Defensive woes once again plagued the Idaho men’s basketball team in a 91-66 conference road loss to Weber State Thursday at the Dee Events Center.
The defending Big Sky champions were led by a sharpshooting performance from junior Dusty Baker and senior Jeremy Senglin, as the two guards combined for 32 points in the win.
Idaho (6-9 overall, 1-3 Big Sky) committed 16 turnovers and went 33 percent from the free throw line against the conference frontrunners. The Wildcats shot 58 percent from 3-point range and connected on 14 shots from beyond the arc.
After trading baskets to open the first half, Weber State (8-6 overall, 3-0 Big Sky) made a late offensive push with back-to-back 3-pointers from Baker at the top of the perimeter. The scoring spree helped the Wildcats take a 45-30 lead over the Vandals at the break.
Junior guard Victor Sanders led Idaho in the first half with nine points on 4-of-6 shooting from the field. Junior forward Brayon Blake added six points and four rebounds for the Vandals.
Baker and Senglin combined to go 10-of-15 from the field for 26 points to lead Weber State in the opening period. Senior forward Kyndahl Hill added three rebounds and went 6-of-6 from the charity stripe.
The Wildcats opened the second half with a 15-5 scoring run to solidify the lead and used 37 points from the bench to cruise to the victory.
Four Wildcat players finished in double figures, with Senglin’s 21 points leading the way. Junior guard Ryan Richardson added 13 points, while sophomore guard Cody John contributed four assists.
Sanders ended the night with 13 points, while Blake contributed 11 points and seven rebounds in the loss. Junior forward Arkadiy Mkrtychyan fouled out late in the second half with seven points and two rebounds.
Idaho returns to the court for a 6 p.m. Saturday meeting with Idaho State in Pocatello.
Josh Grissom can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @GoshJrissom