MOSCOW, Idaho – The 2016-17 season is right around the corner for Idaho men's basketball, with the squad getting the exhibition portion of the year underway on Tuesday night with an 80-62 win over Carroll College in Memorial Gym.
"I thought we did a lot of really good things, especially in the first half," said head coach
Don Verlin. "I thought our ball moved really well, we got a lot of wide open shots, we knocked down quite a few of them there in the first half. We saw a lot of things, we were able to play a lot of guys. Every season is new, and when you have a new season it's a new team. And I thought we did some really good things, but we saw some things we need to work on."
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The Vandals got solid contributions from across the board, led by
Victor Sanders' 17 points. The preseason  All-Big Sky selection went 6-of-8 from the floor and 2-of-4 from beyond the arc in just 16 minutes of action.Â
Tyler Brimhall had an outstanding evening, connecting on 4-of-5 from range and finishing with 14 points.Â
Brayon Blake also finished in double-figures, ending with 10 points to go with a team-high seven boards.
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Idaho was on fire in the first half, shooting 64 percent from the floor and 60 percent from deep. The Vandals would cool off a bit in the second half, finishing at 48.4 percent (30-of-62) from the floor and 38.1 percent (8-of-21) from beyond the arc.
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The paint was kind to Idaho, as the Vandals outscored Carroll 36-18 in the middle. Idaho's bench was also tremendous, outscoring the Carroll bench 42-19.
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Next up is a clash with Lewis-Clark State on Friday, November 4, at 7 p.m. in Memorial Gym. Check back with GoVandals.com as the game gets closer for more information. And stay in touch with GoVandals.com for the next edition of the #VandalHoopsHotseat.
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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.
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