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MOSCOW, Idaho – The Idaho Vandals hit the road again to play a pair of conference games at Southern Utah this week. The two teams will meet on Thursday at 6 p.m. pacific time, before playing again on Saturday morning at 11 a.m. pacific time.
FOLLOW: Fans can follow the Vandals all season long on Twitter and Instagram, @VandalHoops, and with the Voice of the Vandals, Chris King, at GoVandals.com/Listen. The game can be streamed on PlutoTV.
SCOUTING THE THUNDERBIRDS (7-1, 2-0 BSC): SUU was 5-1 in nonconference play, with its one loss coming on a buzzer-beater by Loyola Marymount in the opening game of the season. The team defeated Montana twice in early December to open Big Sky play.
As a team, SUU is scoring a league-leading 84.6 ppg while allowing 67.4 ppg. Four Thunderbirds average double figure scoring, led by Tevian Jones, who averages 18.1 ppg. Maizen Fausett (13.9 ppg) leads the squad in rebounding, pulling down 6.8 boards per game.
Southern Utah has not played since December 21 due to the holidays and Covid-19 precautions. In their last game, SUU defeated Bethesda, 96-57.
SCOUTING THE VANDALS (0-7, 0-4 BSC): The Vandals average 60.0 ppg, allowing 75.3 ppg.
Scott Blakney leads Idaho with 12.7 ppg, while
Gabe Quinnett (10.7 ppg) also averages in double figures.
Tanner Christensen pulls down 4.4 rpg to lead the team.
LAST TIME OUT: The Vandals fell in an overtime heartbreaker to Northern Arizona, 83-78. Blakney scored a career-high 23 points to lead the Vandals, while Quinnett also recorded a career-high, scoring 18 points.
Damen Thacker chipped in 17 points, five rebounds, and six assists.
SERIES HISTORY: SUU leads the all-time series between the teams, 15-11. The two programs last met in the first round of last year's BSC Tournament, with the Thunderbirds winning, 75-69.
STEADY SENIOR
Senior
Scott Blakney is leading the team in scoring, averaging 12.7 points per game. He scored a career-high 23 points against NAU (Jan. 2). He scored 12 points in each of the first three games of the season.
Blakney has scored in double figures in five of the seven games this year. Overall, the senior is shooting 61.0 percent from the floor, which leads the Big Sky Conference and is 31st in the nation.
GET TO WORK
Transfer
DeAndre Robinson has immediately made a difference as a Vandal. He is second on the squad in rebounding (4.1 rpg) while scoring 8.1 ppg, which is third on the team.
The junior is shooting 44.7 percent from the field and 43.5 percent from beyond the arc. He is also a perfect 5-for-5 from the free throw line.
PERFECT FROM THE STRIPE
Hunter-Jack Madden is a perfect 13-for-13 from the free throw line this season. The freshman was seven-for-seven in the Dec. 5 game against Sacramento State.
ALWAYS THERE
Gabe Quinnett leads the Vandals and is fifth in the league in minutes played with 31.9 minutes per game.
NEW HIGHS
Scott Blakney and
Gabe Quinnett both set new career-highs for points in the overtime loss to NAU (Jan. 2). Blakney scored 23 points to lead the team. He also tallied a team-high five rebounds. Quinnett scored 18 points, going 6-for-10 from the field and 4-for-6 from beyond the arc.
DISH IT
Damen Thacker recorded six assists against NAU (Jan. 2). The total was a new career-high.
SIGNED
Two players have signed to join the Vandals next season.
RJ Walker is from Decatur, Ill. He is a guard who averaged 17 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 3.5 spg, and 3.2 apg his junior season.
Yusef Salih, from Richmond, Va., averaged 14.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 4.1 apg, and 2.3 steals per game in 2019-20. He was named First Team All-Conference.
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.
