MOSCOW, Idaho – Despite a career-high 24 points from Victor Sanders, Idaho (5-3) fell to Little Rock (7-0), 64-54, on Saturday night in Cowan Spectrum. The Vandals stayed with the Trojans throughout, but Little Rock, who entered the game No. 9 in the most recent RPI, pulled away late to earn the win.
"I thought we played hard tonight," said head coach Don Verlin. "They're a good basketball team that plays ball-control and I thought we broke down a number of times late in the shot clock. I really believe that was a winnable game for this basketball team if we could have buckled down a little bit and gotten the stops we needed to there. The bottom line is we need to get some production out of our inside players."
Sanders shot 8-of-14 from the floor and 4-of-6 from beyond the arc, including one 4-point play. He also had three rebounds and two steals.
It was a back-and-forth contest with neither team able to take control until late. There were 10 ties and eight lead changes on the night. Idaho tied the game at 44 midway through the second half on a Chad Sherwood 3-ball, but the Trojans closed the game hitting seven of their final eight field goals and 5-of-7 from the line to earn the win.
As a team, the Vandals struggled from the field, finishing 19-of-59 (32.2%). The Vandals connected on eight 3-pointers, a season-high. Idaho outrebounded Little Rock, 39-25. The Vandals grabbed 22 offensive rebounds, topping 20 for the first time since December 6, 2012 against Eastern Washington.
The bigs had a rough night as well, going a combined 3-of-17 from the field.
Sanders and Perrion Callandret carried the load in the first half, scoring 25 of Idaho's 29 points, as the Vandals led 29-28 at the break.
A quick turnaround for the Vandals, Idaho next takes on USC on Monday night at 7 p.m. Check back with GoVandals.com tomorrow for more information.
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
