Vandals let one slip away

MOSCOW (AP) - Armon Johnson hit a layup and a free throw with 2.9 seconds left to lift Nevada past Idaho 67-66 on Wednesday night.

Johnson led the Wolf Pack (14-9, 6-4 Western Athletic Conference) with 23 points, while Luke Babbitt added 21.

Johnson sank a 3-pointer with 19 seconds left to tie the game 64-64. Former North Idaho College standout Mac Hopson then hit two free throws with 6.2 seconds left to give the Vandals (11-12, 3-8) a 66-64 lead.

Johnson took the inbound pass, wove through traffic and went for the layup, drawing a foul from Kashif Watson and winning the game at the line.

Hopson led Idaho with 17 points, dished out eight assists and grabbed seven rebounds. Watson added 11 points.

Idaho came back from a 42-28 deficit at the half and led 59-54 with about 5 minutes to go. The Vandals outscored Nevada 38-25 in the second half.

The Vandals play at Fresno State on Saturday.

NEVADA (14-9)

Fields 4-10 0-0 11, Shaw 2-5 0-0 5, Babbitt 7-16 4-5 21, Johnson 8-18 5-6 23, Hunt 1-1 0-0 2, Giles 0-0 0-0 0, Cukic 1-1 0-0 2, Kraemer 1-3 0-0 3, Carp 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 24-54 9-11 67.

IDAHO (11-12)

Hopson 3-12 10-11 17, Johnson 1-6 0-0 3, Toledo 4-8 0-0 8, Watson 4-8 3-3 11, Jefferson 1-5 1-2 3, Ledbetter 2-6 0-0 6, Henderson 2-4 0-0 4, de Souza 2-5 1-2 5, Lawrence 0-1 0-0 0, Barone 4-6 1-2 9. Totals 23-61 16-20 66.

Halftime—Nevada 42-28. 3-Point Goals—Nevada 10-20 (Babbitt 3-5, Fields 3-6, Johnson 2-4, Shaw 1-2, Kraemer 1-3), Idaho 4-16 (Ledbetter 2-6, Hopson 1-3, Johnson 1-5, de Souza 0-2). Fouled Out—Hunt. Rebounds—Nevada 30 (Babbitt 7), Idaho 42 (Hopson 7). Assists—Nevada 11 (Babbitt, Johnson 4), Idaho 14 (Hopson 8). Total Fouls—Nevada 16, Idaho 15. A—1,580.