Both CSU Bakersfield and the University of Idaho entered this game with losing streaks. The Vandals had lost three in a row and the Roadrunners two.
The last game the Vandals played was the Battle of the Palouse. After 10 days of rest, the Vandals were able to bounce back into the win column with an exciting win in overtime.
“I mean it’s something fun, it’s something you expect from the game,” senior guard Trevon Allen said. “With it being our first overtime as a team, I thought we did pretty well and it’s something we can use later on down the stretch.”
The final score was Idaho 76 and Bakersfield 70. At the end of the regulation, the teams were tied 63-63.
Coming into this game, the team knew that they were going to be in for a battle.
“We talked, nonstop about how good Cal State Bakersfield is, how relentless they are on the offensive glass and what a quality opponent they are,” Interim Head Coach Zac Claus said. “We knew we were going to be in for a fight for the complete 45 and the extended in to 45 minutes.”
Coach Claus said that the boys had phenomenal three days of practice leading up to this game.
“I talked to the guys about the correlation between great practices spilling over into games,” Claus said. “Guys were locked in mentally, they were competing, they were playing hard, and they understood what they wanted to do from a game plan wise. I’m just thrilled for them to come out on top today.”
There were four vandals that got double digits in scoring. Those were Allen, Chance Garvin, Scott Blakney, and Quinton Forrest.
Both Forrest and Allen are coming off injuries from the previous game. Allen had a messed-up ankle, Forrest was having back problems. Not to mention, there’s still other players that have been injured for a while and have yet to come back and play.
“We started practice at the end of September, everybody’s got bumps and bruises,” Claus said.
The last game that this team played was the Battle of the Palouse back on December 4. The Cougars took the win 78-65.
This team has had around 10 days of rest to get things back on track. Within those ten days, the team had continued to work out, as well as have practices.
“I think that was a huge piece of our success as well,” Allen said. “Being rested, guys being able to you know work on injuries but staying in the training room; 10 days is huge. Then we got a good break after this before we go to South Dakota.”
In regards to those that have yet to make it back on the court, Claus says that the team in good hands. Justin Pomar is the athletic trainer for this team and has daily talks with the coach about where the guys stand.
“He’s working above and beyond, making sure that our guys can get back just as best as they can,” Claus said about Pomar.
Now there’s one face on the men’s basketball team who has yet to make it on the court but has the possibility of doing it soon, quite possibly the next game.
Sophomore Jack Wilson is a transfer student from Oregon State University and plays as a center. If all goes well in regards with finals, and grades being put in as soon as possible, then Wilson should be able to play in the next game.
“He’s a terrific kid. He has worked as hard as anybody in this program to get himself ready,” Claus said in regards to Wilson’s possibility in joining the team on the next game. “We will welcome Jack onto the floor with open arms. He gives us his physicality, a great presence and play. He’s got a wonderful attitude and he’s a terrific teammate.”
There’s only one game left before the Big Sky Conference is underway for the Vandals. They will hit the road after another long rest.
After a week of finals, the Vandals will have three road games before they come back to play in Moscow for the new year.
It was the last game of the semester and of the 2019 year that the Vandals would be playing in Moscow. The next three games of their schedule will be on the road as they go against South Dakota State, Idaho State, and Weber State.
The next time the Vandals will play at home will be in early January to ring in the new year. They will then be hosting Portland State.
The next game for men’s basketball will be on December 21 at 11 a.m. as they go play South Dakota State.
Elizabeth Carbajal can be reached at [email protected]