The Cowan Spectrum hasn’t been friendly to the Utah State men’s basketball team in recent years and Saturday’s Vandal win against coach Don Verlin’s former squad wasn’t any different as Idaho beat the Aggies 57-54.
Idaho (10-9, 3-2 WAC), which trailed Utah State (10-10, 2-3 WAC) for the majority of the game, found a way back into the contest with two minutes remaining through the work of senior Djim Bandoumel and sophomore Stephen Madison.
Down four points, Bandoumel grabbed an offensive rebound and was fouled on the successful put back, but missed the free throw. On the next Idaho possession two Kyle Barone free throws tied the game at 53, but Madison turned the ball over and was called for a defensive foul on the other end allowing Aggie Danny Berger a free throw.
Madison, who suffered a toe injury early in the game, was 2-9 from the field with four points until his fourth 3-point attempt of the night found its way into the basket, giving the Vandals a 2-point advantage.
“I was struggling with an injured toe during the first half, but I got it wrapped up at halftime so it was bothering me but my shot wasn’t there,” Madison said. “The coaches had confidence in me so I got the last shot and just shot it like normal.”
A Mansa Habeeb free throw made it a 3-point game and Medlin’s final shot, contested by two Vandals, flew off of the back of the rim and into the hands of Bandoumel, who secured it for the Vandal victory.
“A lot of things were flashing through our minds tonight, but I’m just glad we pulled the rabbit out of the hat,” Verlin said. “Looking at the stat sheet I really don’t know how we won. I’ll tell you this — we made some huge winning plays down the stretch. I thought our defense was stellar in the last four minutes of the game.”
Verlin decided not to start Bandoumel earlier in the week, but the Canadian transfer proved a crucial component to Vandal offensive and defensive efforts. Bandoumel was 6-9 from the field with a team-high 16 points and grabbed six rebounds in 32 minutes of play.
Bandoumel said he didn’t feel any pressure to perform coming off of the bench, and noted that his high energy is “all about the smile.”
“When you smile on the court, it’s just easy. If you’re having fun out there, it’s just basketball,” Bandoumel said.
Former Aggie Deremy Geiger added 12 points to the Vandals’ total, with two rebounds and two assists. Barone had an offensive off night but snagged a game-high seven rebounds.
Medlin led all scorers with 17 points despite being 1-7 from 3-point range. Idaho held WAC player of the year candidate Brockeith Pane to six points.
Verlin stressed the significance of beating Utah State’s Stew Morrill, his long-time coaching mentor for the second in the last three match-ups.
“It’s really special because they’ve been so good for so long,” Verlin said. “They’re not as far off as they think they are. They’re extremely hard to play, they’re extremely well-coached and they have a lot of pride in their program.”
The Vandals continue their three-game home stand Thursday against San Jose State. The Spartans are 0-5 in the WAC, 6-13 overall and haven’t won since Dec. 30. San Jose State lost all-WAC starters Adrian Oliver and Justin Graham, and are led by junior guard James Kinney, who averages 6.2 points per game.