On Monday the Vandals took to Pullman for the 279th annual meeting for Battle of the Palouse, a historic rivalry between the Idaho Vandals and the Washington State Cougars. The Cougars cruised to a 90-67 victory and moved to 3-0 on the season.
The Cougars were led by junior forward Nate Calmese and redshirt sophomore forward LeJuan Watts. Calmese dropped 18 points, and Watts, 16 points, and 14 rebounds, overpowered the Vandals and dropped them to 1-2 and their second straight loss.
The Vandals burst onto the court with an electrifying start. Redshirt sophomore forward Jack Payne set the tone with the game’s first points, a three-pointer. Senior forward Juice Mims quickly added four more points, and in a blink, the Vandals were leading 7-0.
Head coach Alex Pribble was pleased with the quick start and the overall first-half performance for the Vandals.
“It was a good start; the guys did a good job executing the game plan early,” Pribble told Lewiston Tribune Reporter Sam Taylor postgame. “When you’re on the road, you need to defend and rebound, and for stretches, especially in that first half, we did that.”
Watts got the Cougars going. After being held scoreless for the first three minutes, Watts knocked down a three, which led to four more points for the Cougars to tie the game at 7-7. The first half went back and forth, with both teams trading baskets and leads. The Cougars, however, ended the half on a high note.
Senior guard Cedric Coward made a layup to put the Cougars up 35-31. After a Vandal turnover and some poor defense, the Cougars found senior forward Dane Erikstrup open for a buzzer-beating three to give the Cougars a 38-31 lead heading into halftime.
The Vandals’ magic from the first half had run out, and besides trading baskets in the first few minutes of the half, the Cougars dominated, outscoring the Vandals 52-36 in the half en route to their 23-point victory.
The Vandals’ struggles in the second half began with the team’s inability to rebound the basketball and their three-point shooting. The Vandals were outrebounded 45-29 for the game and shot 1/11 from three-point range in the second half.
Both stats need improvement for the Vandals, but the Vandal’s inability to rebound cost them dearly.
“Credit Washington State and their coaching staff for finding ways to generate some advantages in that second half,” Pribble told Taylor.
“The big thing for us was our physicality; they outrebounded us in a major way. You can’t win on the road if you’re not going to rebound the basketball.”
Despite the gloomy result, the Vandals, starting with junior guard Isaiah Brickner, had some rays of sunshine.
Brickner, a transfer from Marist College, has been a massive boost for the Vandals this season and was no different against WSU.
Brickner finished the game with 13 points, 5/8 shooting from the field, and a perfect 3/3 from three. Pribble credits Brickner’s effort and performances so far this season.
“Isaiah is one of our most experienced players,” Pribble said. “Early in this season, we’ve been able to rely on him to handle the basketball against pressure (and) to be efficient around the rim. Isaiah has a nice career ahead of him as a Vandal.”
Another bright spot was Mims, who finished with 11 points and 11 rebounds, even though he was in foul trouble most of the game.
The (1-2) Vandals will head to Provo, Utah, next to try to end their two-game winning streak against the (2-0) BYU Cougars. The Vandals tip off with BYU on Saturday, November 16, at noon.
“For us right now, it’s about learning lessons and getting better; it’s about consistency,” Pribble said. “(We) have to get back in the film room and get better but the process remains the same.”
Jayden Barfuss can be reached at [email protected]