MOSCOW, Idaho – It was another all-out battle in the Cowan Spectrum on Thursday night, and yet again the Vandals came out on top, this time defeating Montana State 88-78.
 
THE GAME
 
The first half went back-and-forth, with nine lead changes and five ties.  Brayon Blake got going early and often, scoring 11 points and grabbing seven rebounds in the first half, but Idaho trailed 40-38 at the break.
 
Montana State took control in the opening minutes of the second half, building a nine-point lead less than three minutes in.  The squads traded buckets over the next couple of possessions, then the Vandals got going.
 
Down 56-48 with 14:38 to play, Arkadiy Mkrtychyan stepped up with five straight points for the Vandals.  Mkrtychyan showed off his strength on the block, drawing a pair of fouls, with one leading to a three-point play.  Jordan Scott and MSU's Zach Green traded buckets on the ensuing possessions, before a 3-pointer from Perrion Callandret leveled the score at 58.
 
The Vandals kept the pressure up from there, with Blake knocking down a pair of 3's.  Mkrtychyan capped off the run at 20-4 with another bucket inside, putting Idaho up 68-60 with under 10 minutes to play.
 
Montana State was able to pull back ahead at 72-71, then Victor Sanders came alive. He scored eight straight for the Vandals, helping Idaho turn a one-point deficit into a four-point advantage over a 90-second stretch.
 
Idaho locked in from there, forcing the Bobcats into tough shots.  The Vandal offense stayed in tune as well, capped off by a ferocious dunk from Sanders with just over a minute to play, as Idaho took the 88-78 win.
 
Blake led the way for Idaho with 24 points.  Sanders added 21, while Scott finished with 10.
 
THE NAME
 
Jordan Scott.  Scott did everything on Thursday night.  He finished with 10 points, connecting on 5-of-6 field goals.  Scott also grabbed six boards, including four offensive rebounds.  Scott was also tremendous on the defensive end, keeping Tyler Hall, one of the top scorers in the conference, to just 16 points on 37.5 percent shooting.
 
THE NOTES
 
Idaho moves to 10-3 in Big Sky play, Montana State falls to 6-8.
 
Blake notched his eighth double-double of the season, with 24 points and 14 rebounds.  The Vandals are 7-1 in those games.  Blake's 14 rebounds ties a career-high, which he set at Nicholls State earlier this year.
 
Idaho reached 10 conference wins on February 15, the fastest Idaho has done that since the 1989-90 season when the Vandals reached 10 wins on February 10 against Montana.  1990 is also the last year that Idaho made the NCAA Tournament.
 
THE QUOTES
 
 
 
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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.