Hill catches fire as Vandals defeat Bobcats

MOSCOW, Idaho – Connor Hill has spent the majority of his time on the court the last four years fighting through defenders to find just enough space to launch 3-pointers. Saturday afternoon at Memorial Gym Hill spent an entire Senior Day pregame ceremony fighting back tears. He fought back those emotions as he raised his framed No. 5 jersey to a crowd of 1,500 while surrounded by parents and siblings. So Hill did what he usually does when he’s overcome with emotion or adversity: Shoot it out. Hill ended the afternoon with five 3-pointers and 21 points in an 80-73 win over Montana State to send out Hill, Mike Scott and Bira Seck as winners in their final home games as Vandals. “There was a lot of emotion before the game because it’s been a great four years,” Hill said. “Man, I’m just glad to go out with two wins here at home. The crowd was unbelievable, I’m so thankful.” Late-game heroics were reserved for another senior who’s used to having a flair for the clutch. Scott was expecting to execute a pick-and-roll with Idaho (13-14, 8-8 Big Sky) leading 73-70 with a minute remaining. Coaches switched the play when a big man rotated out to Idaho’s starting point guard, so Scott stepped back and drained the game-clinching 3-pointer. “I thought he was going to go around him,” Idaho coach Don Verlin said. “He just found a little room and knocked it in. What a big shot on senior night to give us the lead.” Scott’s mother, Jennifer, was able to watch her son’s heroics from a front-row seat for the first time this season, making the trip from Los Angeles with Scott’s uncle, his brother and sister. “She got to see (me) on a laptop but not in person. It just means a lot (that) she’s here,” Scott said. “She’s happy and I’m more happy than anything because she got to see me play.” Scott put the finishing touches on Idaho’s sweep of the Montana schools with two free throws with 24 seconds left. Scott hit two free throws at the end of regulation on Thursday night to send Idaho to overtime against Montana, a game Idaho won in double overtime. “It’s always nice to finish with a win, especially on senior night. We’ve been very fortunate since I’ve been here to do that every time,” Verlin said. “I talk to them a lot about what Vandals do. Vandals play hard, they compete and they execute.” The game’s high scorer was a Post Falls product, but not Hill. Montana State junior Marcus Colbert, who graduated one year after Hill, finished with 26 points. “It was a lot of fun, we went back and forth for a while there,” Hill said. “Just representin’ Post Falls.”