Vandals can't extend Aggies' slide
MOSCOW - The University of Idaho men's basketball team couldn't get stops early on one side and didn't maintain any offensive rhythm in a 77-67 loss to Utah State on Thursday at the Cowan Spectrum.
Despite falling into a deep early hole at 18-3 six minutes in, Idaho climbed back within two with a 15-2 scoring run. After going into the half down 31-25, Idaho (8-12, 4-6 Western Athletic Conference) kept USU's lead within two possessions for the first portion of the second half until a crucial stretch.
Vandals senior guard Mansa Habeeb hit a contested 3-pointer - just his second of the season - to pull Idaho within 46-44 with 10:55 to play. The Vandals didn't make another field goal for the next 7:16. Meanwhile, USU's TeNale Roland notched back-to-back 3-pointers to spur a 17-3 Aggies scoring run that extended the lead to 63-47 with 3:46 to play.
"We make two defensive errors in a row - we go under two-consecutive ball screens - and give him (Roland) wide-open 3s," Idaho coach Don Verlin said. "Then we turned it over a couple unforced times and it snowballed on us."
Idaho extended the game by fouling for the final three-plus minutes, but could pull no closer than 10 after Utah State (15-5, 6-4) extended its lead to a game-high 17 points at the 3:27 mark.
The Vandals, who had out-rebounded their last six opponents, were held to a season-low 16 rebounds and a season-worst negative-11 rebounding margin. It was just the fourth time this season that Idaho has been out-rebounded. The team entered the game ranked 25th in the NCAA with a plus-7.0 rebounding margin.
"When we were able to get the stops, it seemed like they'd get the offensive rebounds," Verlin said. "They missed 19 shots and they get eight of them back. It's hard to beat a team when they get that. We weren't quick enough in our rotations and they just physically dominated us in the paint."
USU's Jarred Shaw led all players with 27 points on 12-of-15 shooting, along with nine rebounds. Guard Marcel Davis added 16 points and Spencer Butterfield posted a double-double with 11 points and 10 boards.
Sophomore guard Connor Hill, a former Post Falls High standout, and junior guard Stephen Madison tied for the Idaho lead with 14 points apiece, while junior guard Robert Harris added 13 points and senior center Kyle Barone scored 11 points and grabbed seven rebounds while dealing with foul trouble a large portion of the game.
As a team, Idaho shot 25 of 47 (.532) overall and 10 of 19 (.526) from 3-point range. The 10 made 3-pointers were a team season high for the season. The Vandals entered the game shooting a WAC-best .775 from the free-throw line, but went just 7 of 13 (.538) on Thursday.
Utah State went 28 of 47 (.596) from the floor — an Idaho opponent season high — and added a 6 of 13 (.462) clip from long range. The Aggies converted 15 of their 19 free throws for a 78.9 percentage.
“They’re very good defensively,” Verlin said of the Spartans. “I’ve seen in the stats that they’re a very good defensive team. They’ve got some good size, they’re a very good rebounding team and they play with a lot of heart.”
The Vandals host San Jose State on Saturday.
UTAH ST. (15-5)
Davis 4-9 8-10 16, Clifford 2-3 0-1 5, Shaw 12-15 3-3 27, Jean 2-4 0-0 6, Butterfield 4-9 2-3 11, Lopez 0-0 0-0 0, Roland 2-5 2-2 8, Stone 2-2 0-0 4. Totals 28-47 15-19 77.
IDAHO (8-12)
Harris Jr. 5-10 1-2 13, C. Hill 5-9 0-0 14, McChristian 3-5 0-0 8, Barone 4-7 3-6 11, Madison 5-11 3-4 14, Douglas 0-0 0-0 0, Habeeb 2-2 0-0 5, Borton 0-0 0-0 0, Kammerer 0-2 0-1 0, Faines 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 25-47 7-13 67.
Halftime_Utah St. 31-25. 3-Point Goals_Utah St. 6-13 (Roland 2-2, Jean 2-4, Clifford 1-1, Butterfield 1-4, Davis 0-2), Idaho 10-19 (C. Hill 4-7, Harris Jr. 2-4, McChristian 2-4, Habeeb 1-1, Madison 1-3). Fouled Out_None. Rebounds_Utah St. 27 (Butterfield 10), Idaho 16 (Barone 7). Assists_Utah St. 9 (Butterfield 4), Idaho 14 (McChristian 4). Total Fouls_Utah St. 13, Idaho 17. A_1,190.