The University of Idaho men’s basketball team is 1-1 in conference play for the first time since the 2017-2018 season. Idaho beat Sacramento State 61-58 on Dec. 28 before falling to Portland State 77-72 on Dec. 30. The Vandals will kick off the new year with their first game of the Big Sky-Summit Challenge against St. Thomas on Jan. 3.
Sac State
When it comes down to it, Sac State and Idaho know how to put on a show. Both matchups went into overtime last season, and this one came down to a circus shot from junior guard Quinn Denker. When Denker’s shot fell, it marked the first time the Vandals beat the Hornets in regulation since 2020.
“We believe that confidence in those situations is going to come from preparation,” Head Coach Alex Pribble said. “Believe it or not, that play that we executed at the end of the game is something we worked on two days ago.”
Idaho looked more prepared in the first half of this game than it has for most of the season. The Vandals ran to a 33-22 lead at halftime behind Denker and junior forward Juice Mims. Denker put up 13 points and five rebounds while Denker had 10 points, two rebounds and two assists.
Despite holding an 11-point deficit at halftime, the Hornets weren’t ready to give up. They rallied back to eventually tie the game at 58-58 with three seconds left. After the shot by senior forward Akol Mawein, Pribble called a timeout and drew up a play that will go down in Idaho history.
Mims got off his defender all the way down the court just in time for redshirt freshman forward Tyler Linhardt to find him. He utilized his Montana High School Association Class AA State high-jump-winning ability to leap up and grab the pass then found Denker. He got the pass, ran right and threw up the one-footed leaning three to win it.
“All I did was throw up a shot,” Denker said in a press conference after the game. On top of that, he played all 40 minutes as senior guard D’Angelo Minnis was out with an illness.
Overall, it was a huge team effort by the Vandals. While Denker and Mims were huge, nine of the ten players who checked in put points on the board. When it comes down to it, if any one of those players missed one more shot, the game goes into overtime and the result could’ve been different.
Portland State
Idaho and Portland State proved why the games are played. The Vikings came in off a 91-57 loss to Eastern Washington, but then came back from a 41-33 halftime deficit to beat the Vandals 77-72. It was Portland State’s fourth-straight victory against Idaho.
Sophomore guard Trevon Blassingame started in his second game of the season as Minnis was still out, and he showed out in the first half. He put up 12 points, going 4-for-four overall, 3-for-3 from beyond the arc and 1-for-1 at the free-throw line. He switched to a more defensive game in the second half as he pulled down four defensive rebounds and snagged one steal.
“I thought Tre gave fantastic minutes early in the game,” Pribble said. “He’s become a much more consistent three-point shooter, and he’s playing with a lot of confidence.”
While Blassingame has played at a high level with Minnis out, he was joined by another bench player in Kris Gonzalez for the game against PSU. The freshman guard filled in for redshirt junior forward Terren Frank. Gonzalez put up a career-high 11 points, and tied his career-high of six rebounds, in his career-high 32 minutes.
“He’s a young kid with unbelievable potential, a very bright future, and he just needs the opportunity to gain more experience and keep getting better,” Pribble said about Gonzalez after his first start. “He really helped us be competitive tonight.”
With two guys who usually come off the bench being moved into starting roles, Linhardt had to lead the charge when his name was called. He led the team with 18 points while also pulling down six rebounds. The 18 points were a career-high while the six rebounds tied the six against Sacramento and Evergreen State.
“Ty Linhardt continues to be impressive, continues to prepare himself the right way and make the most of his opportunities,” Pribble said. “He’s as skilled of a versatile forward as there is in the conference.”
On the other side, for Portland State, it was senior forward KJ Allen. He led the Vikings with 16 points and 11 rebounds for his second double-double of the season.
Both teams will now have a break in conference play as the Big Sky-Summit Challenge games are up next. Portland State will head to Missouri on Jan. 6 to take on the Roos of Kansas City while Idaho stays at home to take on the St. Thomas Saints at 6 p.m. on Jan. 3. Everyone should hope for a tie so that the commissioners have to arm wrestle.
Both teams were also supposed to play Western Illinois, but the Leathernecks moved to the Ohio Valley Conference, leaving the Summit league with nine teams to the Big Sky’s 10.
James Taurman-Aldrich can be reached at [email protected] or on X @jamesaldrich25