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FULL GAME NOTES

MOSCOW, Idaho – The Idaho Vandals are set to play Idaho State University in a pair of games in Pocatello this week. The first game on Thursday is scheduled to tipoff at 6 p.m. pacific time, while the second game will begin at 11 a.m. pacific time on Saturday.

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. Both games can be streamed on PlutoTV.

SCOUTING THE BENGALS (9-7, 5-3 BSC): ISU currently sits in fifth place in the Big Sky Conference. Most recently in conference play, the Bengals split with Portland State. The team has had 10 games canceled this year, including series with Weber State and Southern Utah.

As a team, Idaho State scores 69.4 ppg while allowing a conference low 61.8 ppg. Tarik Cool leads the Bengals in scoring, tallying 14.3 ppg. Robert Ford III leads the squad in rebounding, pulling down 7.4 boards per game, and also averages 11.7 ppg.

Most recently, ISU defeated NAIA foe Northwest University, 89-48. Four Bengals scored in double figures led by Austin Smellie with 20. Ford III had six points and 10 rebounds.

SCOUTING THE VANDALS (0-15, 0-12 BSC): The Vandals average 62.6 ppg, allowing 79.0 ppg. Scott Blakney leads Idaho with 11.5 ppg, while Damen Thacker (10.5 ppg) and Gabe Quinnett (10.3 ppg) also average in double figures. Tanner Christensen pulls down 4.5 rpg to lead the team.

LAST TIME OUT: The Vandals fell to Eastern Washington in a home-and-home series. Gabe Quinnett scored 18 points to lead the Vandals and tie his career-high on Thursday in Moscow. In Cheney, Ja'vary Christmas led Idaho with 13 points on Saturday.

SERIES HISTORY: Idaho leads the all-time series with Idaho State, 65-48. The teams split their two games last year, with the Vandals winning, 80-76, on Senior Day.

STEADY SENIOR
Senior Scott Blakney is leading the team in scoring, averaging 11.5 points per game. That is 23rd in the league. He scored a career-high 23 points against NAU (Jan. 2) and then tied that total against UNCO (Jan. 16). He has scored in double figures in eight of this year's 15 games.

Overall, the senior is shooting 61.9 percent from the floor. In conference only games, Blakney shoots a BSC best 62.2 percent.

FREE THROW FUN
Damen Thacker is 36-for-39 (92.3 percent) from the charity stripe this season. The senior snapped a streak of 32 straight makes on Saturday. In conference only games, Thacker is shooting 94.7 percent from the line, which is the best in the Big Sky.

Hunter Madden (15-for-15) and DeAndre Robinson (7-for-7) are perfect from the stripe when they get there.

ALWAYS THERE
Gabe Quinnett leads the Vandals, and is 10th in the league, in minutes played with 32.1 minutes per game.

The sophomore is third on the team scoring 10.3 points per game. He has scored in double figures in his last four games. His 1.9 three-point field goals per game are eighth most in the Big Sky.

CHRISTMAS GIFTS
Ja'Vary Christmas had a career-high six assists against SUU (Jan. 7) and then dished out six again against EWU (Feb. 4). The senior is currently averaging 2.8 assists per game, good for 12th in the conference. He has tallied at least four assists in seven different games.

Damen Thacker also recorded six assists against NAU (Jan. 2). The total was a new career high.

As a team, the Vandals average 13.3 assists per game, which is the fifth best mark in the Big Sky.

YOUNG GUN
Tanner Christensen earned his first career start against WSU (Jan. 30). The freshman leads the Vandals in rebounding, pulling down 4.5 boards per game. He has a team-high 22 offensive rebounds on the year. He has scored at least seven points in six of the last seven games. Christensen is tied with Babacar Thiombane for the team lead in blocks, swatting 11 shots. Their 0.7 blocks per game puts them tied for 13th most in the league.

I'LL TAKE THAT
Damen Thacker recorded a career high four steals against Weber State (Jan. 30). On the season, the senior is averaging 1.1 steals per game which is 11th most in the Big Sky.

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.