STOCKTON, Calif. – Junior Isaac Jones scored a career-high 31 points and Idaho shot 55 percent from the field as the Vandals pulled out an 84-81 victory over Pacific on Friday night at the Alex G. Spanos Center.
Jones was a big part of Idaho's success on the night with another dominant offensive display. He shot 11-of-14 from the field, 9 for 12 from the line, and grabbed a team-high seven rebounds.
Divant'e Moffitt continued to lead the Vandals' in the backcourt, scoring 20 points on a 9 for 13 clip. The fifth-year guard was crucial in the second half, scoring 14 of his 20 points and knocking down two free throws with five seconds remaining to make it a deciding 84-81.
Each team traded baskets in a highly contested first half that included seven lead changes and six ties. Idaho shot 17 for 32 from the field while Jones scored 21 of his 31 points, including the Vandals' final 11 of 16 first-half points.
Idaho captured its largest lead of the game after Nigel Burris and Yusef Salih knocked down a pair of threes to make it 48-39 with under 19 minutes to play in the second half. The Vandals kept a two-possession advantage for a large portion of the period before Pacific pulled within three (68-65) at the 7:27 mark. The Tigers eventually tied up the score at 77-77 after a layup from Nick Blake with 2:19 left to play in the game.
Freshman forward Burris showed out in front of his family and friends, who made the 90-mile drive over from San Francisco. He scored a personal best 18 points, grabbed six rebounds and knocked down four threes off the bench. Three of his four makes from behind the arc came in the second half, including a go-ahead triple at the 1:47 mark to make it 80-77.
Moffitt scored the team's final four points to close out Pacific.
Idaho (2-5) snapped a four-game losing streak and earned its first win over the Tigers since 2002-03. Pacific moved to 2-4 on the season.
Following the game, Jones and Moffitt were named to the California Thanksgiving Jam All-Tournament team. Over two games against Cal Poly and Pacific, Jones averaged 25 points, 6.5 rebounds and shot 73% (19-26), while Moffitt posted an average of 21 points, six assists and combined to shoot 16-of-24 (67%) from the field.
The Vandals start a four-game homestand next week when they welcome Northern Illinois to ICCU Arena on Friday, Dec. 2 at 6 p.m.
POSTGAME QUOTES - Heach Coach Zac Claus
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