SACRAMENTO – Idaho men's basketball (9-14, 3-7) shot 54 percent from the field and allowed the fewest amount of points since 2016 to help cruise past Sacramento State, 61-45 on Monday night at the Nest.
After three road games in five days, a flight cancellation connecting to Sacramento and a nine-hour bus ride later, the Vandals persevered to put together their best defensive performance of the season. The win marks their second consecutive victory and their first season sweep over Sacramento State since 2017-18.
EJ Neal played a major role in the outcome, scoring a game-high and tying a career-high 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting off the bench. The San Francisco native also delivered two made 3-pointers and two steals.
Kyson Rose scored in double figures for the second consecutive game with 14 points on a 4 for 5 clip from the field. Rose added three rebounds and tied for a team-high in assists with four. Fellow frontcourt teammate
Julius Mims posted another strong effort on both ends of the floor, posting 10 points, eight rebounds, two blocks and two steals.
The defensive intensity for Idaho was on full display right out of the gate, as the Vandals held the Hornets to 20 first-half points - the lowest number of points allowed in an opening half since Feb. 3, 2018 against Sac State.
The Vandals and Hornets traded blows over the first five minutes of action as the score sat tied at 8-8 with neither team able to build separation. From there, the Vandals used a pivotal 16-5 run to go up double digits (24-13) at the 5:59 mark. Neal was a huge catalyst during that stretch, scoring seven points and landing a highlight one-handed slam over a Hornet defender.
After Sac State cut its deficit to six, Idaho responded with a 13-2 spurt to end the half up 37-20.
Rose was a big part of Idaho's first-half success, scoring 12 of his 14 points in the opening 20 minutes. The Vandals shot 57.1 percent (12-21) from the field and 50 percent (4-8) from three.
The Hornets whittled the advantage down to 13 with 17:36 remaining but the Vandals immediately responded with an 11-4 run to push it to a 20-point game. Idaho held Sac State to only one field goal for the remaining 6:46 to help cement a Vandal victory.
The Idaho second unit was relied on heavily and they produced, scoring 30 points in the effort. Defensively, Idaho scored 22 points off of 14 Hornet turnovers.
UI shot above 50 percent from the field for the third consecutive game, making 22-of-41 attempts at a 53.7 percent clip. The Vandals also went perfect from the charity stripe with a 12-of-12 effort.
Up Next
The Vandals prepare for its next test when they travel to face league-leading Eastern Washington on Feb, 10 at 4:30 p.m. PST in Cheney.
POSTGAME WITH COACH PRIBBLE
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