BROOKINGS, S.D. – The Vandals had a shot to tie in the closing seconds but the late 3-pointer went begging as Idaho (4-5) fell in the rematch with South Dakota State (5-7), 80-77, on Saturday night.
 
"We made too many errors on defense," said head coach Don Verlin.  "I talked in the pregame, we have to rely on our defense tonight.  When you look at the stats at the end of the night, they shoot 48 percent and 36 percent and we fouled them way too much.  They took 26 free throws tonight and made 25 of them.  That's the difference in the basketball game tonight."
 
The Vandals trailed by as many as 15 points in the second half but used a late rally to keep the pressure on the Jackrabbits.  Idaho would cut the deficit to just one point with 20 seconds to play, after three free throws by Trevon Allen, but the Jackrabbits were able to break the press for an open dunk with just nine seconds to play.  Victor Sanders had a shot at to tie with the four seconds left, but his shot caught iron.
 
The Vandals closed the game on a 14-6 run and allowed just two field goals in the final five minutes of regulation.  The Jackrabbits escape with their 33^rd consecutive home win, the second longest active streak in the country.
 
Idaho shot much better on Saturday night, finishing at 45.8 percent (27-of-59) from the field and 37.1 percent (13-of-35) from beyond the arc.  Sanders yet again led the team with 17 points and added a career-high nine assists.  Nate Sherwood and Trevon Allen both finished in double-figures, with 13 and 11 points, respectively.
 
The bench stepped up in a major way during the comeback effort.  Nick Blair, Tyler Brimhall and Jake Straughan each hit two 3-pointers.
 
"I was proud of my guys that kept fighting, and kept battling," Verlin said.  "Quite honestly, Tyler Brimhall and Jake Straughan came in and made some shots and got us going.  Those guys came in, made some shots, and it was contagious.  Trevon made one, J.O. made one.  We knew it was going to be a game that they were going to force us to make some shots and I got the right guys in there and they did a great job.
 
"I couldn't be happier for those two guys.  They haven't played a lot of minutes, and that's a tough situation when you haven't played in the first half, to come in the second half and make some shots.  I thought Jake and Tyler both did an excellent job of shooting the basketball tonight.  It gave us some energy.  I thought they did a good job."
 
The Vandals will take the week off before returning to the court on Saturday to face Northwest Nazarene.  Tipoff from Memorial Gym is scheduled for 5 p.m. and will be a part of a double-header with the women's basketball team, beginning at 3.
 
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.