MOSCOW, Idaho – With non-conference play officially wrapped up, the Idaho men's basketball team (7-8, 1-1 BSC) turns their attention to one of Big Sky's hottest teams in Eastern Washington (8-7, 2-0 BSC). The Vandals and Eagles go head-to-head on Saturday, January 13 in the second game of a doubleheader with women's basketball. 

The Vandal women get underway at 1 p.m. PST before the men's game tips off at 4 p.m. SWX features the television broadcast, with Dennis Patchin (play-by-play) and Stephen Madison (analyst) on the call. Fans can also stream both games live on ESPN+. 



How to Follow 
Idaho vs. Eastern Washington // Jan. 13 at  4 p.m.
Watch: SWX // ESPN+
Live Stats: SIDEARM Live Stats
Listen: The Varsity Network or GoVandals.com/Listen
Tickets: GoVandals.com/Tickets
Promotion: White Out

Last Time Out
The Vandals closed out non-conference play with a narrow 67-75 loss to St. Thomas in Moscow on Jan. 3. 

Idaho kept within striking distance for 35 minutes of action before the Tommies used a 13-2 run that decided the outcome. Idaho shot 41 percent from the floor and made eight threes on a 40 percent clip.
 
Julius Mims and Terren Frank delivered on the offensive end for the Silver and Gold, as Mims posted a game-high 19 points while Frank added 16 more off the bench to lead the Vandal scoring attack. Mims also secured a season-high 14 rebounds along with three blocks. Tyler Linhardt appeared in his first game as a starter, posting eight points and a personal best seven rebounds. The second unit also featured solid minutes from second-year guard Titus Yearout, who recorded seven points in 25 minutes of action. 

About Idaho
First-year head coach Alex Pribble gets his first opportunity to face off against Eastern Washington, a team Pribble is all too familiar with after being a part of their staff for two seasons from 2013-15. Pribble and EWU head coach David Riley coached on the staff together during those two seasons. The two will now face off against each other as regional rivals in the Big Sky.    

The Idaho offense is led by junior guard Quinn Denker, who is the top scorer at 11.9 points per game and sits second in assists at 43. After recording 21 and 17 points against Sacramento State and Portland State, Denker ranks fifth in the league in scoring at 19 ppg. He has scored in double figures in 10 of 15 games and leads the team with 25 made threes and 179 total points. 

Julius Mims is another key contributor who has delivered on both ends of the floor for Idaho, leading the team in five different stat categories and ranking second in scoring at 11 points per game. He ranks first in field goals made (68), total rebounds (115), rebounds per game (7.7), steals (17) and blocks (25). Amongst Big Sky players, Mims is rated in the top 10 in rebounding (4th), steals (T-9th), blocks (1st), offensive rebounding (2.33, 4th), defensive rebounding (5.33, 5th) and double-doubles (4, 3rd). Mims has been one of Idaho's go-to scorers over the last four games, averaging 15.5 points and scoring 18 or more points in three games.   

Idaho is ranked in the top 3 of multiple defensive categories in the Big Sky, including first in blocks with 3.9 per game. They have recorded at least four blocks in 11 games and have been primarily led by Mims, who has recorded two or more blocks in nine contests. The Vandals are also holding opponents to the second-lowest field goal percentage in the Big Sky at 43.1 percent and forcing the third most steals at 6.6. 
 
D'Angelo Minnis is one of three players on the Vandals roster to average 10-plus points per game, as he scores the third most points on the team at 10.5 per contest. He has scored in double figures in eight of 13 games. Not only has Minnis been a focal point scoring the basketball, but he's also Idaho's best passer with 45 assists. He ranks seventh in the league assists per game (3.5).

Idaho's second unit is led by redshirt freshman Tyler Linhardt. After posting 3.3 points per game over the first seven games, Linhardt has taken his game to a new level averaging 11.6 over his last eight. The Washington transfer has posted 10 or more points in five games off the bench for Idaho, including a career-high 18 points against Portland State (12/30). The success as of late has climbed Linhardt up the scoring list for the Vandals, boosting his per-game average to 7.7 - fourth best on the team.   

Scouting the Eagles
Eastern Washington is 8-7 overall, 2-0 in conference play and 3-7 on the road. The Eagles are playing their best basketball as of late, holding a four-game win streak with wins over Portland State (91-57), Sacramento State (87-61), South Dakota (93-79) and North Dakota State (91-83). 

EWU is scoring the second most points per game in the Big Sky at 79.1 while allowing the seventh most at 73.2. The Eagle offense ranks as one of the top teams in the conference in a handful of stat categories. They are first in the Big Sky in three-point percentage (38.5), three-point makes (9.9), assists per game (18.2) and field goal percentage (48.7). 

Eastern Washington showcases an all-around scoring effort with five players averaging 10 or more points, including a team-high 13.8 points per game from Cedric Coward. Dane Erikstrup averages 12.3 points while Ethan Price adds 11.1 per game. Casey Jones and Jake Kyman round out their scoring with 10.3 and 10.1 points, respectively. 

Series with Eastern Washington Spans Program History
The all-time series dates back to the 1905-06 campaign in which Idaho holds a 59-35 advantage over Eastern Washington. 

The Vandals claimed the first-ever meeting, 39-2, and went on to earn the next four before Eastern earned its first series win in 1925. Idaho also recorded a 22-game win streak between 1986 and 1996, when both programs were members of the Big Sky Conference.

Following Idaho's move to the Big West in 1996-97 and Western Athletic Conference in 2005-06, the two teams would meet 14 times over an 18 year gap before the Vandals returned back to the Big Sky in 2014-15. Idaho trails 7-13 since the return as conference foes and 4-5 at home, including their most recent home victory which resulted in a 83-80 victory on Feb. 19, 2022.  

The Eagles got the season series sweep in 2022-23, most recently claiming a 73-67 win on Feb. 11, 2023 at the ICCU Arena.

Up Next
The Vandals start a road stretch next week that consists of six of their next eight games coming away from Moscow, starting with a trip South to face in-state rival Idaho State on Thursday, Jan. 18 followed by Weber State on Saturday, Jan. 20. 

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