MOSCOW, Idaho ? The opportunities were there, but the baskets were not as the University of Idaho men's basketball team dropped a tough game at home to Hawai`i by the score of 58-53.
The Vandals (5-14, 2-6) couldn't convert the go-ahead basket trailing 52-51 with 35 seconds remaining and the Rainbow Warriors (8-11, 4-3) hit all six of its free throws down the stretch to hold on for the victory.
“We were lethargic tonight and I don't understand that,” Idaho coach George Pfeifer said. “We fought and scratched to get to this type of opportunity and this was not our best basketball. When you are lethargic and are not moving and playing with crispness then you don't shoot the ball well and you turn the basketball over and you don't run your play as well as you should run your play. Those were all little teeny paper cuts until we bled ourselves.”
The game saw six ties and six lead changes and was played within eight points. Idaho fought back from eight down in the second half to tie the game at 48-48 with 3:00 remaining, but the Vandals could never get the shot to fall when they needed it.
Hawai`i moved ahead 52-49 with 1:47 remaining when Jordan Brooks drove the lane and drew contact from his defender. His shot rolled halfway around the rim before falling off the other side. After he converted both free throws, Idaho got another opportunity when Hawai`i missed a bunny on the other end of the court. After calling a timeout, the Vandals found a decent shot, but couldn't convert. After two free throws on the other end of the court, Clyde Johnson tried a 3-pointer to tie the game with 31 seconds remaining, but his attempt was off the mark and Hawai`i closed out the game at the free throw line.
Brooks led all scorers with 17 points while adding six assists, five rebounds, and three steals. Mike Hall finished with 12 points, but scored just two of those points in the second half. Darin Nagle also chipped in seven points and grabbed five rebounds.
Idaho shot 18-of-46 (.391) from the floor and hit just 3-of-16 (.188) 3-pointers. The Vandals missed all five 3-point attempts in the second half. A positive for Idaho was its free throw shooting as the team converted 14-of-17 (.824) attempts. The Vandals also held a 31-23 advantage in rebounds, but could only turn 11 offensive rebounds into eight points.
The Vandals play just one game next week and will be at Boise State Saturday (Feb. 2) at 6 p.m. PT.
