MOSCOW, Idaho - Inside the Dee Events Center, whose rounded seating resembles that of the Roman Coliseum, the Idaho Vandals took the court against the host Wildcats of Weber State in a Thursday primetime matchup.

Despite trailing by six in the opening minutes, Kyson Rose would open up the scoring for Idaho with a wide-open three, spurring a first-half run highlighted by Jack Payne's back-to-back-to-back makes from beyond the arc in just over a minute of game time. Tyler Mrus would tack on 10 points of his own to give the black and gold a 36-31 lead at the break.

Mrus would take the momentum and run in the second half, finishing with a clutch 21 points off of 4-7 (57%) from three and 6-9 (67%) en route to an Idaho lead that they held the entire half, culminating in the V's going up, 82-74, at the final buzzer.

Mrus had a monster game, adding to his point total with six grabs off the glass, three assists and a block. Kristian Gonzalez totaled 14 points, ten of which came off the free throw line. Jack Payne finished with 12, and Tyler Linhardt added 11, giving the Vandals four double-digit scorers on the night. Overall, the black and gold shot 44% as a team.

Despite facing a flurry of fouls in the final minute of a tight game, Idaho was clutch from the free-throw line, finishing 25-29 (86%). The Vandals won the battle on the glass with 33 grabs to Weber State's 29. 

The Vandals will take the night to enjoy the win before beginning prep for their next road opponent, the Idaho State Bengals. UI and ISU are set to tip off in a saturday matinee on February 1 at 2:00 PM MST / 1:00 PM PST.