by MISSOULA, Mont. – The Idaho men’s basketball team’s late rally fell short against Montana, 67-63, on Saturday evening. The Vandals (5-12, 1-5 BSC) were down just two with three seconds remaining, but the conference-leading Griz (10-8, 6-1 BSC) hit free throws late to seal the victory.
THE GAME
The Vandals jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead, forcing a timeout by the Griz. With Idaho holding a 9-4 lead, Montana went on a 9-0 run to take a four-point lead of its own. The home side led by as many as six points, but the Vandals always battled back. A last second shot by Sayeed Pridgett gave the Grizzlies a 31-27 lead at halftime.
The first 10 minutes of the second half were back-and-forth. However, a five-minute scoring drought by the Vandals allowed Montana to slowly increase their lead until Quinton Forrest sealed off his man and scored underneath to cut the deficit to 55-48. Idaho refused to lay down, as they slowly chipped away. A three-pointer by Damen Thacker with three seconds left brought the visitors within two. However, Kyle Owens calmly made his two free throws after being fouled to put the Griz lead back to two possessions, securing the conference victory.
Trevon Allen (Umatilla) led the Vandals with 23 points and six rebounds. Scott Blakney also reached double figures, chipping in 12 points.
THE NOTES
Trevon Allen reached 20 points for the 13th time this year, including eight of the last nine games.
The Vandals turned the ball over 17 times, although Montana only scored nine points off those turnovers.
Idaho and Montana each pulled down 35 rebounds. Each team scored 26 points in the paint.
The Vandals dropped their third straight game by four or less points.
The second half was even, with each team scoring 36 points in the period.
THE NAME
Trevon Allen. Allen once again led the Vandals in scoring, putting up 23 points. The senior also led the squad in rebounding, pulling down six boards. Allen is now at 1045 career points, good for 16th in school history.
