Rashad Smith hits clutch free throws to help Idaho upset Montana 82-76

It is a sound as reassuring as a heartbeat for Idaho fans – the thump of Rashad Smith’s ritual three dribbles before launching a free throw.

In the closing 58 seconds against Montana, he connected on 7 of 8 attempts at the line as Idaho overtook the Grizzlies late and held on for an 82-76 win.

The Vandals are now 7-18, 4-11 in the Big Sky Conference. Montana slipped to 17-10 and 10-6.

“I was very happy for Rashad to play well and bounce back the way he did. He’s a valuable key to our season…When he’s bouncing around with a smile on his face, I know he’s right,” Vandals’ coach Zac Claus said. Smith finished as Idaho’s second-leading scorer with 18 points. He went 4 of 5 from the floor, including a perfect 3 of 3 from beyond the arc. He also contributed 5 rebounds, made a pair of steals. And Smith and 6-10 Tanner Christensen set a tone by diving after loose balls.

Yusif Salih led the Vandals with 19 points. Salih pointed out Idaho shot just 6 of 12 from the line in the first half. “But we were able to clutch it down in the second half.” Salih got the Vandals off to a great start, scoring 12 points in the first 10 minutes as Idaho fashioned a 16-11 lead.

“For him being a true freshman, he’s as rock solid as you can ask a kid to be,” Claus said of Salih.

“That kid spends more time in the gym than most kids on our team.”

Both coach and player noted Idaho’s defense against the Grizzlies as crucial to the victory

“We were able to get some crucial stops when we absolutely had to have them,” said Claus.

“When we really needed them, we got stops. As a team, we were locked in,” Salih added.

The Grizzlies hit 28 of 59 shots from the floor but were only 13 of 20 on free throws. They also made 10 turnovers, including giving up four steals. The Vandals took somewhat better care of the ball, committing only 8 turnovers. That allowed Idaho to keep Montana’s transition offense from heating up, according to Claus. In fact, the Vandals outscored the Grizzlies on fast break points, 18-7.

It was close most of the way, but Idaho controlled much of the first half until the Grizzlies made a late run. They outscored the Vandals 12-5 over the final 4:36 and led at half time, 42-34.

Montana stretched its lead to 10 points in the second half, 58-48, before Idaho went on a 5-point run as Smith buried a three and took Montana’s Robb Beasley to the basket.

The Vandals were able to draw even, 64-64, with 5:26 to play, when the Grizzlies’ Josh Bannan flopped in the paint as Idaho’s Christensen started to back him down, and Christensen responded with an emphatic dunk over the prone defender. A Salih mid-range jump shot and a three-pointer helped the Vandals eke out a 69-67 lead before Derrick Carter-Hollinger stroked a three-point shot from the corner to put Idaho back in a hole, 70-69, with 2:40 to play.

But Christensen scored from the lane twice against Carter-Hollinger – the first time following a Salih assist – before Carter-Hollinger answered with a basket from the paint. The Vandals were clinging to a 73-72 lead when Smith went to work from the free throw line.

Montana’s Cameron Parker led all scorers with 22 points, and Bannan followed with 21.

As it did in an 82-61 win against the Vandals in Missoula in January, Montana made a concerted effort to take Idaho’s leading scorer, Mikey Dixon, out of the game. Dixon is averaging 17.7 points. However, Montana is his kryptonite. The Grizzlies held him scoreless in the first game, and he scored 5 points in the rematch.

“He would get my whole focus, too,” Claus said. Even as Dixon spent most of the final 10 minutes on the bench, Claus praised his energy there. “He’s been a tremendous teammate.”

Salih said “we had to find somebody to pick him up.”

That would be Salih himself, and the unflappable Smith at the end.

The Vandals play host to Eastern Washington Saturday at 3:30 p.m.