LOS ANGELES, Calif. – A great start wasn't enough to overcome a tremendous night shooting by the Trojans, as Idaho (5-5) fell at USC (7-2), 74-55, on Monday night. Victor Sanders led the way for the Vandals yet again, finishing with 17 points.
“I thought we played some really good basketball in the first half. We played at the exact speed we wanted and we executed,” said head coach Don Verlin. “We rebounded the ball extremely well, against a Pac-12 team that has been outrebounding its opponents by five per game this year, so I'm really proud of our guys. Turnovers have been a killer for us all year long, and that caught up to us. And then we never really got the game back in the tempo we needed.”
The Vandals kept it close for the majority of the game, leading for most of the first half, but the Trojans were on fire from deep in the second half and pulled away late. USC shot nearly 43 percent from beyond the arc, connecting on 12-of-28 attempts.
For the second game in a row, the Vandals had difficulty getting to the charity stripe. Idaho attempted just seven free throws on the night, making four. The Vandals did win the battle of the boards, 39-27.
The first half was a game of runs, with the Vandals holding the advantage for the majority of the period. After USC leveled the score with nearly three minutes to play, both offenses shut down and the teams went to the locker room tied at 30.
USC came out hot in the second half, knocking down a pair of 3's to take the early lead. The teams traded buckets until midway through the half, when then Trojans started getting hot.
Nahshon George had a solid night, going 5-of-7 from the field for 11 points. Ty Egbert and Chris Sarbaugh tied for the team lead with six boards each.
Next up for the Vandals is the Battle of the Palouse on Thursday night at 6:05 p.m. in Cowan Spectrum. Check back with GoVandals.com on Wednesday 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
