by MOSCOW, Idaho– Vandal men’s basketball fell short to Portland State (69-76) despite attempting a nail-biting recovery after a first half deficit.
With only 19 points to Portland’s 39, the first half performance by the Vandals was outside their usual pace. Idaho was first on the board with a Julius Mims alley-oop, but the Vikings quickly took the lead 6-5 in the first four minutes and continued to cushion their lead as the half went on. The three-point shots, which UI does more often and more successfully than anyone in the league, had a hard time falling in the opening minutes, as the black and gold made only 3-14 (21.4%) at the break, two of which came in the final stretch.
Entering the second half, Idaho continued to trail and was forced to adjust defensively. These tweaks plus plentiful rotations helped the Vandals start to trim the fat of the deficit. Enter Titus Yearout, who came off the bench and battled with his brothers to keep pace with the Vikings. This hard work paid off for Yearout when he made his first three-pointer since the non-conference slate… and then another. Tack on a Jayden Stevens three-pointer, and a Portland State lead that was 25 strong at the 8:20 mark was down to just six.
Idaho battled through the finish but despite their hard work, they still came up short as the clock ran out. Though this was not the outcome the Vandals were hoping for.
