BOISE, Idaho ? Marvin Jefferson scored on a put-back with 4.3 seconds left to lift the University of Idaho men's basketball team to its first win at Boise State since 1999 by the score of 56-54.
Idaho (12-13, 6-6) rallied from a 13-point first-half deficit and an eight point disadvantage at halftime to outscore Boise State (17-8, 6-5) 30-20 in the second half. It was the first home loss for the Broncos in Western Athletic Conference play and their first setback of the season when leading at the half.
“I can't tell you how fired up I am for our guys and our program,” Idaho coach Don Verlin said. “To come down here and win after they just beat #17 Utah State and with the way they played in the first half ? unbelievable.
“This is the biggest win so far this season for this young Vandal team.”
Idaho trailed 15-2 after the first five minutes after Boise State drained four straight field goals with three coming from behind the arc. The Vandals outscored the Broncos 24-19 after the first media timeout and were able to trim the lead to 34-26 at the half.
A 9-2 Vandal run to begin the second half cut the score to 38-35 and the margin hit three on three other occasions. Idaho cut the lead to 49-48 with 4:15 remaining and Kashif Watson nailed two free throws a minute later to give Idaho its first lead of the game. Mark Sanchez responded with a 3-pointer on Boise State's ensuing possession to put the Broncos back ahead by two and Marvin Jefferson was fouled on Idaho's possession, sending the 52-percent free throw shooter to the line with a chance to tie the game.
Jefferson calmly converted both, but was then called for a charge after a steal by Watson. The Broncos missed a lay in and Mac Hopson was fouled as he drove the lane with 47 seconds remaining. He nailed both free throws to put Idaho ahead by two, but Anthony Thomas was fouled going the other way and his free throws tied the contest at 54-54 with 27 seconds remaining.
Idaho called a timeout with 13 seconds remaining and ran a play to get the ball to Brandon Wiley under the hoop. His shot attempt drew contact, but Jefferson was there for the offensive rebound and the score to put Idaho ahead with 4.3 seconds remaining. The Broncos got a decent look at a 3-pointer as time expired, but the attempt was off and Idaho held on for the 56-54 victory.
“That was a wild game,” Verlin said. “I thought for a minute there we were going to get beat 30. We have a lot of character on this team and it showed tonight. They never got rattled and they did a great job with the halftime adjustments. You have to give the credit to the players on this one.”
After the game, Jefferson described Idaho's final play.
“Coach ran a play for (Brandon) Wiley. He got a wide open look and when he went up my guy and his guy went up. I'm glad the ball fell into my hands because there is no way I'm going to miss that put-back,” Jefferson said.
When the game was on the line, Verlin knew just the play to call.
“That is our ol' staple and we have to thank (Utah State) coach (Stew) Morrill for that one. It's something we ran at Utah State all the time. We haven't run it much recently, but it is always in our arsenal. Brandon Wiley got it right under the basket and got a great look... and Marv sticks it back in and away we go,” Verlin said.
Hopson led all scorers with 18 points and added five rebounds and four assists. Jefferson tallied 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting and added six rebounds and three blocks. Watson finished with just six points but hit 4-of-4 free throws in the second half and grabbed six rebounds.
As a team, the Vandals recovered from a 1-of-10 start to shoot 41-percent from the floor. Idaho held a 32-31 rebounding advantage and turned 14 Bronco turnovers into 16 points.
The Vandal defense grabbed six steals and allowed just 33-percent shooting and 20 points in the second half. Idaho committed just 12 fouls in the contest and allowed the Boise State just four free throws. The Vandals outscored the Broncos 12-4 at the free throw line.
“You have to give credit to our defense because our ball pressure picked up tremendously in the second half when we got them in the half court,” Verlin said.
Idaho takes a break from WAC play to host Big West Conference-leading Cal State Northridge in an ESPNU BracketBuster contest Saturday (Feb. 21) at the Cowan Spectrum. Game time is 7:05 p.m. PT.
