The Idaho women were blown out by the Fresno State Bulldogs in the quarterfinal round of the WAC Tournament. The Vandals were unable to get any offensive pressure in the first half, which put them in a hole they were unable to recover from. Photos courtesy of Ilya Pinchuk
Tag Archives: college basketball
Photo Gallery: Idaho Vandal basketball vs North Dakota
4 DecWe’ve got a big weekend ahead of us here in Moscow, Idaho, as Vandal football closes out their season and the men’s basketball squad hosts their first tournament in 21 years. Photographer Kate Kucharzyk caught up with the Vandals last night in their dominating win over North Dakota and snapped some highlight-reel quality plays from the young squad.
Don’t forget that Idaho has two more games, tonight at 8 p.m. against Monmouth and will close out the Basketball Travelers Classic on Sunday against Eastern Michigan.
Photo Gallery: Idaho men’s basketball versus Portland
21 NovThe Vandal men’s basketball squad allowed a big second-half run by an opposing team for the second game in a row, and the outcome of a 66-53 loss to Portland was the result. The Vandals lost at home in the confines of the Memorial Gym for the first time since coach Don Verlin took control of the team. Under Verlin, the team was perfect in defending their home turf, going 9-0.
Photographer Kate Kucharzyk was at the game and snapped some shots of the action. Hats off to Kate, and we hope you enjoy.
Photo Gallery double-feature: Football and Basketball
7 NovOh boy, was it a rough night for Vandal fans yesterday. We’ve been wracking our brain to spin some sort of positive on Idaho’s embarrassing blow-out loss to Nevada on home, but when you give up an astounding 844 yards of total offense…well, it’s slim pickings. At least quarterback Nathan Enderle didn’t throw any interceptions, and had a sweet 75-yard bomb to Justin Veltung for an Idaho touchdown, but beyond that it was all downhill.
Some more quick stats and facts:
- Idaho returned the ball down the length of the field twice, compiling 155 yards, but each return was followed by a last-second fumble, which Nevada recovered nullifying Idaho’s drive.
- The 844 offensive yards are a school record for Nevada. The sad part? It could have been worse, as Nevada chose to ease off the gas in the final quarter. No joke, from the sidelines, it could have easily been 100-17.
- Nevada had three rushers with 100+ yards….and one of them wasn’t Kaepernick!
- Speaking of the talented QB, Kaepernick went 20-30 with five touchdown passes. With 20 completions and five touchdown passes, our intricate knowledge of basic arithmetic tells us that every four passes Kaepernick threw a touchdown. W…O…W
- Idaho’s running game averaged a laughable 3.6 yards per carry.
- Idaho dropped to below .500, they are now 4-5, for the first time since 2008.
We’ll have a broader overview of Idaho’s loss Monday after we chat with Akey and the team has some time to review the film. For now, however, our resident photographer Kate Kucharzyk snapped some shots of the Vandals loss.
Fans hoping for a post-game bummer cure were sorely disappointed if they followed the men’s basketball team’s game against LCSC. The Vandals had trouble closing out the NANI school, missing shots and assignments all night and leaving the game in doubt until the final buzzer. Idaho won, but it wasn’t a pretty win by any standard. As much as it pains us to say it, should the Vandals, who shot 34 percent in the second half and finished the game with less than a 45 percent success rate from the floor against a team which it was expected to dominate, are looking at a long season if they continue this style of play heading into the season opener against Easter Oregon.
A sloppy game didn’t stop Kate from snapping some nice-looking shots of the men in action, which we share with you. Enjoy.
Video spotlight: Djim Bandoumel
4 NovThe Vandal men’s basketball team is in full stride, preparing for one more exhibition game against Lewis-Clark State College before opening the season against Eastern Oregon. During our weekly show tonight on local channel 8, we will be taking a look at a young man making a big difference for the Idaho Vandals…but if you don’t want to wait that long, you can catch the piece right here, right now.
