The Vandals couldn’t quite pull off a surprise in the Big Sky Tournament, falling to Montana State 75-71 in the first round.
Idaho started strong and managed to take advantage of a Bobcat scoring drought that lasted nearly five minutes into the first half, and freshmen Cameron Tyson and Jared Rodriguez elevated the Vandals to a 10-0 lead.
Tyson carried much of the offensive load for most of the first half, scoring 15 points on 4-7 shooting from 3-point range. No other Vandal had more than four points at the break, allowing Montana State to slowly climb back into the game and eventually take a 32-30 lead.
Many of the game’s patterns flipped in the second half, but the Bobcats still managed to stay in control as Idaho persisted down the stretch
Junior guard Trevon Allen went off for 19 points in the second half, helping Idaho bounce back from a 15-point deficit midway through the half. Rodriguez put in 14 points of his own, including an 8-8 performance from the free throw line, to counteract struggles from the rest of the roster. Tyson managed only 2 points on 1-6 shooting, including 0-4 from beyond the arc.
Meanwhile, the Bobcats continued a more diversified approach to offense, with five players making multiple shots in the second half. Senior guard Tyler Hall led Montana State with 23 points and 10 rebounds and junior guard Harald Frey added 17 points and eight assists. As Idaho’s attack focused on one or two players for each half, the Bobcats made much more of an effort to spread things out, with 20 assists to Idaho’s 10.
A jumper from Allen made the score 73-71 with half a minute left, giving Idaho a serious chance to sneak out a win. The Vandals fouled Montana State twice and the Bobcats missed free throws in both instances, but Allen could not convert on the opportunities with a missed shot and a turnover. Montana State hit two free throws to ice the game.
The Vandals finish the season 5-26 and 2-18 in Big Sky play. The Bobcats will play Eastern Washington Thursday at 8 p.m. in the Big Sky tournament semifinals.
Jonah Baker can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @jonahpbaker