The scoreboard at Idaho Central Arena read 2:10, counting down the last stretch the Vandals had to survive to get their first Big Sky Tournament win since the tournament moved to Boise.
With the Vandal fans behind him, redshirt sophomore forward Jack Payne threw a pass from the inbounds line over half court, where senior forward Julius Mims rose over the defender and snatched the ball out of the air.
Mims ran the rest of the way down the court and threw down a thunderous dunk to seal the Vandals’ victory. The Vandals defeated Portland State 80-70 to move to their first Big Sky semifinal since 2017.
One year ago, the Vandals were coming off another first-round exit, and Head Coach Alex Pribble sat in the Big Sky media room with a similar fate as the Idaho coaches before him, but in year two, he and the Vandals finally got that tournament win that teams before them couldn’t.
“I’m very excited right now,” Pribble said. “I think what comes to mind, first and foremost, is we have such a great fan base, an incredible university, so to hear the fans after celebrate the way they were, the Vandal fans showed out for us tonight. I’m just really happy for them and for this program.”
The Vandals, from the opening tip, wanted to send a message that they were no pushovers and were, in fact, ready to prove they belonged.
The Vandals came out on fire and jumped to an 18-8 lead behind the brilliant play of Payne and sophomore guard Kristian Gonzalez, with the offense firing on all cylinders.
As the half grew on, the Vandals kept their rhythm offensively and defensively, were connected on all levels, and forced Portland State to shoot outside the arc. Behind strong first halves from Payne and Gonzalez and outstanding defense, Idaho took a commanding 34-20 lead into the locker room.
The Vikings were held to 7/29 from the field and 3/17 from three in the first half, only putting up 20 points. The presumed favorite was in trouble.
Idaho, now in an offensive flow, started the first half with that same flow. Payne, a Boise native who grew up just 10 blocks from the Idaho Central Arena, started the show in the second half. Payne called for a screen from Mims.
Payne then created space, stepped back and knocked down a three-pointer. On the next possession, redshirt freshman guard Kolton Mitchell, who had yet to score, sized up the Viking defense, sped past his defender, put on the breaks and buried an elbow jumper to give the Vandals a 39-20 lead.
The Vikings fought back and cut the lead down to as little as eight. They outscored the Vandals 50-46 in the second half, but it was not enough in the end. With three seconds left in the game, Idaho inbounded the ball, and the clock hit zeros. The Idaho crowd, which had been loud since the start of the game, erupted and the long wait for a Big Sky Tournament win was over.
Gonzalez was exceptional all night. After suffering the heartache of the loss to Sacramento State a year ago, he chose to put on a show and make sure that didn’t happen again.
Gonzalez finished with 24 points, 7/12 from the field, 3/8 from beyond the arc and 7/8 from the free-throw line. Gonzalez and the Idaho offense thrived against one of the best defenses in the Big Sky.
“We took the prep seriously, and we knew they’re going to pressure us a lot,” Gonzalez said. “So Kolton [Mitchell], me and all the guards blew by the pressure getting the ball in the paint, and the ball found us.”
Payne, back in his hometown, did not disappoint either. He and Gonzalez combined for 44 points, with Payne putting up 20 points and seven rebounds on 6/11 shooting, knocking down 4/8 from three.
Payne, a transfer from Colorado State where he saw limited action, has enjoyed this season and has been a key to the Vandal’s success.
“It’s fun to play and not sit on the bench,” Payne said. “I got front-row seats for two years, so playing is way more fun.”
With the win, the Vandals move to 14-18 (8-10) on the season and take the next steps in the Vandals’ process of becoming a top program in the conference.
“We’ve got a number of guys in that locker room who had to believe early in the vision for this program,” Pribble said. “They have a deep belief and confidence in this program and themselves. A win like this starts to solidify where we’re trying to move this Idaho program to play the semifinals in Boise. It’s a big step for this program, so I’m excited.”
The next step in the journey tips off on March 11 at 9:30 p.m. MT. The Vandals will face the #2 seed Montana Grizzlies, a team that has beaten the Vandals twice this season. The Grizzlies are now one win away from a championship appearance.
“It’s going to be a battle,” Pribble said. “They shoot the ball at a higher clip, but the physicality of the game and how Montana plays means we had to prepare to handle that pressure, keep good space on the court and be strong with the basketball. We’ve got great assistant coaches who work hard on the scouting reports, and our guys take the prep very seriously, so I know guys will be ready.”