CEDAR CITY, Utah – The Idaho men's basketball team fell to Southern Utah, 87-55, on Saturday evening. The Vandals (7-22, 3-15 BSC) shot just 28 percent in the first half as the Thunderbirds (15-14, 8-10 BSC) earned the home victory.

THE GAME
SUU jumped out to a 7-0 lead and never looked back. With just under eight minutes until halftime, the Vandals trailed the Thunderbirds, 20-13. The home team finished the period with a 23-2 run to take a 43-15 lead into the break.
 
Damen Thacker nailed a three-pointer to start the scoring in the second half. However, the Vandals were unable to chip away at the deficit, with the T-birds responding to every small run Idaho was able to make. SUU ultimately won, 87-55, snapping a five-game losing streak.
 
Trevon Allen and Scott Blakney each scored 17 points to lead the Vandals. Babacar Thiombane had six rebounds to lead the squad, and also added five points, two assists, and two blocks.
 
THE NOTES
Trevon Allen led the team in scoring for the 22nd time this season. The senior now has 1295 career points.
 
After getting outscored, 43-15, in the first twenty minutes, Idaho made the second half much closer, with SUU winning the period, 44-40.
 
The Vandals were edged in points in the paint, 34-32.
 
Idaho shot 40.7 percent (22-for-54) from the field, while SUU shot 54.1 percent (33-for-61).
 
The Thunderbirds forced 18 Vandal turnovers, scoring 22 points from them. Idaho forced 11 turnovers, turning them into eight points.
 
THE NAME
Scott Blakney. Blakney was tied for the career-high with 17 points. He was a perfect 7-for-7 from the field. He also pulled down four rebounds in 22 minutes of play.

THE QUOTES – Zac Claus
"[Southern Utah] was obviously really hungry for a win tonight. They played really well …. We simply didn't do a very good job getting out to their shooters."
 
"I loved what [Scott] did in the second half. He was aggressive as I've seen him offensively in a month. That's a kid that's battled …. He's got it in him to score… and he took advantage tonight."
 
"It'll be terrific to go home and get ourselves back in a rhythm."
 
UP NEXT
The Vandals return home for the final two games of the regular season. Idaho hosts Weber State on Thursday, March 5, with tipoff set for 6:30 p.m.