Idaho women handle Weber State in Moscow; Vandal men let big lead slip, but hold on for road win over Wildcats
The Idaho men’s basketball team built a 19-point lead in the first half, let most of it slip, but held on for a Big Sky victory over Weber State at Dee Events Center in Ogden, Utah.
Idaho guard Biko Johnson scored a season-high 26 points and hit back-to-back clutch jumpers late in the game to give the Vandals (11-7, 3-2 Big Sky) some breathing room after the Wildcats (10-9, 4-2) rallied to make it a one-possession game.
Idaho, which raced out to a 27-8 lead at the 9:11 mark, held Weber State to 23% shooting in the first half and led 41-29 at halftime. The Wildcats made things interesting with an 11-0 run early in the second, but Idaho stayed ahead narrowly before Johnson keyed a run to put the visitors up by eight with three minutes left.
Forward Jackson Rasmussen contributed 16 points and guard Kolton Mitchell had 12 for Idaho, which shot 45.5% from the field, 8 of 25 on 3s, and held the Wildcats to 30.4% shooting, 5 of 21 on 3s.
Guard Tijan Saine Jr. scored 25 for Weber State, shooting 15 of 17 from the foul line. The Wildcats shot 28 of 39 on free throws.
Women
Idaho 95, Weber State 76: Idaho guard Kyra Gardner poured in 27 points and the Vandals women’s basketball team had its highest scoring output of the season, routing Weber State 95-76 on Saturday afternoon in a Big Sky Conference game at ICCU Arena in Moscow.
Gardner, who was one point short of matching her career high, shot 8 of 16 from the field and 8 of 11 from the foul line, and added eight rebounds. Guards Ana Pinheiro and Hope Hassmann chipped in 16 and 14 points, respectively, and post Debora dos Santos tallied 12 points and 12 rebounds for the Vandals (13-5, 4-1 Big Sky), who set a season high for points scored.
Idaho shot 33 of 73 (45.2%) from the field, 7 of 19 (36.8%) on 3s and hit a season-high 22 of 29 free throws. The Vandals outrebounded the Wildcats (6-13, 0-6) by 23.
The Vandals went up big with a 33-point first quarter and were shooting over 60% until a slump late in the first half. Idaho led 56-42 at the half.