Vandals score overtime win over Weber State on Senior Day - SWX Right Now-Sports for Spokane, CdA, Tri-Cities, WA

by Idaho Athletics

MOSCOW, Idaho - It took five minutes longer than expected, but the Vandals got the job done, as Idaho (15-12, 10-6 BSC) defeated Weber State (16-11, 11-5 BSC), 83-78, in overtime on Saturday afternoon.  The Vandals celebrated senior day prior to tipoff, bidding Pat Ingram and Ty Egbert farewell

THE GAME

Idaho used the extra emotions from senior day to help control much of the first half, leading by as many as 12 points early on.  Weber State would fight back to cut that Idaho advantage to just 38-33 at the break, then would go on to tie the game early in the second.

The Vandals didn't falter, however, holding onto a lead for most of the second half, but couldn't seem to put the Wildcats away.

Things got crazy at the end.  Idaho went up by eight with 35 seconds to play after a pair of free throws from Trevon Allen.  The Wildcats immediately hit a 3-pointer going the other way and were the benefactors to an unfortunate bounce from the Vandals at the free throw line on the next trip.  After a missed 3-point attempt, preseason Player of the Year selection Jeremy Senglin got the offensive board and was fouled, hitting both free throws to make it a three-point game.

Another tough trip to the line gave Weber State another shot.  Idaho elected to foul early, eliminating the option for a 3-pointer to tie.  Senglin drained both.  After Jordan Scott knocked down two the other way, Idaho elected to foul again, up three with under two seconds to play.

Senglin hit the first then intentionally missed the second.  With a number of bodies hitting the hardwood, a foul on the Vandals was the call, giving Weber State two shots, down two, with 0.1 seconds to play.  Kyndahl Hill hit them both, forcing overtime.

Neither team scored a bucket in overtime, with both squads going 0-of-4 from the floor and 0-of-2 from beyond the arc.  Idaho, however, was more active on the glass, at it had been all game long.  The Vandals grabbed three offensive boards in the overtime, gaining extra possessions.  In the end, it came down to free throws, where the Vandals hit 9-of-10 and the Wildcats made just four, giving Idaho the 83-78 win.

Rebounding was huge for the Vandals, as Idaho grabbed 43 to just 32 by Weber State.  The Vandals had 17 offensive boards on the night.

Trevon Allen led the way with 25 points, a career-best, while Arkadiy Mkrtychyan added 13 points off the bench.  Nate Sherwood chipped in with eight points and 11 boards, while Chad Sherwood had nine points on 3-of-5 shooting from beyond the arc.

THE NAME

Trevon Allen.  Allen scored a career-best 25 points, including three 3's and a perfect 14-of-14 mark at the free throw line.  The freshman stepped back into the starting lineup on Saturday and made the most of it, controlling the tempo for the Vandals and performing with poise under pressure.

THE QUOTES

"It's always good to get a home win, and it's very nice to send these seniors out like that, no question about that," said head coach Don Verlin.

"We've been talking all year long about being 15 strong.  I tell guys all the time, there's going to be a time during the season that each and every one of them is going to help us win a game, and obviously Trevon was something special tonight.  We had a number of guys step up and play well and that's something that we've talked about a lot.  It doesn't matter who's out there, it's the product that we put on the floor.  I thought those guys we put on the floor tonight played really hard and battled, and fought through a ton of adversity to find a way to beat a good Weber State team."

THE NOTES
· Idaho is now a perfect 9-0 on senior days under Don Verlin
· Idaho has won 17 straight home games in February/March
· Idaho has won eight straight games in Memorial Gym in February/March
· Trevon Allen netted a career-best 25 points
· Allen went 14-14 from the line, the third best performance in Idaho history
· Jordan Scott had the same number of offensive rebounds as Weber State (7)