FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – Quinn Denker dropped 20 points while Idaho men's basketball (11-17, 5-9 BSC) erased a 15-point deficit to comeback and defeat Northern Arizona, 86-76 on Saturday afternoon in the Walkup Skydome. The 11th win marks the most in a single season for the Vandals since 2017-18.
Denker was an all-around performer in the win with his fifth 20-point effort of the season while securing seven rebounds and a team-best seven assists.
Julius Mims continued his dominance on both ends of the floor with 15 points on 7-of-9 shooting, two blocks and one steal.
EJ Neal scored in double figures for the fifth time this season with 14 points.
Idaho's second unit was another key to the victory, stepping up to total 30 points from four Vandal contributors. After an injury early in the game to
Trevon Blassingame and foul trouble within Idaho's frontcourt,
Takai Hardy and
Titus Yearout were called on and they didn't disappoint. Hardy recorded a career-high 10 points and four rebounds in 17 minutes of action while Yearout added four points and one block in 20 minutes.
Terren Frank and
Kristian Gonzalez added eight points each to round out the bench scoring.
Idaho's defense played a crucial role in getting the Vandals back into the game after being down by double digits early on. After Northern Arizona started 10-of-14 from the field, the Vandals stepped up to hold the Lumberjacks to shoot 14-of-48 (29.2%) for the remainder of the game, helping complete a 25-point turnaround.
It was all NAU over the first 12 minutes of action as the Lumberjacks scored the first eight points of the game that later on led to a 31-16 advantage with 8:48 to go in the first half. The deficit didn't provide doubt as Idaho responded and chipped away.
Gonzalez landed one of his two-made threes to help bring it back within single digits. From there, Idaho scored five of the next six baskets to even the score at 38-38 with 2:04 remaining, credited by an 11-2 Vandal run. After a pair of free throws from NAU, Mims laid it in to re-even the score while Hardy knocked down a jumper from the top of the key to give the Vandals their first lead of the game and go into halftime up 42-40.
After trailing by 15 midway through, Idaho responded by scoring 26 of the next 35 points to grab a two-point advantage.
The second 20 minutes of action was started off by an alley-oop special featuring a lob from
Kyson Rose and a dunk by Mims. Neither team was able to gain complete control, as both teams traded baskets and stops during a 19-minute stretch that included seven ties and six lead changes.
With the Vandals leading 61-58 with 9:39 to play, NAU scored six straight points to find a three-point edge. The Lumberjack's momentum was halted by a triple from Rose to tie the score at 64 all.
Later in the period with the score back to even at 68-68, the Vandals used a 9-2 run to build the separation they needed and make it a seven-point game (77-70) with one minute remaining. Idaho finished the job at the foul line, scoring nine more points to earn an 86-76 road win.
The Vandals' nine forced turnovers were converted into 12 points while their 13 offensive rebounds translated into 13 more points.
UI moves to 2-0 on the season against opponents who previously beat the Big Sky's first-place team last time out.
Up Next
The Vandals close out their regular season home schedule next week with a pair of home games against Montana State and Montana. The week gets started with a Thursday matchup against the Bobcats before hosting the Grizzlies on Saturday for Senior Day.
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