CHENEY, Wash. – The Vandals second-half surge comes up short as Eastern Washington earns a 96-93 victory on Saturday afternoon at Reese Court. 

"They had too many good looks from three," said head coach Zac Claus. " It is something that is a staple of these guys. It is what these guys pride themselves on is having guys that have the ability to knock down shots. They continue to have that. They did a very nice job of moving the ball, making the extra pass and took advantage. We simply can't give up 14 threes and expect to win a basketball game." 

Five Vandals scored in double figures, including a team-high 25 points from Mikey Dixon on the 6-of-11 shooting. Rashad Smith pitched in 17 points while forward Tanner Christensen added 14 points and eight boards. 

The high-volume offensive display started right from the tip as each team went back and forth. The Eagles held an edge throughout most of the first half with their largest lead of nine points coming just past the 11-minute mark. The Vandals would cut the deficit to three at halftime, trailing EWU, 39-36. 

The Vandals were able to capitalize on 13 turnovers by EWU that resulted in 11 points. 

The second half saw the Idaho offense come alive, scoring 57 points on 9-of-15 from three. Eastern Washington was able to answer by shooting 68 percent on 17-of-25 from the field.

Trailing 85-75 with 3:51 left to play, the Vandals battled back to make it a one-possession game (92-90), but EWU was able to make timely free throws to close out any chance at an Idaho comeback, earning a 96-93 victory. 

Idaho shot 45.1 percent while Eastern Washington shot 54.5. 

Yusef Salih and JeMeil King both tied their career highs, adding 11 points each off the bench.

Idaho falls to 3-10 (0-3 BSC) on the year while Eastern Washington goes to 9-7 (3-2 BSC).  

The Vandals will continue their four-game road trip next week when they head to face Weber State on Thursday at 6 p.m. PT.