Idaho returned home to take on in-state rival Idaho State in the Memorial Gym in the final stretch of the regular season. Idaho came out slow but picked up momentum throughout the game to tally another victory, winning 69-61.
Idaho head coach Don Verlin said despite the slow start, he liked the way his team followed through with the game plan.
“It was a struggle on one end but it was actually excellent on the other so you think about we go six or seven minutes without scoring and they are only up four,” Verlin said. “That’s just a well of a job, those guys are out there competing.”
Junior guard Victor Sanders kicked off the scoring with a fade away 3-point shot, but the game entered a stand-still.
Idaho State slowed down the scoring for the opening minutes of the half. Neither side put up points, going scoreless for nearly five minutes midway through the opening half.
The Vandals ended the drought with a two-point shot from senior point guard Pat Ingram to bring it within two, but a good three from freshman guard Trevon Allen put Idaho up 10 to nine.
Idaho went into the halftime with a 30-22 advantage.
Idaho went 34.3 percent from the field and made 3-11 from beyond the arc.
Sanders topped the Idaho offense with 11 points and five rebounds at the end of the half. Leading the way for the Bengals was guard Ethan Telfair with nine points.
Throughout the second half, the Vandals continued to build momentum, extending the score gap by as many as 16 points.
Idaho hit a stride midway through the second-half following three consecutive 3-point shots from Sanders. The crowd’s volume pushed the Vandals’ momentum even further. The Vandals went on a 9-0 run thanks to Sanders, shutting down the Bengals.
Idaho maintained a solid lead over the opponents for the remainder of the game, but Idaho State made a run at it and closed the gap to five points with less than a minute to go, but Free throw shots from Allen and Sanders sealed the victory.
Sanders finished the night with 30 points and a team-high nine rebounds.
Verlin said his team did a good job of helping Sanders put up his points.
“When Vic gets on fire he can make a lot of shots and I thought our guys did a good job screening for him tonight,” Verlin said. “I thought our guys did a good job getting him the ball in areas where he was wide open. All three of those three pointers were wide open and Vic does what Vic does and knocks ‘em down.”
Sanders said he felt good about the teamwork that went into his 3-point streak.
“Pat had an easy layup but he heard me calling he turned around and passed it and got an assist and I got it to go,” Sanders said. “It is just a good feeling when your teammates believe in you when you’re hot.”
Idaho takes on Weber State 3 p.m. Saturday in the Memorial Gym.
Meredith Spelbring can be reached at [email protected]