MOSCOW, Idaho -- Idaho Men's basketball (4-6) hosts UC San Diego (8-2) on Sunday Dec. 15. The game is part of a doubleheader, with the women's team taking on Utah State at 1 p.m., and the men's game slated to tip-off at 4 p.m.  

How to Follow
Idaho vs. UC San Diego // Dec. 15 at 4 p.m.
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats: SIDEARM Live Stats
Listen: The Varsity Network or GoVandals.com/Listen
Tickets: GoVandals.com/Tickets

Notables
Scoring has been a team effort for the Vandals this season, as four Vandals are averaging more than nine points a game - Tyler Mrus, Kristian Gonzalez, Julius Mims, and Jack Payne. 

Idaho has made five or more threes in 23 straight games, the longest streak in the Big Sky.

Tyler Mrus has been hot from three, averaging 2.75 triples per contest on a 40.7 percent conversion rate. Both numbers rank him second in the Big Sky.

The Vandals has also gotten a large bench contribution, with 27.4 points a game coming from non-starters, the second best mark in the Big Sky. 

Senior Kyson Rose has been a big part of the bench effort, as the Kennewick, Wash. native has scored five or more points in every appearance this year, scoring in double-figures twice, and led Idaho in rebounds in two contests. 
 
Last Time Out 
Idaho fell to Oregon State, 62-78, on Saturday, Dec. 7. The Vandals kept pace with the Beavers through the first five minutes, before a 22-12 Oregon State run stretched the Beaver advantage to ten with three minutes left in the first half. Idaho hustled to cut the gap to just three, but a buzzer-beater three pointer gave the Beavers a six point lead at the half. 

Idaho struggled to score in the second half, only finding 13 points in the first ten minutes. In this time, Oregon State took a lead Idaho could not come back from, and the Vandals suffered their second largest loss of the year. 

Tyler Mrus continued his hot streak, scoring 15 on 6-11 shooting, and Jack Payne added 12 points, his third double-figure effort in the last five games. True freshman Ewan Steele led the Vandals in rebounds, with a career-high seven boards in 11 minutes. 

Scouting the Tritons 
UC San Diego comes to Moscow holding an 8-2 record and on a six game winning streak. The Tritons are 4-1 away from home this season, with their lone loss as a visitor coming in the season opener against San Diego State. 
 
The Triton defense is one of the best in college basketball, only allowing 62.5 points a game, a mark that ranks 22nd, and forcing 17.2 turnovers a game, the seventh best rate in Division I. On the other end, the UC San Diego offense is one of the most efficient, ranking in the top 15 nationally in turnovers per game (8.6) and assist turnover ratio (1.8). The Tritons have been in control of almost every game this season, winning by a Big West leading 16.1 points per game. 
 
Hayden Gray leads the Triton defense, grabbing a DI high 3.7 steals per game. The senior guard also runs the offense, dealing a team-best 30 assists with high efficiency, leading the Big West with an assist turnover ratio of 2.14. Tyler McGhie has been the main three point threat in 2024, attempting the 10th most threes in the nation on a 38.6 percent clip. Aniwaniaw Tait-Jones leads the Tritons in scoring at 16.6 points per game, fifth in the Big West.  
 
In the preseason, UC San Diego was picked third in the 2024 Big West Preseason Coaches Poll. The Tritons are in their first full season of DI membership after a 20 year stint in DII. UC San Diego is coming off a 21-11 campaign in 2023-24, with an appearance in the College Basketball Invitational. 

Series History vs UC San Diego
The Vandals and Tritons will face off for the third time on Sunday. Idaho won both previous matchups. The squads last met on Nov. 24, 2023 in Seattle, Wash., where the Vandals won 73-70 in overtime. 

Up Next
Idaho heads on a two-game California road trip, facing UC Davis for the second time on Wednesday Dec. 18 and Pacific on Saturday Dec. 21.

Tickets
Single-game and season tickets are available now. For more information, call the Vandal ticket office at (208) 885-6466 or visit GoVandals.com/tickets. 

Follow
Fans can follow the Vandals all season long on X, Facebook and Instagram, @VandalHoops, and with the Voice of the Vandals, Dennis Patchin, at GoVandals.com/Listen. All home and conference contests will be streamed live through ESPN+.