The Idaho men’s basketball team’s trip down to Portland this week was teetering on either being a success or failure. At 1-1 through the first two days of the Coaches vs. Classic in Portland, the Vandals took on the Columbia Lions.
A growing trend this season has been the scoring prowess of Stephen Madison. As he goes, so does the rest of the team, however the Vandals faced adversity on Saturday. Madison had foul troubles all game and would eventually foul out with 4:44 remaining in the contest.
The Vandals hung tough, despite not having their leader and number one scorer toward the end of the game. All efforts fell short though, as the Vandals lost the game by five, with the final score being 65-60.
The story of the game was the ability for Columbia to get to the line, as the Vandals ended up committing 21 fouls, giving the Lions 33 free-throw attempts on the night. They made 22 of those 33.
In comparison, the Vandals were fouled 10 times, only getting to the line for 14 free throw attempts, and making 12 of them.
A player who was responsible for half of the free throws made Saturday night was freshman guard, Sekou Wiggs.
Wiggs has been a bright spot for the Vandals this season, coming in and contributing right away, averaging 7.83 points per game. He is also second on the team in rebounds, averaging 4.16 a game.
The Vandals may not have had the trip they were hoping for, but there are some positives to build on, such as the chemistry they gained.
They will need all the chemistry they can get as they travel to Boise to take on the Broncos at 6 p.m. Wednesday at CenturyLink Arena in Boise.
Korbin McDonald can be reached at [email protected]