With under three minutes remaining and the Idaho Central Arena crowd on their feet, the Idaho Vandals were looking for the final dagger to wrap up a statement game against California State Northridge.
Senior guard Biko Johnson got the ball at the top of the key, spread everyone out and looked his defender in the eyes as he put the ball between his legs and launched a three-pointer. As the ball flew through the air and cut through the net to put the Vandals up 18, it sent the Vandal crowd into one more frenzy before the Vandals dribbled the ball out a few possessions later to defeat the Matadors 78-64 and move to 4-2 on the season.
“This was a major win for our program,” head coach Alex Pribble said. “We’ve been talking about our identity a lot recently, and that is about toughness and physicality and being able to win ugly at times. Against a very talented and physical team in Northridge, I think our guys did a good job staying the course, continuing to fight, and I think it led to some success, particularly in the second half. A number of guys really stepped up tonight.”
From early on, this game was won from beyond the arc as the Vandals connected on 12 of their 40 attempts, the most they’ve attempted since 2015.
In a matchup where the Vandals struggled at times, other players had to step up, and Johnson was center stage. He was outstanding all over the floor with his on-ball defending, leadership, rebounding and scoring,Johnson was the backbone for the Vandals. He finished with 23 points, including going 5-14 from beyond the arc, and pulled down six of the Vandals’ 40 rebounds.
With all the headlines of playing in Boise and a huge opponent, Johnson kept it simple and played his game, letting the basketball fly.
“It’s a gym at the end of the day, it’s a hoop, an orange ball,” Johnson said. “And you got to put the orange thing in the orange thing, and we did a good job with that tonight.”
The Vandals have been excellent on the glass, winning the rebounding battle in every game and that was the same in this game. They outrebounded the Matadors, who have been one of the best teams in the country on the glass, 40-37. It was a major contributor to the win and has been a staple for the team’s identity this season.
“We need to be a team that can defend and rebound,” Pribble said. “Coaches will tell you that you get what you emphasize, and we’ve been emphasizing rebounding, particularly on the defensive end, from day one with this group.”
With the Idaho fans roaring, the Vandals came out ready to show what they could do. From the tip, they established their outside shooting. Freshman Jackson Rasmussen started the Vandals off with a three, and Johnson knocked down three straight to get Idaho and himself settled into the game.
“Early on, I was trying to be aggressive, trying to hunt those catch-and-shoot threes to start the game. They were falling, so it was really good,” Johnson said.
The Matadors, who are known for their play inside the paint, established themselves as a force down low and took a 23-16 lead midway through the first half.
Idaho turned to their depth. Redshirt sophomore Myles Klapper and senior Isaiah Brickner gave the Vandals the next eight points and cut the deficit.
“Great teams are deep teams,” Pribble said. “You never know when injuries are gonna come, or sicknesses, or foul trouble. We are deep, and we have a lot of guys that can step up. There’s a lot of options on this team.”
Brickner finished with 13 points, and Klapper provided seven to keep the Vandals in the game in the first half.
Idaho came out of the locker room and started to go all over the floor. Johnson picked up where he left off and knocked down a three-pointer and a layup to put the Vandals in front. From there, they never looked back.
The Matadors weren’t going down without a fight and cut the game to 11, forcing the Vandals to keep playing.
The Boise natives Rasmussen and Payne gave their fans one last run to push the Vandals over the edge. Rasmussen knocked down a top-of-the-key three and capped his 14-point performance in his hometown. On the next possession, with some great ball movement, redshirt junior Jack Payne knocked down a corner three to put the game out of reach.
Idaho will be back in Idaho Central Arena on Friday, Nov. 29, to take on Sam Houston State (4-2), who defeated Idaho State in an 84-81 thriller. The Bearcats and Vandals will tip off from Boise at 6 p.m.
“There’s a lot of similarities between these two opponents,” Pribble said. “It’s a big opportunity for us to be sitting at four and two right now and play another very good mid-major team. It’s what we want. That’s why we put the schedule together this way.”