Vandals become opportunistic
MOSCOW, Idaho – It was just an exhibition game and it came against an outmanned NCAA Division III opponent, but the Idaho Vandals did something they’ve rarely done the last few seasons.
They scored a lot of transition points.
As a result, Idaho rolled to a 29-point halftime lead on 64.3 percent shooting and coasted to an 87-61 men’s basketball victory over hard-working Whitworth at Memorial Gym on Saturday night.
The Vandals had a double-digit lead midway through the first half that swelled to 31-17 when true freshman point guard Jerod Haynes froze a defender with a stutter step and dropped in a short bank shot.
Idaho added a fastbreak basket by Lionel Davis off a feed from Haynes and an Armend Kahrimanovic 3-pointer for a 42-19 edge. It was 51-22 at intermission.
“Coach told us he’s going to try this the first part of the season,” said senior wing Dandrick Jones, who finished with 17 points. “If we mess up we’re going back to walking the ball up. Our new guys were great. They came in ready to work. Last year it took us a while to get going, but we should be able to get off to a quick start this year.”
Haynes didn’t start, but he had 11 points in just 8 minutes in the first half. Jones made 7 of 11 shots. Newcomer Tihon Johnson, a junior college transfer, was steady throughout, finishing with eight points, six assists and five rebounds. Kahrimanovic led all scorers with 20.
Idaho pushed the tempo after made or missed shots and particularly after Whitworth turnovers.
“We finally have two point guards (Haynes and Johnson) that can dribble from me to you without throwing it in the third row,” said coach Leonard Perry, managing to keep a straight face. “So we’d like to play a little faster if we can.”
Of course, plenty of work remains for the Vandals. They were a little foul-happy in the second half and couldn’t sustain the defensive intensity that limited the Pirates to 23.3 percent shooting in the first half.
Whitworth closed within 18 with 5:48 remaining, but Kahrimanovic had seven unanswered points in the next 75 seconds.
“We didn’t take care of the lead the way I wanted to,” Perry said, “and Whitworth in the first 5 or 6 minutes of the second half became comfortable. They ran their offense well, and we broke down in so many areas.”
UI center Lionel Davis had 14 points and eight rebounds, leading Idaho to a 44-27 edge the boards. The Vandals shot 60 percent overall and made 5 of 11 3-pointers.
Derek Taylor came off the bench to lead Whitworth with 11 points. Bryan Williams and J.J. Jones each had nine.
“I commend those guys,” Haynes said. “They didn’t let us relax.”
Idaho opens the regular season on Nov. 19 against Boise State in Boise.