Idaho, coming off a shoot-out loss to Eastern Washington, returned home for the first time since Jan. 27, looking for a win over the Weber State Wildcats.
The Vandals, however, behind three costly turnovers in the last minute of the game, fell to the Wildcats 70-69 and dropped to 9-16 (3-9).
“Disappointing result, (but) I was very proud of the effort our guys put together for 39 minutes,” Head Coach Alex Pribble said. “I think we’re clearly showing strides, but the result lies squarely on me. I think we didn’t have these guys prepared for these situations as we needed to.”
Junior forward Kyson Rose got the game going with a three-pointer to get the crowd rocking. The game went back and forth for the first 20 minutes, but the Vandals took a slim 30-28 lead into the break.
Both teams were efficient in shooting the ball in the first half. Idaho shot 12-for-22 from the field, 4-for-9 from three-point range and 2-for-4 from the free-throw line. The Wildcats weren’t as good but still efficient in the first half.
Weber finished the half shooting 11-for-26 from the field, 2-for-9 from three-point range and 4-for-4 from the free-throw line. Wildcats Junior forward Dillon Jones led all scorers with 10 points and four assists. Junior guard Quinn Denker led the Vandals with seven points and five assists, setting up an exciting second half.
The arena’s intensity and energy rose as the teams returned to the floor for the second half. Having fought to hold onto the lead, Idaho had a 67-60 lead with 1:47 left in the game.
The Wildcats capitalized on the Vandals’ inability to handle the press, causing three costly Vandal turnovers. The once seven-point lead quickly evaporated to just one. Idaho, with the potential to kill the clock and the game, instead turned the ball over, which led to a fast-break opportunity for the Wildcats. Jones was fouled with seven seconds left, looking to get the win for the Wildcats.
Jones, the preseason Big Sky MVP, stepped up to the line with 1,340 screaming fans hoping he missed. Jones calmly knocked down the first one, tying the game and giving him 28 points. After a quick pause by Jones, with the crowd roaring, he delivered, knocking down the second free throw and taking his night total to 29 points.
The Vandals had seven seconds to win the game, and it all came down to one more offensive possession. The Vandals are no strangers to close-home losses and did not want another one. Junior forward Mims inbounded the ball under the basket and threw it to Denker.
Not seeing anywhere to drive, Denker put up a three-pointer with the crowd holding their breaths. His shot missed, and the buzzer sounded. The Vandals had let another game slip away from them in the end.
With a big second half, Jones finished with 29 points (19 in the second half), nine assists and six rebounds. Idaho spread the wealth offensively with four of the five double-digit starters. Mims led the Vandals with 17 points (15 in the second half) and eight rebounds.
Mims finished 7-for-7 from the field, 1-for-1 from beyond the arc, and 2-for-3 from the line. Denker added 13 points and seven assists, however, those two great games were not enough to get the win.
With the Vandals collapse on display, Denker was blunt about what happened. “I don’t even know. I think it was the press and our lack of composure,” he said. “Frankly, we just broke down at the very end.”
The Vandals will host Idaho State for the battle of King Spud on Saturday. Sophomore Trevon Blassingame talked about the importance of Saturday’s game.
“That’ll be a big opportunity,” he said. “We’re going to get to our preparation, get to the film, get better and do everything we can to bring that home on Saturday.”
With the Vandals now just under a month before the Big Sky tournament in Boise, Denker has a message for the rest of the Big Sky.
“No one’s going to want to see us a third time,” he said.
The Vandals will tip off with the Bengals on Saturday, Feb. 17, at 2 p.m.
Jayden Barfuss can be reached at [email protected] or on X @JaydenBarfuss10