Saturday’s game against the Montana State Bobcats (9-7) came down to the wire, finishing in an absolute thriller with a 92-89 win for the Idaho Vandals (9-6 2-1) men’s basketball team. The Vandals behind a brilliant 62 point second half overcame a 21 first half deficit to move defeat the Bobcats.
With just over a minute to go in the game redshirt sophomore guard Kolton Mitchell, the star of the game who finished with 23 points.
Mitchell has been in great form and that continued as he drained a three-pointer to give the Vandals the lead for the first time in the game. After grabbing the lead late, the Vandals led for the rest of the game and got the come-from-behind victory.
After coming off a devastating 79-73 loss in Missoula to bitter conference rival University of Montana, the Vandals travelled back home for a chance to regroup and refocus for their next matchup against fellow Big Sky Conference member Montana State University in another crucial conference matchup.
Montana State had been on a five-game winning streak, three of which were against Big Sky teams. Montana State has also faced familiar opponents of the Vandals this season, such as Eastern Washington University and California Polytechnic State University, both ending up as marks in the win column for the Bobcats.
When the first whistle blew, Montana State’s hot streak began to show early. Montana State junior guard Jeremiah Davis capitalized with a layup to score the first points of the game and gave the Bobcats an early 2-0 lead.
After a few missed offensive opportunities for the Vandals, the Bobcats began to slowly pull away from the Vandals in the first half. With about five minutes to go in the half, Montana State sophomore forward Jaden Steepe nailed a three-pointer, stretching the lead to 39-18 as Montana State led by 21.
The Vandals slowly cut the deficit down to 18 as they trailed the Bobcats 48-30 at halftime. The Vandals knew they needed to bring their A game if they hoped to keep this game competitive, and that was exactly what happened.
Going into the second half, Idaho’s starters began to dominate the court early. In just three and a half minutes, the Vandals starters tallied a total of 10 points before Montana State could even score, including a crucial three-pointer from Mitchell, ultimately narrowing the score to a more respectable 48-42 game. After this streak, the Bobcats got their act together and kept it close and, for the majority of the game, the lead went back and forth.
With about six minutes left to go in the game, the Vandals made another big push. After senior guard Biko Johnson cashed in a three and senior guard Isaiah Brickner scored a layup, the score was tied for the first time all game at 71-71, and the momentum was in the Vandals’ hands.
The Bobcats tried to rally themselves and even managed to secure the lead by six points with three minutes to go but, like they had been doing all game, the Vandals rallied back, thanks in part to Mitchell,Johnson and senior forward Brody Rowbury, who helped tie it 83-83.
Thanks in part to the starting players’ performances, such as Johnson who also scored 23 points alongside Mitchell, the Vandals escaped with a hard-fought win. Their offensive leadership, combined with timely baskets in the waning moments, allowed Idaho to withstand Montana State’s early momentum and secure a crucial conference victory at home.
Idaho will now travel down to Pocatello to take on the (9-8 2-2) Idaho State Bengals on Thursday, Jan. 15, at 6 p.m.