Once again, it was Idaho's backcourt that carried the Vandals offensively. And this time, the guards' contributions were enough to propel UI to a 76-75 win at Portland State on Saturday night.

Point guard Glen Dean poured in 26 points and shooting guard Connor Hill had 21 to help Idaho withstand the Vikings in a matchup of future Big Sky members. The Vandals (5-6) had lost two straight and four of their last five.

Idaho has received little production from its big men this season. On Saturday night, its true post players -- Joe Kammerer, Paulin Mpawe and Ty Egbert -- combined for six points and three rebounds.

More below.

*****

Dean and Hill each had five assists and five 3-pointers for the Vandals, who 18 assists on 27 field goals. UI came in averaging just under 10 assists per game -- which ranked in the bottom 20 in the nation coming into the week.

“That’s where we have to get better,” Verlin said. “We’re typically a high assists team, and that’s what’s really been bothering about this team. We average nine assists per game, and usually we average 14 or 15 a game.”

The Vandals shot 54 percent from the field and connected on 11 of 20 3-pointers, all but one of which came from Hill and Dean.

Hill, a junior from Post Falls, now has 163 3-pointers in his career, just five shy of matching Idaho’s all-time record of 168 held by Orlando Lightfoot since 1994.

Portland probably feels more like home than Moscow for the Vandals at this point in the season. This was their fourth game in Portland after playing three in three days during the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic. They've had just three games in Moscow over the first five weeks of the season.

Idaho's road-heavy nonconference schedule continues Friday when it faces Idaho State in Boise at CenturyLink Arena. It then travels to Cal State Northridge on Sunday before a break for Christmas and a home game with Montana on Dec. 28.

---

---