Idaho unable to recover from early deficit in loss to Weber State 83-72

MOSCOW, Idaho – Idaho State can’t come calling at a better time.

The Vandals on Saturday host the Bengals, losers of eight straight games, after a tired-looking Idaho team dropped its third in a row, falling 83-72 to Weber State on Thursday at ICCU Arena.

The Vandals were blitzed from the outset, outscored 26-11 through the first 10 minutes. Trevon Blassingame’s corner 3 was Idaho’s only 3-pointer during that time. Weber, by contrast, was 5 of 7 at the arc for the early difference in the game.

It got worse. Idaho closed the first half 7 of 27 from the floor and 3 of 16 on 3-pointers. It did hit all four of its free throws, however, to no real advantage. Weber State ended the first period hitting 14 of 28 attempts from the floor. It was 5 of 8 on 3s and was a perfect 11 of 11 at the free throw line.

The Vandals left shot after shot on the front of the rim. The Wildcats were quicker and springier at both ends of the floor, and they were adept at freeing up shooters by picking off Vandals defenders on screens.

The Wildcats “made us pay for every mistake we made,” said Idaho coach Alex Pribble.

What looked like fatigue, though, Pribble called a lack of competitiveness and a failure to realize the urgency of a season in danger of slipping away as the final five games approach.

“It was a very disappointing performance tonight. Unacceptable,” Pribble said, and in his postgame remarks he apologized to fans.

“I have got to figure out what drives these guys,” he said of his team. Idaho falls to 13-12, 5-7 in the Big Sky Conference. Weber State evened its record at 13-13 and is now 7-6 in the league.

The Vandals trailed at the break 44-21. Pribble searched for combinations to unlock his team, and he seemed to find success early in the second half. In four minutes, the Vandals reduced a 25-point deficit, 56-31, to nine points, 60-51.

Miles Klapper and Trevon Blassingame opened the final period in the starting lineup.

“Our success on offense comes from our aggressiveness,” Pribble said, and Blassingame and Klapper provided the jolt of energy the Vandals needed to get fully engaged in the game, even though Klapper scored just two points and Blassingame nine.

During that run, Biko Johnson contributed six of his eight points, and Isaiah Brickner hit for seven of his team-leading 18 points. Brody Rowbury was Idaho’s only other double-figure scorer with 11 points.

Weber State stopped the onslaught, however, and had restored its lead to 78-58 with 4:21 to play. The Wildcats’ Tijan Saine Jr. led all scorers with 29 points. Viljami Vartiainen added 13, and Malek Gomma and former Vandal and Utah State player Nigel Burris scored 12 points each.

For the game, Weber State shot 48.3%, 28 of 58, including 9 of 17 tries from the arc. The Wildcats were also sharpshooters at the free throw line, where they connected on 18 of 20.

Idaho’s line did not look terrible by comparison, 25 of 59 from the floor (42.4%) including 9 of 30 3-pointers (30%) and the Vandals hit 13 of 17 free throw attempts.

But in Pribble’s assessment the box score was unduly kind to a team that did not display the toughness and competitiveness that should be the foundation of its culture.

“This is a step backward,” he acknowledged.

“Every season has ups and downs, and I trust our guys will stay the course. But he added, “I don’t feel it clicking on either end.

“We need to find a way to take some steps in the right direction.”

Women

Idaho 80, Weber State 67: Guard Hope Hassmann scored a career-high 25 points to surpass 1,000 for her career, and Idaho pulled away from the Big Sky Conference’s last-place team, which gave the first-place Vandals a fight for much of the game at Dee Events Center.

The Vandals’ defense clamped down on Weber State in the fourth quarter and Idaho claimed the victory, extending its winning streak to nine games.

Idaho (20-5, 11-1 Big Sky) held the Wildcats (7-19, 1-12) to seven points on 2 of 13 shooting in the fourth quarter, separating after Weber State cut its deficit to 10 points at the end of the third on Sydney White’s halfcourt buzzer-beater. The Vandals managed just 10 points on 3 of 17 shooting in the final period.

The Vandals led throughout the second half, but this win wasn’t as easy as their 95-76 decision against the Wildcats in the teams’ first meeting Jan. 17 in Moscow. Weber State led after the first quarter Thursday before Idaho regrouped and went ahead 52-46 at the half.

Hassmann shot 4 of 6 from 3-point range and added six rebounds and five assists. Post Debora dos Santos had 15 points and eight rebounds, and guard Ana Pinheiro added 13 points and eight boards as Idaho shot 47.7% from the field to the Wildcats’ 42%, and outrebounded Weber State 43-26.