MOSCOW, Idaho – Down but never out, the Vandals mounted a furious second half comeback, but the clock got the better of them as Idaho (5-7, 0-1) fell to Eastern Washington (9-5, 1-0), 69-62, in Cowan Spectrum on Friday night.
 
"I thought Eastern came in here with a chip on their shoulder and I thought they played better than us," said head coach Don Verlin.  "The bottom line is they held us to 30 percent from the field and they shot 50 percent.  They were the more aggressive team for 30 minutes in that basketball game.
 
"It's a tough defeat for us, it's a home conference game.  What we have to do is stay the course, commit to the process, and that's what we're going to do."
 
Victor Sanders went off in the second half.  The junior from Portland scored 27 of his game-high 32 in the second, including Idaho's final 18 points.  He filled up the box score too, dishing out four assists and picking up five steals.
 
The Vandals found themselves down by 22 with just under seven minutes to play after a Jacob Wiley free throw made the score 60-38.  Idaho would then score 13 straight of their own, with Sanders' incredible streak beginning midway through the run.  The Idaho defense picked things up in a major way, forcing a number of EWU turnovers to lead to easy, transition buckets.
 
In the end, Idaho would cut the deficit to five with just under two minutes to play, but a handful of missed opportunities and solid free throw shooting from Eastern Washington sank the comeback attempt.  Brayon Blake grabbed 12 boards on the night and finished second on the squad with six points.
 
The Eagles were efficient, inside and out.  Wiley led the team with 23 points on 9-of-13 shooting, while Felix Von Hofe went 6-of-11 from beyond the arc for 22 points.
 
As a team, Idaho shot 30.5 percent (18-of-59) from the floor and 28.6 percent (4-of-14) from beyond the arc.  Eastern Washington shot 22-of-44 from the floor and 11-of-22 from beyond the arc.  Idaho forced 21 turnovers, picking up 15 steals.  The teams were even on the glass, 35-35.
 
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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.