MOSCOW, Idaho – Five Vandals scored in double figures, and the Idaho men's basketball team shot 51 percent from the field to help earn its first win of the 2024-25 season with a 96-60 victory over Northwest University on Monday night inside the ICCU Arena.
The Vandals opened the first half with seven straight points but Northwest hung around for the remainder of the half, trailing 46-34 at the break.
Despite shooting 51 percent (18-35) in the first 20 minutes, Idaho could not break through offensively as they would have liked, due to a 4-15 effort from behind the 3-point line. Idaho tallied 21 rebounds in the half, with Juice Mims corralling six boards to lead the team.
After several halftime adjustments, the Vandals responded in the second by scoring 20 of the next 22 points over the first four minutes and 44 seconds to create a 66-36 advantage. Idaho shot 7-of-11 in the opening five minutes, including eight points from newcomer
Jack Payne.
Idaho reached its largest lead of the night after an
Ewan Steele layup made it 90-49 with 3:23 to go. The Eagles tacked on 11 more points before the Vandals closed out a 96-60 win.
The Vandals shot 50.7 percent from the field and turned the ball over only eight times while forcing 19 on the other end.
Top Performers
- Isaiah Brickner tallied 20 points and 8 rebounds on a perfect 7 for 7 shooting effort.
- Jack Payne dominated both sides of the court recording 14 points and a team-best four steals.
- Kolton Mitchell was effective in his first game as a Vandal recording 12 points, three rebounds, two assists, and three steals. The Coeur d'Alene native shot 5-of-7 from the field and 2 for 4 from three.
- Kristian Gonzalez and Titus Yearout each pitched in 10 points apiece to round out the double-figure scoring for Idaho.
- 12 of the 13 Vandals that stepped on the floor recorded at least one point.
- Idaho's bench showed up with 55 of Idaho's 94 points.
Up Next
Idaho will face its first regular season test when they host 2024 Big West Tournament runner-up UC Davis at ICCU Arena on Thursday, Nov. 7. The game is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN+.
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