MOSCOW, Idaho – A strong rally came just a few minutes too late on Monday night, with the Idaho men falling to Southern Utah, 75-64, in the Cowan Spectrum.
 
THE GAME
 
The Vandals kept things close in the early going, matching shots with the Thunderbirds.  Southern Utah found a spark midway through the frame with a quick 9-2 run, and kept up the momentum to take the 44-32 advantage into the locker room.
 
Idaho came out on fire in the second half, cutting the deficit to seven, at 48-41 on a jumper from RayQuawndis Mitchell.  The freshman was clutch in the opening minutes of the half, scoring six points in the first two minutes.
 
Once again the Thunderbirds went on a run.  Southern Utah scored the next seven points, and went on a 13-2 run overall, to rebuild its lead.
 
The young Vandals didn't give up and, sparked by a streak of 3-pointers from Cameron Tyson, were able to cut the deficit to eight points with under three minutes to play.  Southern Utah stayed composed down the final minutes, however, and was able to hold off the surging Vandals.
 
THE NAME
 
Cameron Tyson.  Tyson finished with a team-high 20 points.  He connected on 6-of-12 from beyond the arc, making six 3's for the third time this season.
 
THE NOTES
 
Idaho falls to 4-17 and 1-9 in Big Sky play.  It is the first time since 2012-13 that Idaho has lost back-to-back home games in February.
 
Tyson tied his own record for 3-pointers by a true freshman, something he has now done three times.  He now has 68 3's on the season, six away from moving into the top-10 for a single season in team history.
 
Cassius Smits-Francisco has been playing well on the offensive end of late.  He finished with seven points for the third time in the last four games, up from his previous average of 2.5 points per game.  Over the stretch Smits-Francisco is shooting a combined 10-of-12 (83.3%) from the floor.
 
Idaho shot 44.4 percent (26-of-56) from the floor and 52.6 percent (10-of-19) from 3-point range.  It is the fifth time this year that Idaho shot at least 50 percent from deep.
 
THE QUOTES – Don Verlin
 
 
 
The Vandals hit the road to take on Montana and Montana State this weekend.  Check back with GoVandals.com tomorrow for more information on the matchups.
 
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.