MOSCOW, Idaho - In a game that featured 20 lead changes and 10 ties, the University of Idaho came up just short at the buzzer in a 64-63 loss to Montana on Saturday at the Cowan Spectrum.
Facing a five-point deficit with just 1:14 remaining, Idaho (5-5) rallied back and took a one-point lead at 63-62 on a Shawn Henderson jumper from the top of the key, but Montana (7-4) answered with a floater by Derek Selvig that went down with 5.5 seconds to go.
Idaho senior Deremy Geiger, who led Idaho with 14 points on the day, had a good look at the buzzer, but his jumper bounced high off the back of the rim as time expired.
"It's gut-wrenching," Idaho head coach Don Verlin said. "I thought our guys played extremely hard. I thought they fought all night long, and I thought they showed a lot of courage down the stretch."
It was a far cry from Idaho's first outing against Montana this season, in which the Vandals shot just 12 percent from the field in a 75-33 loss at Dahlberg Arena in Missoula.
"First and foremost, I thought we competed and played a lot harder this time," Verlin said about the difference in the two games. "Number two is we did a great job on Brian Qvale."
Qvale, who entered the game averaging 15.1 points and 8.3 rebounds, finished Saturday with just six points and six boards in 37 minutes. Qvale had 21 points on 8-of-10 shooting in the first go-around. UM forward Kareem Jamar led all scorers with 17 points of 5-of-6 shooting, including makes on all three of his 3-point attempts.
In addition to Geiger's 14 points, senior forward Brandon Wiley and sophomore center Kyle Barone each scored 12 on combined 11-of-18 shooting. Wiley grabbed a game-high seven rebounds, along with two steals and one block, while Barone had six boards, one block and one steal.
Neither team led by more than five points all night, and the game featured 12 lead changes in the second half alone.
"This time we came out ready, we came out competing and we showed that we really wanted to win," Geiger said of the game. "We played with a lot of heart down to the final buzzer."
Idaho dominated the paint points by a 34-16 margin, and outscored Montana 16-12 off turnovers and 10-8 in second-chance points. The Vandal bench held a 21-14 edge over the Grizzly bench, but UM outscored Idaho by five, 18-13, from the free-throw line and made two more 3-pointers.
Idaho shot 44.2 percent (23-52) overall and went 13-of-16 (.813) from the free throw line, but hit just 26.7 percent of its 3-point attempts. Montana hit 45.5 percent (20-44) of its shots, with a 6-of-15 (.400) performance from long range and an 18-of-23 (.783) effort from the free throw line.
While the close loss stings, Verlin said the most important thing right now is to make sure Saturday's game doesn't negatively affect Tuesday's road trip to Eugene, where the Vandals will face Oregon.
"I told the guys in the locker room afterward, we can't have a hangover," Verlin said. "We've got to come back to work tomorrow at two (p.m.). I think this team is getting better and the next time we get in this situation, we've got to find a way to win this game."
The Ducks finished the weekend at 7-4 after a 63-48 road loss to Virginia on Friday. Oregon entered the game having won three in a row. UO is 7-2 at home this season.
After a quick holiday break, the Vandals will be back in action on Dec. 29, as Idaho opens Western Athletic Conference play by hosting New Mexico State at the Cowan Spectrum at 7:05 p.m. The Vandals also play Louisiana Tech on Dec. 31 at 7:05 p.m. at the Spectrum.
