Mitchell scores 31, hits late 3 to lift Idaho past Cal Poly in overtime

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – Idaho guard Kolton Mitchell hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with seven seconds left in the overtime period to cap his 31-point outing and the Vandals escaped with a win after blowing a 19-point lead in the second half.

Idaho survived Cal Poly’s rally Sunday afternoon at Mott Athletics Center, eking out an 83-80 nonconference victory.

The Vandals (8-4) opened the second half on a 14-3 run to go up 54-35 with under 14 minutes remaining. They led by 18 points with about seven minutes left, but the Mustangs (5-9) shot back with a 14-0 run over the next three minutes.

Down three with three seconds left, Cal Poly guard Hamad Mousa drew a foul on a 3-point attempt and sank all three free throws. Mitchell’s 3 missed at the buzzer.

With 30 seconds left in overtime and Idaho trailing 78-77, Vandals forward Jackson Rasmussen collected a steal and, after a timeout, Mitchell knocked down the go-ahead 3, drawing a foul and hitting the free throw to make it a three-point lead. Mousa missed a 3 as time expired.

Mitchell, a Lake City High grad, was one point shy of his career high, shooting 6 of 12 from 3-point range and 11 of 14 from the foul line. Guard Biko Johnson had 21 points as the Vandals shot 36.4% from the field and 14 of 34 (41.2%) on 3s.

Mousa tallied 33 points for Cal Poly, which shot 34.4% on field goals and 7 of 37 (18.9%) from deep.