MOSCOW, Idaho—The Idaho men's basketball team got its second taste of competition in Friday night's exhibition game against Lewis-Clark State College. The Vandals defeated the Warriors by an 18-point margin, 75-57, after breezing by Simon Fraser in their opening exhibition.
Idaho was on its toes from the get go, as LCSC came out shooting 59.2 percent midway through the first half. The Warriors cooled off as the period progressed, finishing the half 44.8 percent from the field. . A Connor Hill three-pointer just before the buzzer gave the Vandals their first lead of the half, 32-29. The Vandals finished the first half with a 31.6 field goal percentage. The Silver and Gold shot 35.7 percent from long range. Hill and Mike Scott each totaled seven points in the first 20 minutes of play to lead the Vandals.
“LCSC has a really good little team,” head coach Don Verlin said following the win. “They came out and were the aggressors, especially in those first 10 minutes. I thought they controlled the tempo of the game, especially early on the game. As the game wore on we were able to wear them down and pick up our defensive intensity. All in all, we did some good things, but there are definitely some things we need to work on.”
The Vandals opened gap between them and the Warriors to start the second half. Idaho began the half on a 14-5 run in the first 3:53 play. Hill, and Perrion Callandret each hit shots behind the three-point line to help extend the lead to 46-34. The Vandals shot 51.6 percent in the second half and 40.6 percent from three-point range. Hill was a perfect 2-of-2 from the field and 1-for-1 from beyond the arc in the half. He finished with 13 points, two rebounds and two steals. Sekou Wiggs scored eight of his 13 points in the final half of play. He got to the charity stripe six times in the half, draining each attempt.
LCSC outshot Idaho over the full 40 minutes. The Warriors finished 22-of-52 for a 42.3 shooting percentage. Idaho was 28-for-69, shooting 40.6 percent on the night. Idaho doubled LCSC in assists, 14-7. Defensively, Idaho outrebounded the Warriors, 38-34. Scott led the Vandals in both categories finishing with four assists and seven rebounds to go along with his 11 points.
“[This next week] is a big week for us,” Verlin added. “Obviously, with our opener on Friday and South Dakota State and Northern Illinois. I about a 12-day span we have three games against good opponents. I know the guys are looking forward to getting the season started. We have something we need to iron out before that game.”
Idaho opens the season at home on Nov. 14 against Eastern Oregon. The Vandals continue at home against South Dakota State (Nov. 17) before playing its first road contest at Northern Illinois (Nov.20). The team wraps up November with its annual game in Boise against Boise State (Nov. 25) before returning to Memorial Gym against Northern Kentucky (Nov. 29).
