Looking for their first win since Dec. 19, the Vandals had to face the 12-7 Montana State Bobcats. The Bobcats already beat the Vandals 72-58 in Bozeman this season. However, the Vandals walked away victorious this time, winning 74-70 to end their six-game losing streak.
It was imperative the Vandals get off to a fast start. They used the juice from the fans to open the game with a layup by freshman forward Nigel Burris to open the scoring. Idaho started out on an 8-0 run before MSU junior guard RaeQuan Battle got a technical foul, firing up the Vandals’ crowd even more
Fifth-year Divant’e Moffitt made both free throws to push the Vandals lead to 10-0. Burris followed with another layup to make it 12-0 Vandals going into the first media timeout. The Bobcats settled down, getting a basket from junior guard Darius Brown II to finally get points on the board for the Bobcats.
The Bobcats started to chip away at the lead, but the Vandals would not give it up. With 1:28 left in the first half, senior center Jubrile Belo made two free throws to cut the Vandals lead to 31-29. The Bobcats looked to have the momentum going into halftime until the Vandals stole it back. Moffitt drove towards the elbow before finding senior forward Michael Hanshaw at the top of the key. Hanshaw let it go at the buzzer, and the ball bounced around the rim before going in, sending the Vandals into halftime with a 34-29 lead.
Moffitt led the Vandals in scoring in the half with 13 points. Burris added eight points and freshman Dominique Ford added five. The Vandals shot 13/28, 3/12 from three-point range and 5/8 from the free throw line.
The Bobcats found their gear and the crowd was in for an amazing second half. Ford scored the first eight points for the Vandals in the second half and tried to put the Cats away. However, Battle and Belo didn’t let up as they countered every Idaho shot.
The Vandals had done their job, and with under a minute left in the game, they held a 68-65 lead. The Cats would answer back, making it a one-point game finally with three seconds remaining. Montana State was forced to foul, and Moffitt stepped up to the line to try and put the game away. Up 72-70, with the crowd holding their breath, he missed the first one, but clutched up and nailed the second to make it 73-70.
With minimal time on the clock, the Bobcats went too fast and turned the ball over. They were forced to foul Burris to try and take the game into overtime. Burris, now facing the same pressure Moffitt did, stepped up to the free throw line and missed the first. In clutch time, the freshman stepped up and made the second to ice the game. The Bobcats last heave fell short, and the Vandals won 74-70 to end their six-game losing streak.
With the win, Idaho moved to 7-12 (1-5) and out of the last spot in the Big Sky. The Vandals’ shooting was just as good in the second half as they went 13/29 from the field, 4/11 from three and 10/18 from the free throw line.
The Bobcats shot 12/28 from the field, 2/6 from three and 15/17 from the free throw line.
Moffitt led all scorers with a career high 32 points (19 in the second half). He also had seven assists and went 14/23 from the free throw line.
Ford added 16 points going 6/11 from the field and was the Vandals best three-point shooter, going 4/7 from beyond the arc. Battle led the Bobcats in scoring with 22 going was 9/19 from the field and 3/4 from the free throw line. Belo added 15 points and 11 rebounds.
Moffitt and the Vandals were waiting patiently to get this first conference win, especially after their loss against Eastern Washington.
“We’ve been waiting patiently and just stuck to the grind,” Moffit said. “It shows we can compete with a lot of people, we just need to play Idaho Vandal basketball and have heart,”
Head coach Zac Claus liked the response from the guys after a disappointing loss on Saturday.
“It was good for our guys, especially after the performance they put up on Saturday,” Claus said.
The Vandals will look for their second conference win as they head to Flagstaff, Arizona on Thursday to take on the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks at 5 p.m.
Jayden Barfuss can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @JaydenBarfuss10