FINAL SCORE 
Idaho Vandals - 68
Montana Grizzlies - 73

SEASON RECORDS
Idaho - 13-11, 5-6 Big Sky
Montana - 14-11, 8-4 Big Sky

VANDAL LEADERS
PTS - Biko Johnson (22)
AST -  Kolton Mitchell (5)
REB -  Biko Johnson (6)
BLK -  Brody Rowbury (1)
STL -  Isaiah Brickner and Kolton Mitchell (3)

NOTABLES

• Biko Johnson posted his eighth 20-point effort of the season, scoring 22 on 8-14 shooting
  • Johnson was also Idaho's leading rebounder with six
• Idaho only allowed 19 first half points, the lowest by a Vandal defense since the 2015-16 season opener against San Jose State (19 points)
• Jack Payne added 12 points and four boards
  • This marks the seventh time the Boise native has scored 10 or more this season
• Idaho outrebounded the Griz on the offensive glass, 11-5

MISSOULA, Mont. -  In a game defined by long scoring runs and massive momentum swings, Idaho dropped a Saturday afternoon contest to Montana, 68-73, in a battle for third in the Big Sky. 

HOW IT HAPPENED 
UI got off to a hot start, scoring eight straight to open play. After a tough last three games, Biko Johnson found a couple of much-needed buckets during the first four minutes, putting four on the board during the run. The senior pulled a turnaround floater out of his bag of tricks to give the Vandals a quick 8-0 lead. 

E

biko's making it look easy 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/WvTuLVNbz5

— Idaho Basketball (@VandalHoops) February 7, 2026

Even after the Griz opened their scoring account, Idaho continued to build its advantage, outscoring UM 10-5 over the next five minutes to take a double-digit lead with just over 10 and a half minutes to play. The Black and Gold's margin would grow larger a minute later on a three from Isaiah Brickner that widened the gap to 13. 

The final seven minutes of the opening frame turned into a defensive showdown and only saw a combined 15 points scored as Idaho took a 29-19 lead into the locker room. 

After turning the ball over nine times and only shooting 25% from the field in the first 20 minutes, Montana came into the second half energized and quickly turned the first period script on the visitors, holding UI to only five points in the first ninety seconds of the period. Idaho's slump would continue, as the Grizzlies would score 19 straight, building a nine point lead of their own. 

The Vandals were not done, though, keeping Montana within an arm's reach over the middle stanza of the half. The hosts were finally able to pull away late, taking complete control to gain their largest lead of the night with 1:31 left. Alex Pribble's team would not let this stand, quickly scaling the 14-point mountain by scoring nine straight to find themselves just four points back at the 13-second mark. Miles Klapper was a key contributor to this effort, scoring five points and pulling down an offensive board during Idaho's scoring frenzy. UM's defense tightened up to see out the final ticks, not allowing Idaho to find another bucket, as the Vandals fell 68-73. 

UP NEXT
Idaho returns home to ICCU Arena to face Weber State on Thursday and Idaho State on Saturday. 

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 

FOLLOW THE VANDALS
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