PULLMAN, Wash. – A cold shooting night did the Vandals in on Wednesday, as Idaho (4-4) fell to Washington State (5-4), 61-48, at Beasley Coliseum.
 
"We missed a bunch of shots," said head coach Don Verlin.  "Got to give credit to Washington State and its defense, the size really affected us around the basket and we didn't score our ball the way we needed to tonight."
 
WSU got out to a hot start and took a 36-25 advantage into the break.  The Vandals came out hot to start the second half, with Victor Sanders scoring Idaho's first eight points, but it wasn't enough, as Washington State kept pace for the entire second frame.
 
Sanders led the Vandals with 18 points on the night, going 7-of-15 from the field.  Idaho was great on the glass, outrebounding the Cougars 42-40, 20-7 on the offensive glass.
 
The Vandal defense played well, holding the Cougars to 39.1 percent shooting from the field and 31.6 percent from beyond the arc.  Idaho struggled shooting the ball, going 17-of-66 (25.8%) from the floor and 4-of-26 (15.4%) from range.  Idaho had difficulty on the line for the second straight game, finishing 10-of-18 from the charity stripe.
 
The game began with a special flare likely not seen before.  WSU head coach Ernie Kent spent the first play on the Idaho bench in conjunction with Coaches vs. Cancer.  Kent won the opportunity at the Spokane Coaches vs. Cancer auction earlier this year, bidding on the chance to coach with his local rival.
 
Next up for the Vandals is a rematch with South Dakota State on the road.  Check back with GoVandals.com on Friday 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.