DENTON, Texas – A slow start was too much to overcome, as Idaho (4-2) fell to Samford (5-1), 75-58, in the final game of the Mean Green Challenge on Wednesday. The Bulldogs took over midway through the first half and controlled the pace for the remainder of the game.
“I thought that Samford was able to attack the basket,” said head coach Don Verlin. “We had a tough time with their guards. I thought they did a great job of playing to their strengths, and I don't think we played to ours. We threw it inside a lot, but didn't finish around the rim. We have good players, but at some point you have to step up and make some plays. We had a lot of unforced turnovers, but that's just from a lack of mental focus. These guys are disappointed, but we'll treat it as a learning experience and get better.”
The Vandals took a 12-10 lead after a 3-pointer by Chad Sherwood early in the first half, but the Bulldogs took over from there, going on a 21-4 run. Samford kept the pressure on Idaho throughout, not allowing the Vandals to get the deficit into single digits.
The second half was much of the same for the Vandals, as any comeback attempt was thwarted by the Bulldogs. The teams traded buckets for much of the half, but Idaho could not cut the deficit to fewer than 13 points.
The bright spot on the day was Perrion Callandret, who tied his career-high with 18 points. Callendret shot 7-of-11 from the floor and 4-of-7 from beyond the arc.
Arkadiy Mkrtychyan also finished in double-figures, scoring a season-high 12. Skyler White led the Vandals with eight rebounds.
Idaho struggled shooting, as the team finished 18-of-49 (36.7%) from the field and 6-of-16 (37.5%) from beyond the arc. The charity stripe was not kind to the Vandals, as Idaho connected on 55.2 percent (16-of-29) of its free throws.
The Vandals won the battle of the boards, 38-33, but committed 20 turnovers for the second straight game.
Idaho returns home to take on Northern Illinois on Saturday at 7 p.m. The Vandal football team will be celebrating senior day against Texas State, beginning at 2 p.m., all football tickets will also be honored at the basketball game.
Fans can stay up-to-date on all things Idaho men's basketball by following the team on twitter, @VandalHoops.
For more information on Idaho Athletics, visit GoVandals.com. Fans can also find Idaho on Twitter and Instagram, @Idaho_Vandals, or on Facebook by searching Idaho Vandals.
