Bengals bounce Vandals

MOSCOW, Idaho – The Idaho Vandals who played in the first half Saturday looked nothing like the Idaho Vandals who played in the second half and in overtime.

A slow first-half offense ultimately cost them a thriller, falling 71-69 to Idaho State in non-conference men’s basketball.

“The end result was we looked bad at everything we did,” Idaho coach George Pfeifer said about his players’ first half. “We didn’t change the plays we did in the second half, we just played them harder.”

The Vandals overcame the 20.7 field-goal percentage they displayed in the first period, shooting 55 percent in the second and 43 in overtime.

Although the Vandals ate away at the Bengals’ lead and gained a one-point edge with 12:30 left, it still looked like Idaho State would walk away with the win with 2 minutes left in regulation.

The Vandals, however, blocked two successive Bengals shots and swatted the ball around enough that the officials had to call a timeout just to figure out what the shot clock should read. That pumped up Idaho and the Kibbie Dome crowd.

Down 58-52 with 1:30 left in regulation, Idaho fired everything they could at Idaho State. Clyde Johnson hit an NBA-distance 3-pointer to cut the Bengals’ lead to three, and a bad pass by Idaho State’s Logan Kinghorn gave the Vandals back the ball.

Idaho’s Jordan Brooks scored for a 58-57 scored before Johnson stole the ball from the Bengals. Michael Crowell, who led all players with 20 points, hit a 3-pointer for a 60-58 Idaho lead.

But with 8 seconds left, Brooks fouled Idaho State’s Amorrow Morgan, who hit both free throws and sent the game into overtime.

It was Idaho’s aggressive play that brought them back into the game, Pfeifer said.

“We don’t need the Barry Bonds plays,” he said. “We need to get tight in those situations.”

They remained tight throughout overtime and so did the Bengals. When the clock hit zero, Idaho State just happened to have the lead.

The Bengals improved to 2-5 while Idaho is 1-4.

“We needed this one bad,” Pfeifer said.

For Idaho’s Trevor Morris, it was the first half that decided the game. Outrebounded 20-15 and limited to poor shooting, the Vandals bounced back but couldn’t clinch.

“Those two things right there, that’s the game,” said Morris, who tallied 14 points.