Brandon Whitney, Montana send Idaho to third straight loss

From staff reports

MISSOULA – The Idaho Vandals will be eager to flip the calendar to 2023.

December ended with a third consecutive defeat for the Vandals, a 67-56 loss to Montana in a Big Sky Conference men’s basketball game Saturday.

Brandon Whitney led the Grizzlies (7-7, 1-1 Big Sky) with 20 points, and Josh Bannan added 16 points and seven rebounds.

Idaho’s Isaac Jones, who led all scorers with 25 points, gave the Vandals (6-9, 0-2) a 10-9 lead with a layup with 13 minutes left in the first half.

Whitney scored eight points over the Grizzlies’ next three possessions, however, and sparked a game-changing 14-0 burst that turned a one-point deficit into a 23-10 lead on a Bannan jumper with 9:17 left before halftime.

Nigel Burris hit a 3-pointer to pull the Vandals within 10 with about 51/2 minutes left in the half, but Montana carried a 33-20 lead into the second half.

The Vandals made just 5 of 23 shots (21.7%) over the first 20 minutes. Montana made 13 of 29 (44.8%).

A pair of free throws by Yusef Salih and a 3-pointer by Trey Smith trimmed Idaho’s deficit to 49-40 midway through the second half.

Burris made another 3-pointer minutes later to close the gap to 56-48.

Jones converted a pair of free throws with 1:16 left to get Idaho within 62-56, but Josh Vasquez responded with a 3-pointer on the Grizzlies’ ensuing possession to stretch the lead to nine and all but seal the outcome.

Jones made 9 of 14 shots from the field, but the rest of the Vandals combined to shoot 7 for 32.

Jones also had a team-best seven rebounds.

Jones has surpassed the 20-point mark in six games this season.

He boosted his scoring average to 18.4 points per game, the top mark in the Big Sky.

Burris and Divant’e Moffitt finished with nine points apiece for Idaho.

The Vandals return to Moscow for their first conference home game on Thursday when they host Sacramento State at ICCU Arena. The contest tips off at 6 p.m.