MOSCOW – The Idaho men's basketball team will return to the Golden State for the third time this season to face California State-Bakersfield on Saturday night. The matchup will get underway at 7 p.m.
FOLLOW: The game can be streamed live on ESPN+ while fans can also listen over the airwaves with the Voice of the Vandals, Chris King, at GoVandals.com/Listen.
LAST TIME OUT: The Vandals (2-7, 0-1) pulled off a win over South Dakota State in dominant fashion Wednesday night, beating the Jackrabbits 98-84 to record the largest point total by an Idaho team against a Division 1 opponent since 2008 (UC Irvine, 101). Coming into the matchup, the Vandals were ranked 355 while SDSU was rated 69 in the NCAA Men's Basketball Net Rankings. Idaho led for over 32 minutes of action and shot 54.9 percent to help snap South Dakota State's three-game winning streak.
Senior
Mikey Dixon continued his hot shooting after dropping 27 points last Saturday against Southern Utah, as the guard delivered a career-high 35 points, eight assists, and five rebounds. Junior
Rashad Smith and
Tanner Christensen both supplied career bests as well with Smith scoring 16 and Christensen having 14 on the night.
Trevante Anderson continued to be an all-around performer for Idaho, recording 15 points, seven boards, and eight assists.
SCOUTING THE ROADRUNNERS: Cal State Bakersfield is 3-2 overall and 2-0 at home. The Roadrunners have earned wins over Life Pacific (85-60), Colorado College (99-54), and Boise State (46-39).
In their win at Boise State, CSUB held the Broncos to 22.4 percent shooting from the field and 39 total points – the lowest scoring total for BSU in the last decade. Kaleb Higgins led the offense with 11 points on 5-of-12 shooting.
Cal State Bakersfield is scoring 70.4 while allowing 64.4. The Roadrunners have been particularly good not turning the ball over, as the team ranks second in the nation for fewest turnovers (64). Shaun Williams leads the team in points per game with 10.2 while Kaleb Higgins and Justin Edler-Davis pitch in 9.4 per contest.
SERIES HISTORY: Idaho is 5-6 overall and 1-5 on the road against CSUB. The two programs last met in Bakersfield last season, where the Roadrunners earned a 76-66 victory.
MONEY MIKE
- Grand Canyon transfer Mikey Dixon has been one of Idaho's most consistent performers on the offensive end, scoring in double figures eight out of nine games this season.
- His 35 points against SDSU was a new season-high in terms of single-game scoring in the Big Sky Conference.
- The New Castle, Del. native is leading the team in points per game (16.7), three-point percentage (.515), and free throw percentage (.850). In the conference, Dixon ranks fourth in total points (150), fifth in ppg, and tied for 11th in FT percentage.
- Dixon's 16/16 performance from the line against South Dakota State ties him for 5th most FT's made without a miss in a single game in conference history. The perfect mark also places him tied for the most free throws made in a single game in school history - Ed Haskings made 16 at Oregon State back in February of 1964.
- His perfect shooting from the line placed him atop the list in Idaho history for free throw percentage in a single game, passing Kashif Watson who went 15-15 against Cal State Northridge back in 2009.
GETTING TO THE LINE
- After an incredible 29-of-34 (85.3%) shooting from the foul line against South Dakota State, the Vandals now rank 13th in the nation in FT makes (159) and 12th in FT attempts (219).
- Trevante Anderson and Mikey Dixon lead the pack when it comes to scoring from the line, as the two sit second in the conference and 15th nationally in free throws made (60).
PROTECTING THE PAINT
- Junior big man Philip Pepple Jr. has been a bright spot for the Vandal defense, leading the team with 15 blocked shots – best in the Big Sky.
- The Shoreline, Wash. native has three or more blocks in three games so far while most recently posting three rejections against South Dakota State. The performance boosted his average to 1.7 blocks per game.
FLOOR GENERAL
- Trevante Anderson has been an all-around performer for the Vandals since the start of the season, recording seven double-figure performances in nine games, four games with 5 or more rebounds, and four games with 6 or more assists.
- Anderson leads the team in rebounds (5.2) and assists (4). His assist total has him rated four-best in the conference.
- Anderson, a transfer from San Francisco, has increased his scoring average by 13.3 points from last season (1.3 ppg).
- The junior guard added his third 20-plus point game against NDSU, tallying a team-high 21 points. He also led the team with nine rebounds and six assists. It was the most rebounds recorded by Anderson in his career.
- Anderson opened the season with back-to-back 20+ point outings, scoring a career-high 26 against Long Beach State and 22 in a win over George Fox.
CAREER HIGHS
- Mikey Dixon eclipsed his previous career-high of 29 points set as a freshman at Quinnipiac (2017) by dropping 35 points in a win over South Dakota State. He also posted a new career-high in assists with eight in the game.
- Junior Rashad Smith shot 7-of-10 from the field and 2 for 5 from three to record a new personal best 16 points against SDSU.
- Tanner Christensen is making the most of his time on the floor, as the freshman big man scored a career-best 14 points in just 18 minutes of action versus SDSU.
- Trevante Anderson set new career marks in the opening game of the 2021-22 season versus Long Beach State, scoring 26 points and dishing out eight assists. The junior guard also pulled down a career-best nine rebounds against North Dakota State.
- In a matchup against Cal Poly, Philip Pepple Jr. recorded a personal best four blocks.
