BOZEMAN, Mont. – The Idaho men's basketball team fell to Montana State 72-58 on Thursday night at Worthington Arena. The Vandals (6-8, 0-1 BSC) couldn't overcome shooting woes from behind the arc and a stout defensive effort by the Bobcats (8-6, 1-0 BSC). 

Divant'e Moffitt led the Vandals offensively with a team-high 19 points on 8-of-20 shooting from the field. The Big Sky's leading assist man also dished out four assists. He was one of three Vandals to score in double digits.

Freshman Nigel Burris tallied his first career double-double in just his 14th collegiate game, posting 11 points and 11 rebounds in the effort. Senior Trey Smith came off the bench and scored 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting. 

The Vandals were within one possession for the majority of the opening 10 minutes of action before MSU used a 16-2 run to find separation and hold a 34-20 lead at the break. 

MSU expanded its lead to 23 points (55-32) with 13:33 left to go in the second period. Idaho would cut its deficit to 11 (69-58) but the defending Big Sky champions eventually closed out a 72-58 victory. 

The Vandals turned the ball over 11 times and Montana State capitalized with 20 points off Idaho's mistakes.  

The Vandals made 22-of-55 (.400) from the field, 5-of-19 (.263) from three and 9-of-11 (.818) from the free throw line. Conversely, Montana State went 27-of-55 (.491), 9-of-18 (.500) and 9-of-13 (.692).

For the Bobcats, Jubrile Belo led the squad with 19 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Tyler Patterson followed with 17 points on 5-of-9 from three. 

UP NEXT
The Vandals round out its four-game road trip in Missoula with a Saturday matchup against the Montana Grizzlies on New Year's Eve at 1 p.m. PT. Fans can follow the action live on ESPN+. 

POSTGAME WITH ZAC CLAUS