The Idaho Vandals lost to in state rival Idaho State 64-59 in Thursday’s meeting in Pocatello.
Both teams struggled to shoot the basketball, with both teams shooting under 30% from behind the arc. Idaho shot 5-for-18 from three, and Idaho State shot 3-for-16 from three.
Idaho was led by junior guard Quinn Denker who had 14 points and five assists, but turned the ball over three times, leading the team. Idaho had three scorers in double digits.
An eye-popping negative stat for Idaho was their assist to turnover ratio, as they had only eight assists on the day and turned the ball over 10 times. Those turnovers lead to 13 points for ISU, scoring eight more points off turnovers than the Vandals.
Idaho started off strong, taking a 15-9 lead six minutes into the game. They were able to battle back and forth and held a first half lead for nearly 19 of the 20 minutes of gametime.
Idaho State closed the last minute of the first half out with a pair of free throws and a bucket to make it a one-possession game, 30-28, going into halftime.
The second half was a different story, as Idaho State graduate student center Brayden Parker scored five-straight points for the Bengals to put them ahead early, and Idaho State didn’t look back. Parker scored 12 of his team high 18 points in the second half.
Idaho’s foul problem became evident in the second half, having five players with three or more fouls and sending Idaho State to the free throw line for 16 attempts in the second half. Parker went 10-13 from the charity stripe alone, scoring the same number of points from free throws as Idaho did as a team.
Idaho State carried a 17-point lead late into the game, up 59-42 with 4:55 left to go. This is when Denker shined, scoring 10 points in the final five minutes, but that wasn’t enough for the Vandals. Even with the late game surge to comeback from Idaho, it wasn’t enough, and Idaho State was able to hold on for 64-59 win.
Idaho now moves to 7-10 on the season, and 1-3 in Big Sky Conference play. Idaho’s next game will be on the road against Weber State, who is 11-7 on the year with a 2-3 conference record. Catch the Vandals against the Wildcats on Jan. 20, at 6 P.M.
Bryce Norwood can be reached at [email protected]