MOSCOW, Idaho - Saturday was a magical day for Idaho Basketball

Leading up to the final home game of the season against the Weber State Wildcats, three Vandal seniors, Jack Hatten, Kyson Rose, and Julius Mims, were recognized for their incredible contributions to the program and the community, and as we turn the page to the regular season finale, we will say one more time,

Thank you to our amazing seniors.

The action against Weber State was just as exciting as the ceremony that preceded it. Teams are never feeling 100% this late in the year, and add on the fact that Idaho State handed Idaho a stinging narrow loss on Thursday, it was time for something good to happen. 

It did, but it took a while. The first half featured a lot of grit, a lot of physicality, and not a lot of points. The shots weren't falling for either team as well as they normally would, and it took time for the Vandals and Wildcats to get into a rhythm with a 29-27 lead in favor of the home team at the break. 

The second half was a different story for both sides. For the black and gold, the three-point shot that they trust began to pay off, especially for Kolton Mitchell and Tyler Mrus. Mitchell's shooting really clicked late in the second half, including putting the Vandals up late with a contested 3 to force what would eventually be overtime. 

Weber State equalized, and it was on to free basketball. 

Mitchell picked up where he left off to start the extra period with another contested long-range shot that was true on top of a foul, putting Idaho up four from the jump. The Wildcats wouldn't go away, however, and it took a true team effort to finish the job. 

That's where Tyler Mrus came in. With less than a minute to play in OT, Jack Payne's three-point attempt bounced off the rim and into the hands of Julius Mims, who outmuscled everyone in the paint to secure his game-leading thirteenth rebound of the day, and the ball made its way to a wide-open Mrus with nothing but air between him and the rim. Tyler arced a perfect three through the net and sent the ICCU Arena crowd into a frenzy.

Mrus would make a defensive impact on the game as well. With just seconds left and Weber State's Blaise Threatt at the line to shoot two free throws down three, he made the first and intentionally missed the second to give his team a chance at an offensive board and a two-point shot. It wouldn't happen, however, as a scrum ensued for the ball, which resulted in Mrus on top of it as time expired to hand the Vandals the 81-79 win.

This game marked the fourteenth of the season in which at least four Vandals scored in double figures. Mrus banked six three-point shots, good for second-most in the history of games inside the ICCU Arena, to add to his team-leading 22. Kolton Mitchell and Kristian Gonzalez each recorded 18, and Jack Payne put up 11.

The Vandals will have little time to digest this one, unfortunately, as the regular season finale is just around the corner. Idaho is heading to the frozen tundra of Bozeman, Montana to cap off conference play with a rematch with Montana State on Monday, March 3.