The Vandals hosted the University of the Pacific on Dec. 5 to close out a three-game homestand. From start to finish, the Vandals dominated the Tigers 83-53 to get their fifth win overall and second straight.
Senior guard D’Angelo Minnis got the game going with a three-pointer. From there on, it was all Vandals. Idaho scored six of the following eight points, extending their lead to 8-2. The Vandals kept rolling in the first half, leading by as many as 23 points.
In the final two minutes the Vandals were leading 43-20. However, the Tigers closed the half on a 5-0 run and cut the Vandals’ lead to 43-25 heading into the halftime break. The Vandals were highly efficient in shooting the ball in the first half, going 12/28 from the field, 7/18 from the three-point line and 12/13 from the free-throw line.
Pacific was dreadful offensively, shooting 9/28 from the field, 3/12 from three, and 4/6 from the line. The Tigers also turned the ball over 13 times in the first half. The Vandals kept it rolling in the second half as they started it on a 13-6 run to push their lead up to 56-31, forcing a Pacific timeout.
Idaho kept their foot on the gas pedal and pushed their lead up to as many as 33 points in the second half. After a late run by the Tigers, they closed the gap, but the Vandals were too much as they breezed by the Tigers 83-53. They finally got over .500 and improved their record to 5-4.
The Vandals shot even better in the second half, outscoring the Tigers 40-28. The Vandals went 14/26 from the field, 5/11 from three and 7/10 from the line. Overall, Idaho shot 26/54 from the field, 12/29 from three, and 19/23 from the line.
Pacific improved its shooting in the second half, but it was not enough. The Tigers went 10/23 from the field, 3/7 from three and 5/9 from the free throw line. They finished the game 19/51 from the field, 6/19 from three and 9/15 from the free throw line.
The Vandals were anchored by D1 career highs from Denker and Minnis. Denker finished with 22 points while adding three rebounds and three assists. Minnis, setting his career high in the game over Cal Poly, finished with a new career-high of 20 points against Pacific. Denker and Minnis combined for 42 of the Vandals 83 points.
Over the last two games, the Vandals have won by double digits, and junior guard Quinn Denker explains what clicked.
“We’re a team that came in new, we hadn’t played with each other before this year, we’re learning, and what we have learned propelled us to achieve the success that we’re achieving now,” he said.
The offense may have been what showed up in the box score, but the Vandals forced 21 turnovers (13 in the first half).
“We had a good offensive performance tonight and in the last game, but we take pride in our defense. We want to know even when the ball is not going in on the offensive side of the ball, we can win games by getting stops on the defensive end,” Minnis said.
Head Coach Alex Pribble was pleased about the performance but always wants the team to improve saying, “Very proud of these guys. I think we continue to take strides in the right direction, but we’re not caught up on the outcome right now, we’re really about finding ways to be better.”
Pribble, like Minnis, praised the defensive work for the Vandals.
“We want our identity to be formed on the defensive side. I think defensively, you can see a lot of the team dynamics in play. The guys are playing hard if their attitudes are right, if their communication is right, that shows on the defensive end,” he said.
The Vandals will be on the road next as they travel to Saint George, Utah, to take on the 4-3 Utah Tech trailblazers on Saturday, Dec 9, at 6 p.m. Idaho will be looking to extend its win streak to three games before they hit the upcoming California road trip.
Jayden Barfuss can be reached at [email protected] or on X @JaydenBarfuss10