Moore, WSU triumphant in stunner

Emotions ran high for the more than 3,000 fans in the Cowan Spectrum who were seconds away from witnessing overtime in the oldest college basketball rivalry west of the Mississippi River.
Reggie Moore’s baseline jumper with .9 seconds remaining put Idaho’s hopes of snapping Washington State’s eight-game winning streak to rest in the Cougars’ 66-64 triumph Wednesday. After Moore knocked down the would-be game-winner, Vandal guard Landon Tatum could only watch his flailing half-court shot sail over the backboard into a jubilant crowd of WSU students, who had every reason to celebrate a well-earned win in Moscow.
The Cougars, who led by as many as 10 points during the second half, allowed Idaho to claw its way back into the game and Tatum’s jumper with 25 seconds remaining gave Vandal fans every reason to believe their team was on the verge of potentially the greatest comeback of the decade.
“I thought we played hard enough to win this basketball game no question about it, you’ve got to give WSU credit when it came time to make the winning plays they did,” coach Don Verlin said. “I really thought them getting those extra possessions in the second half was the difference in the game and it comes down to a one-possession game.”
It was a battle of the halves for the rival neighbors and although the Vandals outscored WSU 39-31 in the second half, the Cougars had the upper hand through the first half, outscoring the hosts 35-25.
Idaho fell victim to its second-worst shooting half of the season and converted just 31 percent of its first-half field goals. In addition to first-half shooting woes, the Vandals were 1-6 from the perimeter and missed three free throws — two of them from senior Deremy Geiger, who ironically leads the team in free throw percentage.
The game-changer came midway through the first half when the Cougars scrapped together an 8-0 run that saw the Vandals commit four fouls, two turnovers and three missed 3-point attempts in just four minutes.
Djim Bandoumel led a second-half momentum boost for the Vandals. Bandoumel, who didn’t travel with the team last weekend and saw nothing but the bench in the first half, proved to be a necessity for the Vandals’ second-half comeback. The 6-foot-7-inch senior dominated the paint with nine points and two offensive rebounds in 17 minutes of play.
“I haven’t been happy with his effort in practice but I felt like tonight in the second half he gave us a tremendous lift,” Verlin said. “I mean he gave us a lot of energy, was able to score the ball down there and did a lot of good things.”
An inspired Vandal team overcame the odds in the second half and cut the Cougar lead until the teams were tied 45-45 with 12 minutes remaining.
“Coach just focused on stopping the transition, containing them and not letting them get to the basket as easy as they did in the first half,” junior college transfer Mansa Habeeb said.
Considering the loss, Habeeb soaked in every second of playing his first game in the Cowan Spectrum at the Division I level.
“It was different for me, being a junior college player last year, I loved it, I loved being out there,” Habeeb said. “Next time I just hope we get the win.”
Habeeb’s seven points were complimented by three steals and three assists, both of which are career highs for the Buffalo, N.Y,. native.
Guard Stephen Madison stole the show again, leading the Vandals’ scoring efforts for the second consecutive game. The sophomore posted 18 points and was one point shy of tying his career-high.
Madison was the only Vandal to finish with at least 10 points and Bandoumel trailed with nine, while Kyle Barone and Geiger each had eight.
Moore led the visitors with 15 points and seven assists, Brock Motum tallied 12 and three players finished with eight.
The rivalry game drew 3,321 fans to Cowan Spectrum — the fourth-most under Verlin.
“It was awesome. I really believe for this program to take the next step we’ve got to establish a quality home court and we had that tonight,” Verlin said. “That’s probably what’s more disappointing for us, selfishly as coaches and players is we want to reward those people when they come out.”
The team’s next home game during the academic year is set for Jan. 21 against Utah State. Between now and then the Vandals play 10 games, seven of them on the road.
Idaho will visit a second straight Pac-12 opponent today in Corvallis, Ore., when the Vandals face the Oregon State Beavers. The Beavers stand at 6-1, and have only lost, by two points, to No. 22 Vanderbilt. The Beavers are led by junior guard Jared Cunningham who averages just less than 20 points per game.
Tipoff is at 7 p.m. in Gill Coliseum.

About the Author

Theo Lawson Vandal Nation blog manager Sophomore in journalism Can be reached at [email protected]

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