|
 Kashif Watson jumps past Boise State University guard Aaron Garner as he shoots the ball during the basketball game in the Cowan Spectrum Thursday.
Basketball is supposed to be fun and the Vandals, both players and fans, had some last night.
A raucous crowd of 4,731 cheered and jeered and for the first time in
14 matchups and nearly a decade had a reason to rush the court — and
they did when the Vandals won the in-state rival matchup 63-59.
Basketball is supposed to be fun and the Vandals, both players and fans, had some last night.
A raucous crowd of 4,731 cheered and jeered and for the first time in 14 matchups and nearly a decade had a reason to rush the court — and they did when the Vandals won the in-state rival matchup 63-59.
After the emotional game, several Broncos were not impressed with UI fan antics.
“I’m guaranteeing victory,” Boise state guard Anthony Thomas said. “I guarantee we won’t lose to Idaho again as long as we play them.”
The Vandals were led in scoring by Mac Hopson and Brandon Wiley for the second consecutive game.
Hopson had 20 points and Wiley finished with 12.
Hopson had this to say about Thomas’s comments.
“Well, it’s not going to be sweet for them,” Hopson said. “I still have to play them at least three more times, so it’s not going to be sweet.”
A series of missed calls by the officials led to a Bronco run midway through the first half. The most apparent came when Trevor Morris was called for a block after being run over by BSU guard Jamar Greene on a fast break.
The Vandals surged back late in the first closing the half on a 9-0 run in large part due to tenacious defense which created turnovers and led to a series of easy buckets.
“I thought our guys did a great job of getting to their shooters,” Idaho coach Don Verlin said. “I thought our length really bothered some of their guys on the outside.”
The staunch Vandal defense held the Broncos to just 30 percent from the field in the first half.
UI went into halftime clinging to a 29-26 lead despite shooting just 37 percent from the foul line and 33 percent from beyond the arc.
The team came out of halftime seemingly on fire sprinting out of the gates extending the lead to as much as 12 points.
Vandal guard Kashif Watson brought immediate energy to the court connecting on consecutive shots to open the second half and pumping up the crowd after a BSU timeout. He ended the game with a double-double, scoring 10 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.
Wiley came up big in the second half as well contributing not only points but also offensive rebounds when the Vandals did miss shots.
Despite the home crowd and surge to open the half, the Broncos were able crawl back into the game cutting the lead to three points with just less than 15 seconds remaining after back-to-back threes.
The Vandals put the game away in a similar fashion to their victory over New Mexico State — with stingy turnovers creating defense and the help of Terrance Simmons and Mac Hopson. The two put a dagger in the Broncos heart with Simmons sinking back to back buckets with less than a minute to go and Hopson hitting a free throw with 4.6 seconds remaining.
“We did a great job defensively,” Verlin said. “Our team defense was excellent holding them to the field goal percentage we did was awesome.”
After the rival victory, many on the team were speechless.
“I can’t express how I feel right now,” Simmons said. “I’m speechless, it’s just a huge win for our program and for us.”
The win marks the Vandals second consecutive victory and leaves the team at 10-10 (4-3) on the season and Verlin hopes more fans will come out to see the Vandals play.
“I never thought we’d see a crowd like this here today,” Verlin said “I really appreciate the Vandal students and Vandal Nation coming out.”
The Vandals will wrap up a three-game home stand against Nevada at 7 p.m. Saturday in the Cowan Spectrum.
 Add as favorites (79) | Views: 1334
|
