Divant’e Moffitt scores 32 points as Idaho upsets Montana State for first Big Sky win

In a game laden with improbable occurrences, Idaho, winless in the Big Sky Conference, earned its first league win and handed Montana State only its second league loss.

Before the season’s largest crowd at ICCU Arena, 1,979, the Vandals led from the opening tip to the final second in a 74-70 victory.

Idaho shocked the Bobcats early with a 12-0 run to start.

“At the beginning, our guys were dialed in,” said Idaho coach Zac Claus. “They were down in stances, contesting shots, trying to make it as hard as they could against one of the best teams in our league.”

Nigel Burris accounted for six of Idaho’s points and benefitted from a couple of Isaac Jones assists. Jones, the Big Sky’s second-leading scorer averaging 18.6 points per game, was held to just four points before fouling out with 2:21 to play. But he accounted for four assists, pulled down eight rebounds and blocked two shots. The Vandals were able to survive the loss of Jones’ usual points by taking advantage of all the attention he drew on defense.

Typically, Jones plays from the low block. Against MSU, he often started from the elbow or the high post, and the Bobcats assisting on defense had to go get him there. That opened up the middle, and Divant’e Moffitt took full advantage taking the ball inside, drawing fouls and leading all scorers with 32 points for the Vandals.

“They doubled him on the catch,” Moffitt said of Jones. “We were able to exploit that.”

Moffitt shot an eye-catching 23 free throws and connected on 14 of them.

Instead of Jones, another Vandals’ big man provided some heroics on offense. At the close of the first half, with Idaho clinging to a 31-29 lead, Moffitt drove but found all options down low covered. However, Vandals’ backup center Michael Hanshaw was standing beyond the 3-point arc at the top of the key.

“I drove, I looked back, and I could see Mike,” Moffitt said.

With little more than a second remaining, he found Hanshaw with a long pass, and Hanshaw rattled in a buzzer-beating trey to give Idaho a 34-29 advantage that loomed large in the second half as Idaho held off the determined Bobcats.

For the game, the Vandals’ 3-point shooting might not have been great, but it was timely. Idaho was 7-of-23 on 3-point attempts. However, Dominique Ford, who hit on 4-of-7 from behind the arc, helped the Vandals time and again to fend off the Bobcats in the final period as MSU got within two points on several occasions.

Ford also had something to say about Hanshaw’s 3-pointer. Before games “me and him are shooting partners,” Ford said. “Before the MSU game, I said, ‘Mike, why are you shooting threes?’ He was making them, too.” When Hanshaw hoisted his buzzer beater, “I thought, ‘Oh, no it did not,’” Ford said.

Claus also noted it.

“The basketball gods were smiling down on that shot,” he said. “Mike has the best spirit and attitude on the team … he is about the group.”

Hanshaw had a productive six minutes against MSU with five points and a pair of rebounds.

“That’s good stuff for me,” said Claus. “I love seeing that.”

For the Bobcats, Raequan Battle led with 22 points, Jubrile Belo added 15 and Darius Brown had 12.

The Bobcats are now 12-8 and 5-2. Idaho improved to 7-12 and 1-5.