MOSCOW, Idaho – The Idaho men's basketball looks to continue its recent success on the road this week, traveling to face Northern Arizona and Northern Colorado.

The Vandals open the week in Flagstaff, Arizona on Thursday before wrapping up its two-game road stretch on Saturday in Greeley, Colorado. Both games are scheduled to tip off at 5 p.m. Pacific Time. 

How to Follow 
Idaho vs. Northern Arizona // Jan. 19 at 5 p.m. PT
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats: StatBroadcast 
Listen: The Varsity Network or GoVandals.com/Listen

Idaho vs. Northern Colorado // Jan. 21 at 5 p.m. PT
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats: SIDEARM Live Stats
Listen: The Varsity Network or GoVandals.com/Listen

Last Time Out
The Vandals (7-12, 1-5 BSC) got back on track by opening the week with a 74-70 win over defending Big Sky champions, Montana State. Idaho used a 12-0 run to start the game and a stout defensive effort that included holding the Bobcats to their lowest shooting performance (37.7%) against a conference opponent this season to help earn the victory and snap a six-game losing streak.

Idaho leaned on guard Divant'e Moffitt on the offensive end to pull out their first conference win, as he posted a career-high 32 points on 9-of-17 shooting from the field. He also dished out a game-high seven assists. Moffitt shined brightest in the closing stretch of the second half, scoring 12 of Idaho's final 13 points and stepping up on the defensive end to force a turnover in the Bobcats' final possession. 

Backcourt teammate Dominique Ford stepped up in key situations also, making important shots in the first half and down the stretch in the second. Ford ended with 16 points on 6-of-11 from the field and 4-of-7 from three while recording his most points against a D1 opponent this season.

About Idaho
Fifth-year guard Divant'e Moffitt became the second Idaho player (Isaac Jones, twice) this season to earn weekly recognition by the Big Sky as the Vandals were awarded Player of the Week honors for the third time this year - tied for the most of any conference team. Moffitt averaged 30.5 points, 4.5 assists and shot 55 percent (18-of-33) from the field against the top two teams in the league in Eastern Washington and Montana State. After putting up 29 and 32 points in his last two games, Moffitt now is averaging the second most points per game (20.2) in conference play. On the season, Moffit ranks first in total assists (98), second in assists per game (5.2) and fourth in field percentage (47.9) in the Big Sky.

Junior forward Isaac Jones and Moffitt enter the week as two of the top three scorers in the conference. Jones ranks second at 18.6 points per game while Moffitt sits third at 17.9 points a game. The two Spanaway, Washington natives have combined to lead the team in scoring in 16 of 19 games and posted 20 or more points in seven games each.  
 
Idaho is one of the most efficient teams in the conference, shooting a Big Sky-best 47.7 percent from the field. The Vandals shot 46 percent (26-of-57) from the field and scored 74 points against the league-leading defense in Montana State on Monday - the most points given up by the Bobcats in a conference game and the second-highest field goal percentage in Big Sky action. The Vandals are averaging 75.7 points per game this season while allowing 71.0 ppg. Taking care of the basketball has been an emphasis for the Vandals, as they average the second-lowest amount of turnovers per game in the Big Sky at 11.6 and the third-best assist/turnover ratio at 1.10.
 
Two-time Big Sky Player of the Week Isaac Jones is the conference leader in four statistical categories entering Thursday's matchup - field goal percentage (68.1), field goals made (130), blocks (20) and blocks per game (1.11). In conference action, the junior is averaging 18 points to rank third in the Big Sky. He leads the team and ranks fifth in the league in rebounding with an average of 7.7 per game.  

After making the third most free throws (14) in a single game in program history against the Bobcats, Moffitt moved up to sixth in the nation in free throw makes with 97. His 23 attempts against Montana State is a school record - Kashif Watson and Gary Simmons previously owned the mark with 20 attempts in a single game.  

True freshman Nigel Burris is third on the team in scoring with 9.2 points per game - the highest scoring average by a Big Sky freshman this season. The forward from San Francisco is knocking down shots at a high rate, shooting 50 percent (61-of-122) from the field, 41 percent (24-of-59) from three and 88 percent (29-of-33) from the foul line. His 5.2 rebounds per game are the second most on the Vandals. Burris has scored in double figures in 10 games this season.  

Second-year guard Yusef Salih leads the team from three, making 37 shots and averaging just under two makes per game (1.95). He's made two or more threes in 11 games this season, including a career-high five makes against Long Beach State earlier in the year. 

Scouting the Lumberjacks 
Northern Arizona is 5-14 overall and 1-5 in Big Sky Conference play. The Lumberjacks are on a three-game losing streak after coming off a pair of narrow losses to Portland State (75-74) and Sacramento State (59-56). Four of their five wins have come at home, as they are 4-1 in Flagstaff.    

NAU ranks as one of the top teams in the conference in forcing turnovers and passing. They are first in assist/turnover ratio (1.17), second in assists per game (14.6) and third in forced turnovers per game (13.3). Offensively, the Lumberjacks score 70.6 per game and allow 74.5.  

Two Lumberjacks average in double figures this season, including a team-high 17.4 points per game from guard Jalen Cone. He has filled up all season for NAU, scoring 20 or more points in six contests and scored a conference-high 45 points against Southern Utah. His backcourt teammate Xavier Fuller is NAU's second-leading scorer with 11.3 points per game. Fuller has scored in double-figures in three-straight games for Northern Arizona. Carson Towt also provides an offensive spark with 9.1 ppg and a team-high eight boards a game. 
  
Series History 
Idaho and Northern Arizona will meet for the 70th time in the two programs' history, as the Vandals lead the all-time series 42-27. It has proved to be difficult for Idaho to play in Flagstaff as they are 10-26 overall. Last year, each team earned a home victory including a 78-69 win in Moscow on Senior Day to end the regular season. 

Scouting the Bears
Northern Colorado is 6-12 on the season with a 1-5 conference record. The Bears have struggled at home, owning a 1-5 mark in Greeley. After losing seven straight games, UNC got back in the win column with a 69-67 victory over Portland State last Saturday. 

The Bears are led by a trio of double-figure scorers in Dalton Knecht, Daylen Kountz and Matt Johnson ll. Knecht is the Big Sky leading scorer, averaging 19.6 points per game. He leads the Big Sky in three-point shooting with 47 made shots from behind the arc on a 41 percent clip. Former first-team All-Big Sky performer Kountz is averaging 16 points and Johnson ll is scoring 11.7 per game.  

Northern Colorado is scoring 70.8 points per game while allowing 79. They have been one the best teams in the conference at making shots from three, ranking second in three-point percentage (35.9) and three-point makes (8.8).

Series History  
The Bears own a 10-4 overall record over Idaho. The Vandals look to snap a 10-game losing streak on Saturday. 

Up Next
The Vandals host a pair of home games against Weber State and Idaho State next week. Idaho goes up against the Wildcats on Jan. 26 before rounding out the week against the Bengals on Jan. 28.

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