MOSCOW, Idaho – The offense got going, but it just wasn't enough on the road against a strong, Pac-12 opponent as Idaho (5-6) fell at Stanford (8-4), 86-80, on Thursday night.
 
"I wish we could've finished the job tonight," said head coach Don Verlin.  "I thought our guys gave a heck of an effort tonight.  For 30 minutes we were as good as we've been, which is a real positive for us.  I thought that late in the game they were able to attack that zone a little bit more efficiently.
 
"Talking about the good things, I thought our guys played extremely hard.  They executed the gameplan extremely well and you know, if you get a couple open looks to go down and it's a different story here tonight."
 
Idaho took a six-point lead into the break, and came out hot to start the second to build the lead to nine.  But Stanford responded well, leveling the score and taking a lead of its own midway through the half.
 
The Vandals would stay strong, despite trailing by as many as nine inside the final five minutes, to cut the deficit to just one, but the Cardinal made their free throws to ice the game at the line.
 
Tyler Brimhall had a tremendous night, setting a new career-high with 13 points on 4-of-7 shooting (3-of-5 from range).  Victor Sanders led the way for Idaho with 17 points, hitting five 3's, while Brayon Blake added 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting.
 
As a team, Idaho shot 48.2 percent from the floor (27-of-56) and 48.1 percent from deep (13-of-27).  Idaho's 13 3-pointers are the second most in a game this season and just one shy of the most ever by a Verlin-coached team.
 
The Vandals came out hot to start the game, connecting on their first six 3-point attempts.  Sanders was especially sharp early, draining four 3's in the opening 10 minutes as Idaho built a quick lead and held on for the majority of the frame.
 
Big Sky play is right around the corner, with a tilt against local rival Eastern Washington on Friday, December 30 in the Cowan Spectrum.  Check back with GoVandals.com as the game gets closer for more information.
 
Verlin also took some time to acknowledge his fellow Vandals after a hard fought win in Boise.
 
"I do want to give a shoutout to Paul Petrino and the football guys for one heck of a season and one heck of a win today," said Verlin.  "That just shows you what Vandal spirit is all about."
 
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.