The Idaho Vandals traveled to Cheney on Saturday for their matchup against Eastern Washington, and the game seemed to be in the Vandals favor until a last-minute swing occurred, leading to a 75-73 loss.
Idaho started off strong, leading by multiple possessions for a vast majority of the half, and getting their lead up to as much as 11 in the first. This was due to their efficiency from the field, shooting an impressive 60% and also 60% from three. They were also getting to the free throw line frequently, going 11-13 from the charity stripe in the first. Junior guard Isaiah Brickner was one of the 3 players to go 4-4 from the line.
Brickner also led the team in points, scoring 17 points in only 18 minutes, followed by redshirt sophomore guard Jack Payne with 16 points. What made Brickner’s performance even more impressive, was he was a perfect 5-5 shooting, including three makes from beyond the arc.
Freshman guard Kolton Mitchell did his best to dish out the ball and lead the team with seven assists but was unable to eclipse double digit points for the fourth consecutive game, scoring only five in the loss.
Idaho took a 41-36 lead into the second half and were able to keep the Eagles away for most of the half, expanding their lead to double digits with as little as 7 minutes left, with the score being 66-56. However, the Vandals were not able to sustain their first half shooting performance, allowing for Eastern Washington to slowly make a comeback.
A big contributor to this was Idaho’s problems in fouling, as Eastern Washington shot 18 free throws in the second half, sinking 16 of them. Turnovers also were costly for the Vandals, turning the ball over 17 times.
With a minute and a half to go, Eastern Washington was able to tie the game up at 73 with a slam from senior guard Andrew Cook. Then with seven seconds remaining, Isaiah Brickner fouled Andrew Cook, who sank both free throws, giving the Eagles their first lead of the night and the Vandals were unable to make a last second shot, losing 75-73.
Idaho moves to 11-15 on the year with a 6-7 conference record. They travel to Flagstaff, Arizona to face off against Northern Arizona, who they lost to earlier in the year, 80-72. The Vandals and Lumberjacks will face off on Feb. 20 at 5 p.m. on ESPN+.
Bryce Norwood can be reached at arg-sports@uidaho.edu