MOSCOW, Idaho – An explosion of 3's in the first half led Idaho (4-10, 1-2 BSC) to its first Big Sky win of the year, taking down Eastern Washington (3-11, 1-2 BSC), 74-71, on Thursday night.
 
THE GAME
 
Things got out to a slow start for the Vandals.  The Eagles got up, 10-4, early, and, after a quick flurry from the Vandals, were able to get back on top at 19-18 with 11:02 to play in the half.
 
Idaho went off over the next seven minutes.  The Vandals would outscore the Eagles 17-0 over the stretch, going 4-of-4 from beyond the arc.  More impressive still, four different Vandals made those 3-pointers, while six different Vandals contributed on the scoreboard during the run.  Idaho continued to play to close out the half, taking a 43-23 advantage into the locker room.
 
EWU came out focused in the second half and chipped away at the lead throughout.  With the offense struggling to find the same rhythm of the first half, the defense needed to step up.  Xavier Smith brought some energy off the bench, picking up a pair of steals and finishing at a game-high plus-11 on the night.  He also added four assists to help pick up the offense.
 
In the end, the Vandals were able to hold on with some clutch free throws, 74-71.  Trevon Allen led the way with 25 points to go along with three rebounds and three assists.  Cameron Tyson added 10 points, while Jared Rodriguez had six points and a game-high seven rebounds.
 
The Vandals shot 52.6 percent (10-of-19) from beyond the arc, including 9-of-12 (75%) in the first half.  The Vandals won the rebound battle, 35-29.
 
THE NAME
 
Chance Garvin.  Garvin scored a career-high 11 points, all in the first half.  He went 4-of-4 from the field and 3-of-3 from deep in the opening frame, scoring eight straight for the Vandals before the rest of the offense got going.
 
THE NOTES
 
Idaho moves to 4-10 on the year, including 1-2 in Big Sky play.
 
Cameron Tyson converted two more 3-pointers, giving him 48 on the year, the most ever by a freshman at Idaho.  He also has 201 points on the season, becoming the 10^th Vandal ever to score 200-plus points as a freshman.
 
Allen finished with 25 points, scoring 20-plus in back-to-back games for the first time in his career.
 
THE QUOTES
 

 
The Vandals hit the road for the first time in Big Sky play, taking on Northern Colorado on Saturday at 3 p.m. (Pacific).
 
Fans can stay up-to-date on all things Idaho men's basketball by following the team on twitter, @VandalHoops.  Ticket packages are on sale at GoVandals.com/Tickets.

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.