FINAL SCORE
Idaho Vandals - 73
Montana Grizzlies - 79
SEASON RECORDS
Idaho - 9-6
Montana - 9-7
VANDAL LEADERS
PTS - Jackson Rasmussen (16)
AST - Jackson Rasmussen and
Kolton Mitchell (2)
REB - Brody Rowbury,
Biko Johnson, and
Jackson Rasmussen (7)
BLK - Jackson Rasmussen (1)
STL - Kolton Mitchell and
Isaiah Brickner (3)
NOTABLES
- With four made threes, Idaho's streak of five or more made threes ended at 60.
- Heading into the night, this was a top-seven streak in all of DI hoops.
- Four made threes is the least by an Idaho team since January 25, 2024
- Down 18-36 in the first half and eventually coming back to take a lead, 18 points is the largest deficit the Vandals have overcome this season.
- This marks the ninth time in fifteen games that the Vandals have had four or more players in double figures
- Tonight was the twelfth time in fifteen games that Idaho has won or tied the rebounding battle.
- The Vandals won the glass 41-32.
- With 15 points tonight, Brody Rowbury is rapidly approaching the 1,000-point threshold for his career. The senior sits at 922, needing 78 to hit that mark.
MOSCOW, Idaho. - In front of a raucous crowd of nearly 1,800 in ICCU Arena, Idaho welcomed the defending conference champion Montana Grizzlies to Moscow. Both teams went into Thursday night undefeated after the first week of conference play. Facing an early deficit that often looked insurmountable, the Vandals climbed back from as much as 18 down to take the lead late, but timely misses from the hosts and makes from the visitors handed Idaho its first conference home loss of the season.
HEAR FROM COACH
"We're very grateful for all the Vandal fans for coming out tonight. When we got the energy where it needed to be and made some plays, the entire arena was bringing energy. That's what we're trying to build here is a program that Vandal nation can be proud of. In the second half, the energy in the building was visceral. It was special.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Montana offense found its shot early in Thursday's contest, as the Griz jumped out to a 17-2 lead by the first media timeout. Idaho began to click, keeping the difference to 14 at the break.
Momentum swung the Vandals' way out of the locker room. Idaho pulled within seven by the 13-minute mark thanks to a set of Kolton Mitchell foul shots, before continuing the comeback with an 8-2 run over the next four minutes. The Black and Gold pulled within one possession with just over nine minutes to play on an Isaiah Brickner lay-in that made the difference just a single point. The senior from San Diego finished with 14 points, his sixth double-figure effort of the year.
The next 4:21 saw Montana piece together a 14-7 run, before Idaho stormed back with a 12-2 run of its own. A massive triple from Mitchell off a missed foul shot kick-started the scoring flurry that saw the Vandals take the lead for the first time off a Brody Rowbury lay-up. Rowbury, a native of Meridian, quietly had one of his best nights of the year, posting 15 points and seven boards on 6-8 shooting from the floor.
The Grizzly attack would prove too potent, retaking the lead on a jumper with 28 seconds left as Idaho would fall 73-78.
UP NEXT
The Vandals will close their three-game homestand vs. Montana State on January 10 at ICCU Arena, with tip-off slated for 2 p.m. The game will air on ESPN+, the Vandal Radio Network, and the Varsity Network.
TICKETS
Idaho Athletics announced that all student tickets for football, basketball, volleyball, and soccer home events are free of charge for the 2025-26 academic year. To claim your tickets, visit govandals.com/tickets
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