MOSCOW, Idaho – Guard
Divant'e Moffitt scored a career-high 32 points, as the Idaho men's basketball team fends off a late Montana State comeback to earn a 74-70 win on Monday night at ICCU Arena.
Idaho held the Bobcats to their lowest field goal percentage (37.7%) in a conference game this season to help knock off the defending Big Sky Champions. The win snapped Idaho's six-game losing streak and four-game skid against Montana State.
Moffitt's career night consisted of a 9-of-17 shooting effort from the field, 14-of-23 from the foul line and a team-high seven assists. It was his seventh 20-plus point output and fourth time scoring at least 29 points in a game.
Backcourt teammate
Dominique Ford filed 16 points on 4-of-7 from behind the arc in the effort. The offensive display by Ford was the most points against a D1 opponent this season.
The Vandals jumped out to a double-digit lead to start action in the first half, scoring the game's first 12 points and making five of their first seven shots to carry a 12-0 lead with just over 16 minutes left to go in the first. The Bobcats got on the board to make it 12-2 before freshman forward
Nigel Burris laid it in for his eighth point to maintain the Vandals' 12-point advantage and lead their crucial first-half run.
Idaho held its double-digit advantage through 10 minutes of action in the first period before Montana State cut it down to an eight-point game at the 9:56 mark. The Bobcats chipped away before ultimately bringing it to a two-point game (31-29) with 1:28 left to go in the first.
The next four possessions went scoreless before
Michael Hanshaw took advantage of his second career three-point shot opportunity and made it as time expired to send the Vandals into the locker room up five, 34-29. It was Hanshaw's first career three-point make while the senior ended the night with five points and two rebounds in seven minutes of action.
Opening the second half, Montana State scored the first four points to bring the score within one. Ford scored the Vandals' next eight points after a pair of threes and a layup to bring it to a four-point game (42-38) with under 14 minutes left to play.
Idaho used a key 13-4 run later in the period to stretch their advantage to 59-48 with 7:43 remaining in the second half. The Bobcats wouldn't go away as they chipped away at its deficit, eventually pulling within three with three seconds remaining with possession of the ball.
Moffitt shined brightest over the final four minutes of action scoring 12 of Idaho's final 13 points and stepping up on the defensive end to force a turnover in the Bobcats' final possession, ending Montana State's chance at a comeback.
Idaho led by as many as 14 points and never trailed in 40 minutes of action.
The Vandals went 26-of-57 (48.4%) from the field and 7-23 (30.4%) from the three-point line. After having only five assists at Eastern Washington this past Saturday, the Vandals made the extra pass and capitalized on their opportunities ending the night with 14 assists.
The win moves Idaho to 7-12 (1-5 BSC) on the season while Montana State falls to 12-8 (5-2 BSC). Entering the night, the Bobcats held a NET ranking of 107 - the highest of any Vandal opponent this season.
UP NEXT
The Vandals travel down south to compete in a pair of conference matchups at Northern Arizona (Jan. 19) and Northern Colorado (Jan. 21).
POSTGAME WITH ZAC CLAUS
