The exhibition season ended for the Idaho men’s basketball team with a 80-66 win over regional-rival NAIA team Lewis-Clark State College.
Eleven Vandals posted points against the Warriors but head coach Don Verlin was less than impressed with the team’s performance.
“I though LC-State did a really nice job, they played a really good game here tonight,” Verlin said. “I thought they were the aggressors from start to finish. I didn’t think our performance was where it needs to be at this point.”
After the first half, Idaho led Lewis-Clark 43-29. The Vandals shot 57.7 percent from the field, compared to the Warriors’ 25 percent.
The Vandals were led by junior small forward Jordan Scott and junior forward Brayon Blake, with 14 points each. Scott added five rebounds and Blake added 11.
Blake earned his first double-double as a Vandal Friday.
Blake said he was shocked to hear his stats.
“Oh, I didn’t even know I got that,” Blake said. “It feels good. I’m here to do my job. I don’t care how many points I have, as long as we get the ‘W’ at the end of the day.”
Verlin said he is happy with the contributions Blake is making to the team.
“I knew he was going to be a good player when he came here, and I thought he played well,” Verlin said. “He’s a fantastic athlete, he’s a good teammate and I really like what I’ve seen from him.”
field, while Lewis-Clark finished with 37 percent.
The Vandals proved their depth once again — the bench outscored Lewis-Clark’s 33-19.
The Warriors evened the playing field in the second half by matching the Vandals’ 37 points.
Scott and Verlin said the team will need to work on their defensive presence.
“Defensively, we need to pick it up a little bit,” Scott said. “That’s what we pride ourselves in, that and rebounding. So we want to do better in both of those categories.”
The Vandals begin non-conference play 8 p.m. Saturday against Corban University in the Memorial Gym.
“Lewis-Clark State came in and they shot really well,” Scott said. “Every game is a teachable moment. They played well and we need to play better.”
Mihaela Karst can be reached at[email protected]or on Twitter @mihaela_jo