Idaho men find way to hold on for 55-53 win over rival Idaho State

MOSCOW, Idaho – This time, Idaho kept the lid on.

Barely.

After seeing Weber State score seven points in a little more than a minute to eke out a 70-69 win Thursday, the Vandals controlled the drama in the closing seconds Saturday against Idaho State for a 55-53 victory.

With the Vandals leading in the final 10 seconds, the Bengals missed a last shot. Eight or nine players from both teams chased a rebound that bobbed above them several times but were unable to control it. Finally, the Vandals’ Trevon Blassingame tapped out the ball to Julius “Juice” Mims, who took off down the court toward Idaho’s basket, until he was met at the arc by his teammates pouring off the bench as time expired.

“The team that wanted it more was going to get it,” Blassingame said. “I knew Juice was deep. I took a peek and tapped it out.”

Vandals coach Alex Pribble said of the melee at the conclusion, “These games are decided by very, very thin margins. … It takes a resilient effort.

“Mental toughness is the ability to focus on the next thing. … Guys showed great mental toughness. … They sprinted back. They just battled on that last possession.”

The Vandals and Bengals played a tough game that saw 18 lead changes, with neither team leading by more than six points.

“That’s the style of basketball they want to play,” Pribble said of the Bengals. “Possession by possession. Grind it out.”

With starting point guard D’Angelo Minnis still on the bench recovering from a recent heel injury, Idaho was unable to force the pace against ISU.

“We had to go possession by possession, as well,” Pribble said.

Idaho improved to 10-16 overall and 4-9 in the Big Sky Conference. Idaho State slipped to 11-6, 6-8.

The Bengals’ Meleek Arington led all scorers with 19 points. ISU’s Brayden Parker added 12 points, shooting 5 of 11 from the field, mostly from the paint.

Idaho’s Kyson Rose and Mims battled Parker down there, with Rose scoring 11 points. Mims added eight, all in the second half.

Neither team lit it up. Idaho shot 19 of 52 from the floor (36.5%). ISU was 19 of 49 (38.8%).

Free throws were about even. Idaho shot 12 of 16, and ISU finished 12 of 20.

The Vandals made five 3-pointers, two more than the Bengals.

While Mims had trouble getting going on offense, he was a key contributor on a crucial Vandals series late in the first half.

With the Bengals leading 21-17 and threatening to make a run, Mims saved a loose ball and tipped it to Blassingame, who hit from beyond the arc to bring Idaho within a point.

After ISU missed on a shot in the key and two putback attempts, EJ Neal grabbed a rebound for the Vandals. Blassingame finished the possession by converting another 3-pointer.

The next time down the floor, Blassingame corralled a rebound, was fouled by Miguel Tomley and nailed the front end of a 1-and-1 to put Idaho ahead 24-21.

Blassingame finished the half and the game with nine points.

The teams swapped the lead three times in the final 2 minutes, but Idaho led 32-30 at halftime when Quinn Denker hit a long 3-pointer.

Kristian Gonzalez matched Rose with 11 points for the Vandals on 5-of-8 shooting from the field and a free throw.

“The coaches put me in position to be successful,” Gonzalez said.

In four of their recent games, Idaho battled Montana, Montana State, Eastern Washington and Weber State down to the wire but prevailed only against the Bobcats.

The loss against Weber State may have been the toughest to take since Idaho led for most of that game before faltering at the end.

“Things happen for a reason,” Blassingame said after the win over ISU. “(The loss to Weber State) was a huge lesson we had to learn. But it prepared us for a win.”

“We had to look in the mirror,” Pribble said. “We had to look at the game film. We couldn’t hide from it.”

Saturday, it was lesson learned.

Women

Idaho 49, Idaho State 48: Idaho guard Sarah Schmitt converted a three-point play with 3 seconds left to lift the Vandals (13-12, 6-7) over the Bengals (10-15, 6-8) at Reed Gym in Pocatello, Idaho.

Schmitt, a grad transfer from Nebraska-Kearney, charged into the paint and banked in a layup while drawing a foul. She hit the free throw, and Idaho secured the rivalry win.

The Vandals rallied late, outscoring Idaho State 5-0 in the final 3 minutes.

Guard Kennedy Johnson led Idaho with 17 points. Freshman guard Aspen Caldwell contributed 12 points and Schmitt finished with eight.

Idaho shot 35.6% from the floor and 28.6% from 3-point range. They held the Bengals to 26.2% shooting from the field – a season-low shooting percentage for a Vandalss opponent. The Bengals shot 0 of 7 on 3-point attempts.

Idaho has won three of its past four. The Vandals host Northern Colorado at 6 p.m. Thursday.