The Vandals’ regular season came to an anticlimactic end, as they were unable to complete the season sweep of Montana State (14-18, 9-9). MSU surpassed Idaho (13-18, 8-10) in the standings with a 75-60 victory in Bozeman on March 3.
The Vandals’ kryptonite in this game was a combination of lackluster perimeter shooting and a lack of scoring production from the starting five. Titus Yearout and Isaiah Brickner played significant roles off the bench. Yearout and Brickner, who have both displayed glimpses of significant talent this season, were arguably the two best players for Idaho in this game.
Yearout was the only Vandal who made multiple triples, knocking down three of his five attempts. Brickner played a fantastic game all-around, scoring 12 points and finishing with four rebounds, two assists and two steals. Yearout and Brickner played 28 and 25 minutes, respectively, season-highs for both. Yearout led the Vandals with 15 points and six field goals.
The primary issue for the best three-point shooting team in the Big Sky in this game was their lack of success from beyond the arc. The Vandals broke a program record this year in three-pointers but shot just 5-22 in the season finale. If the Vandals are going to make a run in the Big Sky Tournament, it will require consistency on the offensive end from everyone, not just the starters or just the role players.
Kolton Mitchell struggled from the field but still finished with 12 points, four rebounds, two assists, two blocks and a steal. He and Mims executed their roles nicely, but the losing formula for Idaho in this game? Jack Payne, Kristian Gonzalez, and Tyler Mrus, who typically score over 46% of Idaho’s points, combined for six.
Patrick McMahon led both teams with 23 points, coming off the bench to make nine field goals and snag five rebounds. Montana State shot 20% higher of a clip from the field than Idaho in this game.
Liam Bradford can be reached [email protected]