MOSCOW, Idaho – The Idaho men's basketball team forced timely defensive stops and made free throws when it mattered most to outlast Montana, 82-76 on Thursday night at ICCU Arena.
"We were able to get some crucial stops when we absolutely had to have them," Head Coach
Zac Claus said. "I thought our guys did a very good job of closing out the way we wanted to on individuals. I thought we competed much better on the defensive glass. I'm just very happy for our guys to compete the way they have both tonight and over the past few weeks as well."
The Vandals ended the game on a 34-18 run, including an 11-of-12 performance from the foul line to help snap a five-game losing streak against their conference foe and earn Idaho's first win over the Grizzlies since Feb. 17, 2018. Junior guard
Rashad Smith played a crucial part in the success from the charity stripe down the stretch, as he made seven free throws in the final minute of action.
"I was very happy for Rashad to bounce back the way he did tonight. He is a vital key to our success and when he's out there playing hard and he has a smile on his face, I know he is right. He had more moments like that tonight. We play a very long season and you are going to have some ups and downs. For him to come back and knock down shots - I'm very happy for him."
The Silver and Gold had four players file double-digit performances on the night with true freshman
Yusef Salih leading the way with a season-high 19 points. Smith followed that up with a career-high 18 points on a 4 for 5 shooting effort from the floor. Forward
Tanner Christensen tied a career-high with 14 points while guard
Trevante Anderson tallied 13 points, seven rebounds and four assists.
Idaho shot 52 percent from the field - the second-highest mark allowed by Montana against a conference opponent this season. The Vandals were also efficient from behind the arc, going 9 for 15.
Salih surpassed his season-high of 11 points within the first eight minutes of the opening period, scoring 12 of Idaho's first 16 points. The Vandals held an advantage for a large portion of the first period before Montana started a 25-9 run at the 8:30 mark to go up 42-34 at halftime.
After a 6 for 12 effort from the foul line in the opening 20 minutes, the Vandals flipped the switch and went an impressive 15-of-17 in the second period.
The Vandals improve to 7-18 (4-11 BSC) on the season while the Grizzlies go to 17-10 (10-6 BSC).
NEXT UP -- Idaho will look to improve upon their second straight win when Eastern Washington comes to the Palouse on Saturday, Feb. 19 at 3:30 p.m. The matchup with the Eagles includes a doubleheader with the Idaho women's basketball team, as they are set to tip at 1 p.m.
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