Inside a roaring crowd of black and gold at Idaho Central Arena in Boise, the Idaho Vandals (19-14, 9-9) delivered one of their most complete performances of the season Sunday night, and in the process, kept their postseason run alive.
In a game that never allowed either side to fully seize control, Idaho matched every Montana State (18-14, 12-6) push before ultimately pulling away late to secure a 78-74 upset over the second-seeded Bobcats in the Big Sky Conference tournament quarterfinals.
The victory sends Idaho to the conference semifinals for the second consecutive season, marking the first time the Vandals have reached the final four of the Big Sky tournament in back-to-back years since 1993 and 1994.
Unlike the two regular-season meetings between the teams, both of which featured significant early Montana State runs, Sunday’s contest unfolded as a tightly contested battle from the opening tip. Neither team built a double-digit advantage all night, and every surge from the Bobcats was met with an immediate response from Idaho.
“We’ve learned some very difficult lessons, facing adversity throughout the year,” Idaho head coach Alex Pribble said. “I think the guys are kind of relying on those lessons right now to respond the right way in tough moments and find big important wins.”
After opening the tournament with a defensive win against Sacramento State, Idaho leaned on the same formula in the quarterfinals: physicality in the paint and balanced scoring across the roster.
The Vandals dominated inside, outscoring Montana State 54-26 in the paint, which was easily their highest interior scoring output of the season. Idaho also received a major lift from its depth, as nine players scored and the bench outproduced Montana State’s bench 23-5.
“I think the big number was the points in the paint,” Pribble said. “We were the more physical team tonight.”
Senior guard Biko Johnson once again led the charge when the game tightened late. With just over a minute remaining and Idaho clinging to a narrow lead, Johnson delivered the game’s biggest shot. After both teams had traded baskets for much of the second half, Johnson buried a three-pointer with only one minute and 11 seconds remaining to extend Idaho’s lead to five. Johnson finished with a team-high 19 points while adding four assists and five rebounds.
Montana State kept the pressure on throughout the night behind strong individual performances from its starting lineup. Christian King scored 21 points with five rebounds, Jed Miller added 18 points and five boards and Jeremiah Davis poured in 22 points while knocking down four of his five three-point attempts.
Together, the trio accounted for 61 of Montana State’s 74 points. While the Bobcats relied heavily on their starters, Idaho’s depth consistently provided answers.
After being held scoreless in the opening period, senior guard Isaiah Brickner erupted for 15 second-half points, repeatedly attacking the rim and finishing through contact to help Idaho maintain momentum. He also grabbed seven rebounds. Brickner sparked one of the most impactful stretches of the game in the second half.
“There was a stretch coming out of the timeout right around the eight-minute mark,” Pribble said. “We got the ball inside to Jackson, swung the ball around the perimeter and Isaiah drove right to the rim and finished a big bucket right at the rim. It was like, ‘Okay, that’s the style we’ve been talking about playing.’ I thought for the remainder of the game we executed extremely well.”
After scoring 19 points in the opening round against Sacramento State, Big Sky Freshman of the Year, Jackson Rasmussen, was a focal point of Montana State’s defensive game plan. Even with increased attention, Rasmussen still finished with 11 points and five rebounds while helping facilitate Idaho’s interior offense.
Another key contributor was guard Miles Klapper, who has taken on an expanded role while starting point guard Kolton Mitchell continues to battle through a back injury.
Klapper delivered the best offensive performance of his Division I career, scoring 11 points and grabbing four rebounds while attacking the basket aggressively.
“I thought Miles Klapper was fantastic tonight and made big plays for us,” Pribble said. “There was a big stretch where he came down and got to the rim aggressively two times in a row and just kind of gave us one more weapon.”
Off the bench, Trevon Blassingame also made his presence felt. The guard scored eight points on a perfect 3-3 shooting night while continuing to anchor Idaho’s perimeter defense.
“Tre Blassingame just continues to be extremely solid for us,” Pribble said. “If you leave him open, he’s going to shoot the ball with confidence, and he’s one of our best – if not our best – perimeter defenders.”
The Vandals’ ability to find good scoring production across the roster proved critical against a Montana State team that entered the tournament as one of the conference’s most efficient offensive units.
“I think it’s been a strength of this group all year,” Pribble said. “We’ve had some injury issues, but every time we’ve had to go into the bench, different players have stepped up.”
Just as importantly, Idaho played one of its cleanest games of the season. The Vandals committed only nine fouls while maintaining a physical defensive presence throughout the night.
“To be able to be mentally tough enough to withstand some of their runs and physically tough enough to dominate the paint the way we did, that’s the identity that we’re trying to create,” Pribble said.
With two tournament victories now secured, Idaho’s attention quickly shifts to the next challenge.
The Vandals will return to the court Tuesday night in the Big Sky tournament semifinals, where they will face the third-seeded Eastern Washington Eagles (13-18, 11-7).
Tipoff is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. in Boise, giving Idaho a valuable day of rest after winning two games in as many days.
For Idaho’s players, however, the focus remains firmly on the bigger picture.
“It’s definitely exciting,” Brickner said of reaching the semifinals. “But our goal is to win the whole thing, so it’s one game at a time.”
Pribble echoed that sentiment while reflecting on the program’s continued growth.
“This program is being built, it’s not being bought,” he said. “It’s built through character, it’s built through hard work, it’s built through trust and experiences together. There’s a lot of programs where they’re just paying for the paycheck. That’s not what this is about.”