MOSCOW, Idaho – The Idaho men's basketball team (7-7) closes out non-conference play this week when the Vandals host a Wednesday night matchup against St. Thomas (10-5) for the start of the Big Sky-Summit Challenge. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. PST inside ICCU Arena. 

How to Follow 
Idaho vs. St. Thomas // Jan. 3 at 6 p.m. PST
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats: SIDEARM Live Stats
Listen: The Varsity Network or GoVandals.com/Listen
Tickets: GoVandals.com/Tickets

Last Time Out
Idaho will aim to finish non-conference play above .500 for the first time since the 2017-18 season and look to build off a split start to Big Sky play last week. 

The Vandals earned a 61-58 win over Sacramento State before falling to Portland State, 72-77 to open conference play. 

Despite Idaho carrying a 41-33 halftime lead, Portland State chipped away behind strong second-half shooting to complete the comeback. The Vikings shot 48 percent from the field in the closing 20 minutes while Idaho went cold, shooting 37 percent in the second period opposed to 52 percent in the first half. The Vandals also struggled to finish from the foul line and take care of the basketball, posting a 12 for 20 effort from the charity stripe and committing 14 turnovers. 

The Vandals were without two starters (Terren Frank and D'Angelo Minnis) in the loss, which meant an opportunity for the second unit to step up. True freshman guard Kristian Gonzalez made his first start while Trevon Blassingame also got the nod to start for the fifth time this season. The pair played crucial roles in the backcourt as Blassingame scored 12 points and Gonzalez posted a personal best 11 points in a combined 62 minutes of action. 

Five different players scored in double figures, as Tyler Linhardt led the charge with a career-best 18 points. Quinn Denker took on point guard duties for the second consecutive game and recorded 17 points and five assists. Kyson Rose rounded out the scoring with 12 points. 

Scouting the Tommies
St. Thomas is 10-5 overall (2-0 Summit League) and 3-4 on the road. The Tommies and Vandals have faced two common opponents in Cal Poly and Portland State. They fell to Cal Poly (60-61) and earned a 76-70 win over Portland State. 

The Tommies average 72.7 points per game while allowing 60.9. St. Thomas has been one of the better defensive teams in the country, ranking 10th in points allowed per game. They are also rated 22nd nationally in turnovers per game at 9.8. 

Four Tommies average at least nine points per game, including a team-high 14.1 points per game from Parker Bjorklund. He ranks second in the Summit League in field goal percentage at a 51 percent clip. Raheem Anthony also scores in double figures at 10.1 while leading the team in rebounding with 4.8 per game. Kendall Blue scores 9.3 points per game while Drake Dobbs follows at nine per game. 
  
Series History 
Wednesday's meeting between the Vandals and Tommies will be the first time the two programs have faced off in series history.  

Up Next
The Vandals return to conference play and close out their four-game homestand next week, when they host Eastern Washington on Jan. 13 at 4 p.m. PST. 

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