MISSOULA, Mont. – An incredible performance on the defensive end propelled Idaho (12-7, 4-2 BSC) over defending regular season champions Montana (11-7, 6-1 BSC), 63-58, on Thursday night.
“My guys showed their character tonight,” head coach Don Verlin said. “We battled. We fought. We fought tonight. We executed the game plan. It was nice to see us play like that.”
Idaho held Montana without a field goal for the first seven minutes of the second half. During that stretch, the Vandals turned a two-point deficit into a 12-point lead, with four different guys getting buckets.
“I thought our starters did a wonderful job during that stretch. That's what we have to do. We're not the most talented offensive team in the conference, by a long shot. But when we sit down and guard one-to-five we can be good.”
Idaho seemed to be in control from there, but after an extremely long replay delay with just over seven minutes to play crushed all the momentum in the building, Montana made its run. The Griz would cut the lead to as little as two points in the final minute, but the Vandals were poised at the charity stripe and took the win, their first in Missoula since December 11, 1999.
Victor Sanders had another excellent game, finishing with 27 points on 6-of-10 shooting. As a team, Idaho shot 18-of-41 (43.9%) from the field and 5-of-13 (38.5%) from deep. Montana struggled from deep, going 9-of-30 (30.0%).
Yet again, the Vandals won the battle of the boards, outrebounding Montana 39-27. Chris Sarbaugh led the Vandals with eight rebounds, while Ty Egbert and Jordan Scott each chipped in with five. Egbert also proved to be a force in the paint, as he swatted away three shots on the night.
Neither team got out to much of a start, with Montana taking a 24-22 lead into the half.
Next up, the Vandals head out to Montana State Saturday, with tipoff set for 1 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
