because I know we put it all out there. We left all we could on the floor.”
In the first half, the Vandals trailed the Thunderbirds 8-2, but Allen scored eight points in the next four minutes and kept the game close as they trailed 14-12 early in the half.
Eight minutes before halftime, Idaho went on a 9-2 scoring run to keep it a one-possession game, but the Vandals trailed 29-27 at halftime. Allen led all scorers with 18 points.
Saydee Brass | Argonaut
The game went back and forth throughout the second half with four lead changes and seven game ties. Allen missed a three-pointer in the last 21 seconds, which would have brought the game within a point.
Junior guard Damen Thacker assisted Allen with six points that came from two three-pointers, also adding a career-high nine rebounds.
“Playing hard on defense, focusing on setting a stance and helping out my guys,” Thacker said. “(My teammates) help me out, make me look better. I took three charges, but it’s the other guys that make us a unit.”
Allen intentionally fouled Southern Utah’s junior guard Dre Marin after his three-point miss. Marin went to the free-throw line and sealed the game after making both of his shots. He led the Thunderbirds with 19 points, four assists and four three-pointers.
Southern Utah moves onto the Big Sky Championships Quarterfinals against No. 2 seed Northern Colorado tomorrow in CenturyLink Arena. The game starts at 4:30 p.m. PST.
Armin Mesinovic can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @arminmesinovic