Victory Costly For Vandals: Star Guard Rose Goes Down

Two prominent developments in Idaho’s 80-60 men’s basketball win over Lewis-Clark State College on Friday:

The Vandals were challenged, which they expected from the pesky NAIA visitors, and they responded.

And there was an unfortunate twist of UI senior guard Reggie Rose’s knee, which wasn’t expected and couldn’t have come at a worse time.

The Vandals open Big West play against Nevada on Thursday. Rose, last year’s leading scorer and No. 2 this season, probably will be a spectator. A chain-reaction collision after a made free throw sent LCSC’s Jeremiah Wynott into UI’s Jason Jackman, who bumped into Rose, who crumpled into a heap of pain on the Kibbie Dome floor.

Rose has all the bad symptoms: He felt a pop, his knee is swollen and he can’t put weight on his left leg. Trainers fear a torn medial collateral ligament, which would end Rose’s career, UI coach Kermit Davis said.

“It’s really too bad because he was our catalyst as far as attitude and work habits and you should have seen him play in Hawaii (last week at a tournament),” Davis said.

Minus Rose, UI has eight scholarship players. Davis is considering pulling the redshirt off freshman forward Chris Popoola. Robert Scott, a wide receiver in the fall, has indicated an interest in playing, but Davis said he’ll have to check with football coach Chris Tormey on Scott’s status and academic progress.

With the exception of Rose’s injury, the game went as Davis expected. That is, LCSC scared the shorts off his Vandals for 25 minutes before the Vandals wore out the Warriors.

“Heck no,” Davis responded when asked if he’ll schedule LCSC next season. “I’m through playing George.”

That would be LCSC coach George Pfeifer, whose Lewiston-based Warriors beat Boise State last year and tested Utah State, where Davis was an assistant.

The Warriors were boosted by some inside knowledge. The teams held informal gym-rat sessions in Lewiston and Moscow in the summer and fall. Plus, there is ample roster crossover. At times, Idaho sophomore Kevin Byrne was guarding his older brother, Jeff, an LCSC senior. Vandals guards Derrick Elliott and Eddie Turner and LCSC’s Jonas Gorauskas were teammates at North Idaho College a few years ago.

“I told Jonas to stop setting those hard picks,” joked Turner, who scored 16 points on 8-of-9 shooting. “They’re a great group of guys. It was a battle, just like in open gym when they come up here.”

Added Jackman, who had 17 points: “They were calling out our plays the same time we were.”

Though a bit outclassed athletically, the Warriors gave a good account of themselves. They led by four early, behind Wynott’s eight early points and Charlie Walker’s silky perimeter shooting.

Idaho (7-6) was down 28-27 when Elliott hit two 3-pointers and Kris Baumann one in the final 2 minutes of the half.

LCSC (5-5) narrowed UI’s six-point halftime advantage to two points 4 minutes into the second half, but the Vandals went to a zone defense that Davis termed the “turning point.”

“They were executing well against our man, getting the ball to Wynott,” Davis said. “When we went to zone, the whole tempo changed. They started standing on the perimeter.”

Pfeifer agreed. “We’re kind of a power, bangy team. When they went to a zone, we didn’t power, bangy.”

Wynott, a 250-pounder with nice interior moves, and Walker each scored 17 points. UI’s Byrne contributed nine points and Elliott had 11 points and four steals. Troy Thompson had 12 points, mostly on baseline layups against a lazy LCSC zone.

Now, the Vandals face the conference schedule without Rose.

“It’s going to hurt a little bit, but a lot of the guys talked and we said everyone’s going to have to pick up their game an extra level. We’ve got to become a very close family,” Turner said.

Idaho 80, Lewis-Clark State 60

Lewis-Clark State (5-5) - Walker 7-9 2-2 17, Wynott 7-13 3-3 17, Byrne 4-8 3-4 11, Johnson 2-4 0-0 4, Grey 0-2 0-0 0, Clarke 0-1 0-0 0, Mercer 0-0 0-0 0, Hoover 0-1 0-0 0, Ratcliffe 0-0 0-0 0, Gorauskas 4-4 0-0 8, Ward 1-3 0-0 3. Totals 25-49 8-9 60.

Idaho (7-6) - Harris 1-1 0-0 2, Thompson 6-12 0-0 12, Jackman 5-8 7-8 17, Baumann 2-8 4-4 10, Rose 1-1 0-0 3, Elliott 3-9 3-4 11, Turner 8-9 0-0 16, Wendt 0-0 0-0 0, Byrne 4-4 1-1 9. Totals 30-52 15-17 80.

Halftime-Idaho 38, Lewis-Clark 32. 3-Point goals-Lewis-Clark 2-11 (Walker 1-1, Wynott 0-2, Grey 0-2, Clarke 0-1, Mercer 0-3, Ward 1-2), Idaho 5-12 (Baumann 2-6, Rose 1-1, Elliott 2-5). Fouled out-None. Rebounds-Lewis-Clark 21 (Byrne 6), Idaho 26 (Jackman, Turner, 5 each). Assists-Lewis-Clark 7 (Johnson, Mercer, 2 each), Idaho 11 (Elliott, Turner, 3 each). Total fouls- Lewis-Clark 19, Idaho 12. A-1,602. , DataTimes MEMO: Cut in Spokane edition