On Saturday, Jan. 31, the Idaho Vandals men’s basketball team traveled to Flagstaff, Arizona, to take on the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks. The Vandals rebounded from their midweek loss and won their fourth straight game in the Flagstaff 79-62 behind a strong game from Isaiah Brickner, who finished with a career high 31 points.
The Vandals are now 9-0 when their opponent shoots under 45% from the field. Vandals are 13-9 on the season and 5-4 in conference play. They stand in the number four spot in the Big Sky Conference, and the Lumberjacks are last with a record of 2-8 in conference play.
Brickner was everywhere for the Vandals and was a major catalyst for their offensive success. Along with his career high, he connected on five three-pointers. In total, he shot 12-16 from the field while also adding a season-high eight rebounds in just 28 minutes on the floor, the most he’s played in a game all season. He was a major contributor to this win, scoring the biggest part of the 47 points the Vandals scored in the first half.
This marks the third time Brickner has scored more than 20 points this season. This season, when Brickner plays more than 20 minutes, he is averaging 18.6 points. Brickner is an excellent weapon for the Vandals, even though he doesn’t get as much playing time as other players.
It was a good night for the Vandals, as three other players scored double-digit points: redshirt junior Jack Payne with 15 points and six rebounds, while senior center Brody Rowbury and redshirt sophomore Kolton Mitchell both finished with 10. As a team, the Vandals’ field goal percentage was .544. This was a great factor in the Vandals beating the Lumberjacks by 18 points. There were also three players with two steals. A great way to win is to turn opponent points into your own.
The Vandals need to keep this play up as they have many tough matchups coming up. The next five games contain matchups against four other top five teams in the Big Sky Conference which are very important as they come down the stretch of Big Sky play and into the Big Sky tournament next month.
Idaho will hit the road this week as they prepare to face (13-10, 7-3) Montana State Bobcats, who the Vandals defeated 92-89 in the ICCU Arena on Jan. 10. The Vandals and Bobcats will tip off from Worthington Arena on Thursday, Feb. 5, at 6 p.m.