After a 1-2 record at the Red Wolves Classic in Jonesboro, Arkansas, Vandal basketball will play Walla Walla University to make a home comeback.
The Vandals will play at Memorial Gym Saturday, Nov. 24, after their recent stretch of four away games.
Recap from Arkansas:
Idaho played a close matchup against UC Davis after the first game in the Red Wolves Classic.
The Vandals had a difficult time with their shots, finishing with a field goal percentage rate of 41.5%.
However, the Vandals stayed consistent in their free throws making 81.0%.
The 64-65 loss to UC Davis gave the Vandals the motivation to come back in the second game of the away trip.
In another close game, the Vandals were able to push themselves ahead of Virginia Military Institute.
They upped their defense against VMI with 18 of their points coming off of forced turnovers.
The last game in Arkansas, Idaho played Arkansas State with their highest field goal percentage rate throughout the three games being 52.5%.
The past three games in Arkansas, the Vandals have shown a dominant free throw success rate of 80.2%.
Going forward:
Idaho will play Walla Walla University Saturday followed by North Dakota State Nov. 26.
Idaho has been scoring an average of 67 points per game, while holding opponents to 70.8 points a game.
Walla Walla has been averaging 74 points per game into the season and it will be important for Idaho to improve its 3-point success rate.
After their last game against Arkansas State, the Vandals achieved 25% success with their free throws.
After taking on Walla Walla, the Vandals will have three days to prep for their next home match.
North Dakota State averages 68 points per game so far this season, while their opponents are sitting at 61.5. North Dakota State currently holds a 4-2 record this season.
North Dakota State averages 38 rebounds per game, requiring Idaho to have to play with more tenacity when needing to grab boards if they want to have an edge against North Dakota State.
Players to watch:
Senior guard Trevon Allen continues to blaze the trail, scoring an average 86% of his 22 free-throws per game. He remains the lead scorer for the Vandals.
Junior Forward Scott Blakney also continues to play strong, scoring 19 points for the Vandals in their most recent game against Arkansas State.
The Vandals currently sit at 2-3 a record.
This new Vandal team is showing they can stay competitive with their opponents, but now need to prove if they can jump over the hump and win close games.
With non-conference play starting to heat up for Idaho, time will tell if this team can come together at the right time to be competitive during the always brutal Big Sky Conference play.
When/Where:
Idaho will play Walla Walla University in Memorial Gym 7 p.m. Saturday. The Vandals will then play North Dakota State in Memorial Gym 7 p.m. Tuesday.
Sierra Pesnell can reach at [email protected]