Idaho withstands second-half rally to knock off Weber State 83-79

MOSCOW, Idaho – Idaho, the victim of sluggish starts all season, knocked Weber State on its heels with a 12-0 opening run Saturday.

Idaho went toe-to-toe with what had been the Big Sky Conference’s second-place team the rest of the way, especially in the second half when the Wildcats (18-8, 11-4 Big Sky) collected themselves and took a brief one-point lead.

But Vandals starters and reserves came up with big plays down the stretch as Idaho (6-18, 3-11) turned back Weber State 83-79.

The game’s leading scorer, Idaho’s Mikey Dixon, a 6-foot-2 shooting guard, had a monster game with 31 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. He erased the Wildcats’ lone advantage (43-42) with back-to-back 3-point shots to give the Vandals breathing room with a little more than 13 minutes left.

With 40 seconds to play, Weber State’s Dillon Jones launched a 3-point attempt from the corner that would have tied the score. When it missed, Idaho’s Philip Pepple Jr., who had entered the game moments before, gathered himself and took the rebound from the Wildcats’ Dontay Bassett, 2 inches taller. Pepple threw an outlet, and Idaho scored at the other end when Trevante Anderson was fouled and hit a free throw.

With 9 seconds remaining, Dixon completed his scoring with a pair of free throws that put the Vandals in front 81-77. With just over 1 second to go and Idaho clinging to an 81-79 lead, Jemeil King, who had come off the bench and was fouled on an inbound pass, hit all net on a pair of free throws. They were his only points, but they ensured the Wildcats couldn’t conjure up a rally.

Idaho looked light years different from its Thursday game against Idaho State (5-18, 3-11), a 79-70 loss. The Vandals’ defense, especially in help situations, suffocated the Wildcats in the first half, when they shot 9 of 30 from the field.

“On offense, we shared the ball and took so many good shots,” Idaho coach Zac Claus said.

Claus said by not taking bad shots and giving up rebounds, the Vandals controlled one of the Big Sky’s elite transition teams.

Claus said he had a feeling the Vandals might defeat the Wildcats, although he was afraid to trust it.

“So many days, you wonder if you got it right,” he said.

“I did very much like the collective spirit (before the game) in the building.”

He said the team has held up in what has been a challenging season.

“In spite of wins and losses, these guys kept coming back for more,” Claus said.

Getting the big, early lead on the Wildcats was significant, Anderson said.

“In a few games, we’ve had tough starts and have had to climb back out of a hole,” Anderson said. “Today, we ended up making one. That was nice.”

Anderson finished with 26 points and six assists .

Weber State overcame Idaho’s 37-24 halftime lead in large measure by aggressively doubling the ball handler on defense.

“That was a little adversity,” Anderson said. “We handled it as best we could. At the end of the day, we made enough plays to get the job done.”

Weber State rallied from its first-half slump and shot 29 of 62 (47%).

That might have won many games, but not Saturday against the Vandals, who finished 31 of 53 (58.5%).

Anderson said the final minute, as the Vandals sought to close out the game, “was definitely long.”

“We think we can compete with anybody in the conference.”

Southern Utah (10-3) moved ahead of Weber State into second place.