Senior forward Djim Bandoumel dunks the basketball during Idaho's 76-70 loss against Hawaii. Bandoumel had a career-high 24 points in the contest. The loss was the third at home for the Vandals and drops them to a 11-10 overall record and 4-3 in the WAC.

Theo Lawson

Argonaut

A career night from Djim Bandoumel wasn’t enough to help the Vandal men’s basketball team escape the Cowan Spectrum with what would’ve been a fourth straight home WAC victory, Saturday night during their 76-70 loss to Hawaii.

Two nights following a win over San Jose State, Idaho lacked the defense for a consistent Hawaii offense that buried 56 percent of it’s shots.

The Warriors maintained the lead for almost 12 minutes during the first half and despite stealing their own lead on multiple occasions, the Vandals found themselves at a major disadvantage when junior center Kyle Barone picked up three early fouls in the first half.

Warriors center Vander Joaquim had a mismatch on Bandoumel and Joe Kammerer, picking apart the Vandal defense down low with his size and strength. 12 of Joaquim’s 18 points came in the first half, when the Angola native was 6-6 from the field.

However, Bandoumel’s physical presence created a headache for Hawaii coach Gib Arnold. Bandoumel’s career high 24 points included a 10-13 shooting performance from the field. The senior was also 4-4 from the charity stripe.

It was a night that saw the Warriors knock down their shots at seemingly all the right times, while their starters provided almost all of their team’s offensive production. The Hawaii bench combined for just six points, and four of their five starters tallied at least 15 points apiece.

Joaquim’s presence on the boards didn’t go unnoticed either, as he and Joston Thomas each grabbed nine rebounds.

For Idaho, Bandoumel was the star once again, with 24 points, two blocks and four rebounds. Stephen Madison impressed with 15 points and three assists.

The Vandals will hit the road for the first time since January 14 and visit Fresno State on February 2. Idaho beat the Bulldogs 63-59 in Moscow on January 7. Bandoumel was a perfect 6-6 from the field with 16 points, which was a then career high for the Quebec native.

Theo Lawson

Argonaut

Coach Don Verlin preached revenge during practice this week and that’s exactly what the Vandal men’s basketball team got during a 74-66 win over San Jose State Thursday in the Cowan Spectrum.

After the Spartans ended Idaho’s NCAA Tournament hopes at the 2011 WAC Tournament, Idaho utilized offensive rebounds and a red-hot shooting hand to keep San Jose State winless in conference and extend its home WAC win streak to three games.

“We knew we had to pick up our defensive intensity but I think more than anything we just needed to wear them down and I thought we did that as the half wore down,” Verlin said. “I thought we kept getting there on their shooters and contesting their shots and we just kind of wore them down as the game went on.”

The Spartans began the game convincingly as freshman guard DJ Brown scored eight of San Jose State’s first 10 points. Idaho proved guarding the perimeter is still an issue as the Spartans converted five of 10 first-half attempts.

A back-and-forth first half saw the lead change eight times and though the Spartans led by as many as nine, Idaho managed to gnaw the lead down to one as a Deremy Geiger 3-pointer sent the Vandals into the locker room trailing 37-36.

The Spartan sharpshooters were 51.9 percent from the field in the first half, while Idaho followed closely at 51.7 percent.

Idaho sought an offensive rhythm within minutes of the start of the second half through Geiger and junior center Kyle Barone. Geiger netted consecutive 3-pointers while Barone knocked down multiple jumpers to propel Idaho to a convincing 7-point lead.

The Spartans closed the Vandal lead to one but freshman Connor Hill hit his third 3-point shot of the game to return the lead to four.

Bandoumel, Barone and Stephen Madison found themselves in foul trouble late but Geiger became the savior once again and another three from the Las Vegas native helped Idaho to an 8-point lead.

“It was just teammates finding me open, setting screens and me having confidence to knock it down,” Geiger said. “It’s good that I made the seven 3s, but even better that we won the game.”

San Jose State’s Keith Shamburger sent an elbow to Bandoumel’s head, and following a timeout was called for a flagrant foul and immediately ejected.

Bandoumel said he wasn’t fazed by Shamburger’s physical play.

“We had the ball, I turned around and he elbowed me in the face. … He was what, 1 for 8 tonight, so I don’t care,” Bandoumel said.

The Spartans went ice cold from beyond the arch in the second half and ended the game 7-27 from 3-point range.

Bandoumel and Barone recorded double-doubles, for Bandoumel it was a career first. Despite four fouls, Barone proved essential in the paint, shooting 8-14 with 21 points. His 11 rebounds were also a game high.

“I definitely played good and I expect that out of myself every game. I’ve just been kind of down on myself maybe a little too much … Djim was telling me every time, ‘They can’t stop you,’” Barone said. “I have to come with that mindset every game.”

All 21 of Geiger’s points came from 3-point range as the senior went 7-10 from 3-point range.

The Vandals prepare for another rapid WAC turnaround and host Hawaii Saturday at 8 p.m. The Rainbow Warriors were 3-3 in the WAC and 11-9 before visiting Utah State Thursday night. Preseason WAC Player of the Year candidate and University of Arizona transfer Zane Johnson leads Hawaii with 15.8 points per game.

Johnson has scored 20-plus points on four occasions this season and tallied a season-high 29 points in the Warriors’ 91-87 over New Mexico State.

Argonaut

The Cowan Spectrum hasn’t been friendly to Utah State in recent years and Saturday night’s Vandal win over Don Verlin’s former squad wasn’t any different, as Idaho shocked the defending WAC champion Aggies 57-54.

Idaho, who trailed Utah State for the majority of the game, found a way back into it with two minutes remaining through the likes of senior Djim Bandoumel and sophomore Stephen Madison.

Down four, Bandoumel grabbed an offensive rebound and was fouled on the put back. Two Kyle Barone free throws tied the teams at 53 but Madison turned the ball over and was called for a defensive foul on the other end leading to a Danny Berger free throw.

Madison, who had suffered a toe injury earlier in the game, was 2-9 from the field with four points up until his fourth three-point attempt of the night found its way into the basket, giving the Vandals a two-point advantage.

A Mansa Habeeb free throw made it a three point game and Medlin’s final shot, contested by two Vandals, flew off of the back of the rim and into the hands of Bandoumel, who secured it for the Vandal win.

The decision to not start Bandoumel was one made by coach Verlin earlier in the week but the Quebec, Canada, native proved a crucial component to both the Vandals offensive and defensive efforts. Bandoumel was 6-9 from the field with a team high 16 points. He grabbed six rebounds in 32 minutes of play.

Medlin led all scorers with 17 points despite being 1-7 from three-point range. Idaho held WAC player of the year candidate Brockeith Pane to six points.

The Vandals continue their three-game home stand on Thursday against 0-5 San Jose State.