Defense was key in the Idaho men’s basketball team’s 65-57 win over Little Rock Friday in Arkansas.
“First and foremost, I talked to them in the pregame about sticking to our bread-and-butter and our bread-and-butter is defense and rebounding,” Verlin said in a news release.
The Vandals held the Trojans to 31 percent from the field and 20 percent from the perimeter.
“Now, because of all the missed shots they really got us on the offensive boards,” Verlin said. “But I thought we did a great job of really defending their guys.”
Little Rock competed in the 2016 NCAA Tournament.
The Vandals led the Trojans 29-21 at the first half, shooting 34.6 percent from the field and 30 percent from beyond the perimeter.
The Idaho defense held the Trojans 25 percent from the field and 16.7 from 3-point range during the first half.
The Vandals finished the game at 42.9 percent from the field and 40 percent from the back court.
Junior guard Victor Sanders led the Vandals with 20 points, four rebounds and four assists. Junior forward Brayon Blake posted seven points and 12 rebounds.
The Vandals were without senior guard Perrion Callandret, but the freshmen filled the gap.
Freshman guard Trevon Allen earned his first collegiate start and added three points to the victory. Freshman guard Myles Franklin collected four points and four rebounds, adding to Idaho’s 39 total boards.
“I talk to the guys all the time about this being a 15-man lineup and every guy on this team is going to help us win and Trevon and Myles stepped up tonight and played well,” Verlin said. “They protected the ball and they did what they needed to do.”
Idaho’s victory ended Little Rock’s 18-game home winning streak, the eighth longest in the nation.
The Vandals take on South Dakota State 7 p.m. Monday in the Memorial Gym.
Mihaela Karst can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @mihaela_jo