Dickens Elevates Vandals Flamboyant Junior Adds 3S To Arsenal As Idaho Wins Easily

Like the rest of the Idaho men’s basketball team this season, Kaniel Dickens has had his ups and downs.

Saturday afternoon, he was up, way up above the rim at an altitude only the 6-foot-8 junior can reach. So what if he clanked a dunk and goaltended Gordon Scott’s sure-to-fall 3-pointer. The mercurial Dickens hit a couple of 3s, grinned as he retreated down court and reaffirmed his first-team status on the All-Big West Conference interview team.

Dickens’ 22 points, 11 rebounds and personality spiced up the Vandals’ 91-72 win over defense-optional North Texas before 2,173 at the Kibbie Dome.

“I was up there and once I get up there, I don’t have a thought process,” Dickens said. “I told coach (Dave Farrar) that’s the last time I’ll miss a dunk. But I’ve said that before.”

And you can bet, he’ll say it again.

“They tell me I was a total pain in the butt as a child. My mother used to tell me that someday I’d pay for it,” Farrar joked. “I’m paying for it. Like the missed dunk. He stood out there and said the old so-and-so hasn’t had any heart attack moments today so I’m going to make sure to give him one.”

In a season that has been drudgery at times - Idaho’s 57-52 setback against New Mexico State on Thursday, for example - Saturday was all fun-and-gun. Shots came easy, Idaho’s lead swelled and the students erupted when Lennox McCoy hit the Vandals’ ninth 3 with 1 minute remaining, good for a free quarter-pounder via a promotion of a local burger joint.

“You kind of know you’re going to get looks; it’s something about the way they play,” said sophomore forward Matt Gerschefske, who hit 5 of 6 attempts and scored 13 points. “That’s the best we’ve played as a team, especially in the second half. Everyone was on the same page and it just seemed to go really well.”

North Texas (7-16, 5-7) has a way of curing whatever ails Idaho. The Mean Green is 0-8 against UI (11-13, 5-7) the last four years. They play the kind of soft defense usually reserved for NBA all-star games.

Coach Vic Trilli vented in the locker room for 45 minutes after the Mean Green’s fifth loss in six games. They are locked in a struggle with Idaho and Boise State (5-7) for two spots in the Big West Tournament.

“He hadn’t done that all year,” Trilli said of Dickens’ two 3-pointers. “I watched him on tape. Sometimes he doesn’t do anything and sometimes he plays like an All-American. Today he played like an All-American.”

Idaho shot 53 percent, made 9 of 20 3s and put the Mean Green in a double-digit hole for all but 90 seconds of the second half. A 16-2 run sent Idaho’s lead to 84-58 with 4:30 left.

North Texas effectively stopped Gordon Scott, who scored 30 points last week on UNT’s home floor, with a box-and-one. Everybody else, though, seemed open. Scott managed 13 points. Cliff Gray had 16 points and 11 boards.

Gerschefske started in place of senior Devon Ford, whose porous defense sent him to the bench. Ford played 21 minutes and scored nine points.

The biggest gripe Farrar could muster afterward was offensive rebounding. For the third straight game, UI allowed 19 offensive boards.

The Vandals visit Boise State on Thursday before closing their home season against Cal Poly on Sunday afternoon.

Idaho 91, North Texas 72

North Texas (7-16, 5-7) - Gilbert 4-9 1-2 10, Erskin 3-10 1-4 7, Miller 2-3 3-4 7, Williams 1-5 0-0 3, Davis 6-22 3-3 15, Lucas 1-2 2-2 4, Crawford 3-7 0-1 7, Funches 2-3 0-0 4, Helwig 0-0 0-0 0, Mangrum 4-8 1-1 9, Master 2-2 2-2 6. Totals 28-71 13-19 72.

Idaho (11-13, 5-7) - Bouncristiani 2-4 0-0 5, Gray 7-10 2-2 16, Miller 0-0 0-0 0, Landram 0-0 0-0 0, Monroe 1-3 0-0 2, Logan 2-6 0-0 5, McCoy 1-3 1-4 4, Gates 0-0 0-0 0, Ford 4-6 1-3 9, Scott 6-12 0-0 13, Lewis 0-3 2-2 2, Watson 0-2 0-0 0, Dickens 6-9 8-11 22, Gershefske 5-6 0-0 13. Totals 34-64 14-22 91.

Halftime - Idaho 47, North Texas 37. 3-point goals - North Texas 3-22 (Gilbert 1-3, Crawford 1-4, Williams 1-5, Erskin 0-2, Davis 0-8), Idaho 9-20 (Gerschefske 3-3, Dickens 2-2, McCoy 1-1, Logan 1-2, Bouncristiani 1-2, Scott 1-6, Lewis 0-2, Watson 0-2). Fouled out - None. Rebounds - North Texas 35 (Erskin, Davis 6), Idaho 49 (Gray, Dickens 11). Assists - North Texas 14 (Williams, Davis 4), Idaho 20 (Logan 5). Total fouls - North Texas 17, Idaho 16. Technicals - None. A - 2,173.