Theo Lawson
Argonaut
Trailing by as many as 13 points in the first half, the Vandal men’s basketball team found a will and a way to come out on top
of Thursday night’s overtime stunner against hosts La. Tech.
The 90-88 victory marked the first time Idaho (9-8, 2-1) has been victorious at the Thomas Assembly Center in six years.
After allowing their opponents to put up 43 points in the first half, the Vandals turned things around and found themselves with a chance to close out the game with 30 seconds remaining. Three offensive rebounds gave Idaho three separate chances to win it, but neither Kyle Barone nor Stephen Madison were able to convert from inside the key, thus forcing an overtime period.
With 4:11 remaining in OT, Deremy Geiger knocked down a shot from beyond the arc which gave his squad a 79-76 advantage. Despite a few missed opportunities the Vandals played a fundamentally sound overtime period, in which they never trailed. After a questionable inbounds call went the Bulldogs’ way, La. Tech had a chance to tie it up at 90-90 with 13 seconds left. Raheem Appleby had an opportunity to be the Bulldogs’ savior, but after Matt Borton was called for a foul on Appleby’s 3-point attempt the freshman missed his second free throw and Landon Tatum grabbed a defensive rebound on the third to seal the deal.
Idaho had no answer for the Bulldogs’ perimeter shooting, but were able to survive the clutch hot hand of Ole Miss transfer Trevor Gaskins. The senior was 5-6 from 3-point range, four of those coming in the second half and overtime.
The Bulldogs led for almost 30 consecutive minutes, but a 3-point jumper from Deremy Geiger set the teams even at 56-56 with 12 minutes remaining. Stephen Madison executed a layup turned 3-point play shortly after to give Idaho the slight lead. Although the lead itself didn’t last longer than one La. Tech possession, Idaho battled and a Madison three at the 5:46 mark would spark a run that helped the visitors gain a four-point lead in the second half’s final minutes.
Geiger, whose 3-point shooting and rebounding efforts proved essential down the stretch, finished as the game’s leading scorer with 23 points, while tacking on four assists and four rebounds. Senior Landon Tatum was 13-15 from the charity stripe and added 20 points and six assists. Kyle Barone and Madison both finished in double digits and Barone led both teams with 15 rebounds.
La. Tech’s Brandon Gibson troubled the Vandals as much as anyone as the junior guard notched 22 points and 13 rebounds.
Idaho now faces a daunting task in Las Cruces, N.M. on Saturday, when they take on New Mexico State at 6:00 p.m. The Aggies currently sit second in the WAC with 11 wins on the season and are led by senior forward Wendell McKines. The Oakland, CA., native ranks 40th in the NCAA with 18.4 points per game and 13th with 10.7 rebounds per game.