For Idaho’s men’s basketball team second consecutive game, the result came down to the final two possessions, and this one didn’t go the Vandals’ way. After a hard-fought battle, Idaho fell to the University of California, Bakersfield, 64-63 and finished non-conference play 8-5.
In a game where baskets were hard to come by, Idaho trailed 62-61 with under 30 seconds remaining. Senior Brody Rowbury, who was the best player for the Vandals, had the ball in his hands with a chance to take the lead. Rowbury finished the game with 20 points and nine rebounds.
Using his physicality, Rowbury backed down his defender, spun and put up a shot that bounced around the rim before dropping in, putting the Vandals up 63-62 with 15 seconds remaining.
The Vandals, who had been very good on the defensive end throughout the 40 minutes, needed one more stop. However, junior forward Ronald Jessamy got loose from his defender and drilled a jumper with under two seconds remaining to give the Roadrunners the win and deal heartbreak to Idaho.
Both teams struggled to find an offensive rhythm as efficient defensive play made it difficult to get the ball up the floor. The intensity on both ends resulted in a low-scoring first half, with the Roadrunners holding a 26-20 lead.
Senior guard Biko Johnson, who had been quiet to that point, drilled a long three-pointer at the buzzer to cut the deficit to 26-23 and build some momentum for Idaho.
The Vandals finished the first half 2-13 from beyond the arc and needed to get shots to fall in the second half. That emphasis came to the forefront after Rowbury and Johnson knocked down three long-range shots. Rowbury hit two of them to give Idaho a 32-30 lead.
The balance of Idaho’s offense began to pick up with their inside-out game working as outside shots started falling. Redshirt sophomore guard Kolton Mitchell, who was sensational in the Vandals’ overtime win over Cal Poly with 31 points and six assists, was quiet early and tried to find his rhythm.
Mitchell got back-to-back baskets to fall, but then the Vandals went cold and the Roadrunners jumped out to a 42-38 lead. From there, the game went back and forth with neither team building a lead larger than six points.
Mitchell, Rowbury and Johnson all made key plays down the stretch; however, it was not enough in the end. Idaho dropped their final non-conference game and fell to 3-2 in games decided by five points or fewer.
Rowbury had an outstanding game, as his scoring, rebounding and paint presence made it difficult for the Roadrunners on both ends. Mitchell, after a quiet first half, finished with 17 points and five assists. Johnson added 13 points.
Idaho has been solid for most of the season. The team heads into Big Sky Conference play with a foundation built on a multipurpose offense and a much-improved defense.
The Vandals have also dominated on the boards, winning the rebounding battle in 11 of their 13 games, including a 35-34 edge against the Roadrunners.
Idaho also has some questions regarding its depth and how impactful the bench can be throughout Big Sky play.
The Vandals will have a break for the holidays before returning to Moscow to begin conference play against border rivals Eastern Washington on Saturday, Jan. 3, at 2 p.m. in the ICCU Arena.
The game will be an emotional game as the Vandals will honor Idaho’s legendary head coach Don Monson, who passed away earlier this year Oct, 1