SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The Idaho men's basketball team opened the season with a 77-55 loss to Sacramento State on Thursday evening.

THE GAME
Scott Blakney started the game with an old fashioned three-point play, scoring in the paint while getting fouled. After the senior made his free throw, Bryce Fowler hit a three-pointer for the Hornets to tie up the game. The two teams went back-and-forth, and with just under nine minutes remaining in the half, Gabe Quinnett made a pair of free throws to make the score 22-19 in favor of Sac State. From that point, the Hornets slowly extended their lead, holding a 33-23 lead with six minutes left in the first. DeAndre Robinson scored five quick points, and Idaho would use that to spur a 13-2 run and take a 36-35 lead into the break.
 
The second half started in much the same way as the first, with Blakney scoring down low and drawing a foul. Quinnett followed that up with a bucket, giving the Vandals a five-point lead. However, the Hornets used an 11-2 run to go ahead by four, and they would not look back. Sacramento State outscored Idaho, 42-19, in the second period, earning the 77-55 Big Sky Conference victory.
 
THE NOTES
Hunter-Jack Madden, Tanner Christensen, and DeAndre Robinson all scored their first points in a Vandal uniform. Madden finished with four points and three assists, Christensen had two points and four boards, while Robinson had nine points, five rebounds, and three assists.
 
Gabe Quinnett led the way for the Vandals, tying his career-high with 14 points.
 
Scott Blakney tallied 12 points and also had a block, four offensive rebounds, and an assist.
 
This was the latest start to a season for the Vandals since 1962 when Idaho played Long Beach State on December 3 to open the season.
 
The Vandals snapped a two-year streak of winning the season opener. Idaho is now 2-3 in the first game of the season the last five years.
 
The Vandals were outrebounded, 38-24.
 
The Hornets scored 26 points off Vandal turnovers, while Idaho scored seven from 12 Sac State turnovers.
 
Idaho shot 42.0 percent (21-for-50) from the floor, while Sacramento State was 29-for-57 (50.9 percent).
 
THE NAME
Gabe Quinnett. Quinnett led the Vandals with 14 points. That tied his career high. He made two three-pointers and was two-for-two from the free throw line. The sophomore also dished out four assists in the game.

THE QUOTES – Zac Claus
"You have to give a whole lot of credit to Sacramento State. They did a really nice job after we made an initial push there at the start of the second half. Their physicality at both ends was a positive for them... We'll get ourselves regrouped and be ready to go Saturday morning."
 
"All three [of the newcomers] were able to come in in their first Division I game and made contributions. We're going to need that from all three of them… Each one of them provides some scoring punch to their spots. It was good to get this first one in their system and they now know the speed of the game."
 
"[The lack of fans] puts a premium on bringing your own energy… Whether you're up 10 or down 10 you have to make sure to rally your guys and have each other's backs and try to keep that positive energy… Our guys are used to playing under all circumstances so they'll bounce right back and be ready to go."
 
UP NEXT
The Vandals will have a day off before having a rematch with the Hornets. The two teams will meet again on Saturday morning at 10:35 a.m. in Sacramento.    
 
Fans can stay up-to-date on all things Idaho men's basketball by following the team on twitter and Instagram, @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.