GREELEY, Colo. – The Idaho men's basketball team fell on the road to Northern Colorado, 73-67 on Saturday night at the Bank of Colorado Arena.
Divant'e Moffitt led the Vandals on the offensive end with 26 points on 12-of-22 shooting from the field. It was his fourth straight game with 25 or more points.
Isaac Jones put together an all-around effort for the Vandals, posting 17 points, seven rebounds and four blocks.
Trey Smith came off the bench and scored a season-high 11 points on a 3-for-4 clip from three.
Idaho had a tough time slowing down Big Sky leading scorer Dalton Knecht, as he paced the Bears with 34 points on 14-of-21 from the field. The Bears shot 29-of-60 (48.3%) from the field and outrebounded the Vandals 37-28.
The Vandals traded baskets with the Bears throughout the first half, as neither team was able to gain more than a two-possession lead. Northern Colorado grabbed a three-point edge (32-29) at the end of the first.
Jones led the team in scoring in the first 20 minutes of action, recording 10 points, five rebounds and four blocks. The Vandals shot 48 percent (12-of-25) from the field and 44.4 (4-of-9) from three in the opening period.
Northern Colorado used a key 9-0 run to start the second half to gain separation and go up 41-29 with just 17 minutes remaining. Idaho immediately responded with an 8-2 run to make it a two-possession game. The Vandals would tie the score at 60-60 with four minutes to go, but Knecht stepped up down the stretch with eight points to secure a 73-67 win.
The Vandals leaned on Moffitt in the second half, as the fifth-year guard helped keep Idaho within striking distance by scoring 20 of his 26 points in the second period.
Idaho goes to 8-13 on the season and 2-6 in conference play, while Northern Colorado moves 7-13 overall (2-6 BSC).
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.
POSTGAME WITH HEAD COACH ZAC CLAUS
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