Utah Valley State tames Idaho 71-66

MOSCOW, Idaho – Mitch Bruneel scored 18 points in leading Utah Valley State to a 71-66 victory over Idaho on Thursday night.

Utah Valley State (9-7, 3-0 WAC) finished the night making 46 percent from the floor, including 8 of 17 from long range. The Wolverines led the Vandals 34-26 at the break and held on through the second half for the five-point win.

Idaho (7-12, 1-4) was paced by Stephen Madison’s 21 points and eight rebounds, while Conner Hill scored 19 points.

The Vandals hit only 38 percent of their tries from the field, including just 2 of 16 from 3-point range on their home court.

“Obviously it’s tough when you can’t find a way to win a basketball game,” Idaho coach Don Verlin said after the game.

“It was the same story all night long, can’t find a way to make a shot. I think we had a number of open shots from the perimeter, some drives, some college layups that we just weren’t able to finish. To win, you can’t let those opportunities slip away.”