Idaho gets past Grand Canyon
MOSCOW, Idaho – With 13 seconds left, Stephen Madison rose above the best rebounder in the WAC, stretched his arm as high as he could and came down with the biggest rebound of the game – a ferocious one-handed board.
Then, after icing Idaho’s 83-77 victory over Grand Canyon with two free throws, a smiling Madison walked to the bench at Memorial Gym to a standing ovation from the crowd of 1,080.
This was the final snapshot of Madison’s fine career at home as a Vandal, and it was a fitting one. The 6-foot-6 forward from Portland flashed a dominant touch on Saturday, rattling off 34 points on 15 shots and proving clutch late on defense and on the glass.
“I thought there was a number of times when he came up with the big basket, the big rebound, the big defensive stop,” Idaho coach Don Verlin said. “I couldn’t be happier for Steve to finish out his career here at Idaho at home like this.
“We’ve got a lot of work left to do, but what a fabulous career.”
The Vandals (12-16, 5-8 WAC) won for the fourth straight time at home, in large part because of a reenergized offense that’s scored at least 80 points in three consecutive games and the solid effort of their senior class.
Point guard Glen Dean, a graduate transfer from Utah, chipped in 10 points and helped push the pace – something Verlin’s been pleading for all season. Meanwhile, fifth-year center Joe Kammerer had five rebounds and played solid defense on Killian Larson, who leads the WAC in rebounding and came up with 20 in the loss.
In addition to Madison, Dean and Kammerer were treated to rousing sendoffs with the game in hand. Dean wrapped his arms around Kirk Earlywine, his former coach at Eastern Washington and now an assistant at Idaho. Kammerer gave Verlin a high-five.
“I’m happy,” said Dean, who started his career at EWU before transferring to Utah and then Idaho. “I’ve got my mom here. I’ve got my little cousins here. It’s a great day.”
After leading by 16 with under 9 minutes left, the Vandals had to work for the win. Grand Canyon (13-12, 8-4) reeled off an 11-2 run in the final 6 minutes while Idaho’s shooting went cold.
“It’s never easy for this team yet,” Verlin said. “It’s such a fine line between us pushing the ball, slowing it down, and when it gets to winning time how we need to go about winning a basketball game.”
For much of the first half, it was a back-and-forth scoring fest between two potential first-team All-WAC players – Madison and Grand Canyon’s Jerome Garrison. Both scored 15 before the break.
When Madison buried two free throws to put UI up 30-27, he had half of the Vandals’ points. He was nearly unguardable off the dribble, either drawing quick fouls or penetrating into the lane to create scoring opportunities.
And he came up big in the final minutes.
“Oh, it’s up there,” Madison said when asked where the game ranked for him personally. “It’s the last game at home. It’s got to be up there top five. It was just fun. We came out and had a fun time.”
Idaho 83, Grand Canyon 77
Grand Canyon (13-12)—Daly 1-8 3-4 5, Alexander 8-16 0-0 22, Garrison 10-22 2-4 26, Larson 4-9 6-11 14, Davis 1-3 0-0 3, Foreman 0-2 0-2 0, Okugo 1-3 2-2 4, Adams 0-1 3-4 3, Zuilhof 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-64 16-27 77.
Idaho (12-16)—Dean 2-5 4-4 10, Hill 3-12 0-0 9, Seck 1-3 0-0 2, Madison 12-15 9-10 34, Kammerer 0-2 1-2 1, Wiggs 5-10 6-11 16, Callandret 0-0 0-0 0, M. Scott 3-11 3-4 9, Egbert 0-1 2-4 2. Totals 26-59 25-35 83.
Halftime—Idaho 34-32. 3-Point Goals—Grand Canyon 11-32 (Alexander 6-12, Garrison 4-11, Davis 1-3, Okugo 0-1, Foreman 0-2, Daly 0-3), Idaho 6-17 (Hill 3-10, Dean 2-4, Madison 1-2, M. Scott 0-1). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—Grand Canyon 39 (Larson 20), Idaho 40 (Seck 7). Assists—Grand Canyon 12 (Daly 4), Idaho 8 (Dean, Madison, M. Scott 2). Total Fouls—Grand Canyon 24, Idaho 22. A—1,080.