Djim Bandoumel is a junior college transfer player who has some uniqueness among him — the most obvious being he played for the Canadian Men’s Development National team, the Canadian version of the Olympic Development teams here in America. Bandoumel was kind enough to give us some of his time to discuss his life, and his impact on the Idaho Vandal squad.
We’ll also have a in-depth written story for Bandoumel at some point this week for those who are more text savvy :)
Photo Gallery: Men’s Basketball vs NCU
2 NovSlightly behind the times, but thanks to the hard work of our resident photographer Kate Kucharzyk, we have a very nice-looking slideshow of Idaho’s huge win over Northwest Christian University in the Vandals first exhibition game. Dunks and transitions baskets galore, all of which were captured by Kate’s camera.
Hope you enjoy them, and if you like this, just wait to see what we’ve got in store for this weekend, when men’s and women’s basketball, as well as football and swimming, all have home games. We’ve got big plans, and as a now-famous coach once said, “You’re gonna love it!”
Idaho’s tournament dreams denied
11 MarRENO, Nev. — In four minutes and 39 seconds of the first half of Idaho’s Western Athletic Conference Tournament quarterfinal matchup against Nevada, the Vandals’ dreams of making it to the NCAA Tournament were shattered. The remaining 25 minutes of play were merely a formality.
After giving up a 13-2 run to open the game, Idaho clawed back in with red-hot outside shooting from Luciano de Souza, putting the Vandals within striking distance of Nevada midway through the first half. The homestanding Wolf Pack led, 27-21, with 9:43 remaining in the period, but all the momentum was with the black-clad Idaho squad.
Wolf Pack guard Brandon Fields, however, had other plans.
In a minute and 14 seconds, Fields drained back-to-back 3-pointers and slammed home a dunk, making for a personal 8-0 run. Add a pair of Luke Babbitt jumpers and all of a sudden, the Vandals trailed by 18 points with 5:04 to play in the first half. Nevada’s advantage would never be less than double digits the rest of the way.
Idaho fell to the Wolf Pack tonight, 87-71, ending a season that has been, for the Vandals, a frustrating campaign of unfulfilled potential.
“We had a lot of adversity this season, but we’ve kept fighting,” Idaho coach Don Verlin said. “We beat a Top 25 team, we went on the road and won in Utah and I can’t tell you how proud I am of my seniors. There’s so many positives, but it’s still tough to go out like this.”
The Vandals finish the season with a 15-16 record, 6-10 in WAC regular-season play. Nevada (20-11, 11-5 WAC) continues to the semifinals, where they’ll play New Mexico State tomorrow.
On the night, Nevada shot 55 percent from the floor and 55 percent from downtown, while holding Idaho to just 40 and 30 percent, respectively. The Vandals simply couldn’t get the ball in the basket.
The stat sheet tells the tale. After a red-hot 8-for-14 performance from downtown against Hawaii, Steffan Johnson went ice-cold, hitting just one of eight shots from the floor and missing all five attempts from beyond the arc. Mac Hopson shot just 4-for-16 and Shawn Henderson could convert only three of his 11 tries. Another double-double night from Marvin Jefferson — 14 points on 6-11 shooting to go with 10 rebounds — and a career-best 20 points from de Souza couldn’t make up for the lack of backcourt production.
Vandal Nation Live in Reno: (7) Idaho at (2) Nevada
11 MarRENO, Nev. — It’s a tough challenge, being the No. 7 seed facing off against a No. 2 seed. It’s even tougher when you’re playing the No. 2 seed on their own home floor.
That’s the task facing the Idaho Vandals tonight in the Lawlor Events Center, as they square off against the Nevada Wolf Pack in a Western Athletic Conference Tournament quarterfinal. The winner goes on to the WAC Tournament semifinals tomorrow.
Don Verlin’s squad has struggled to find consistency this year, as chemistry and mental lapses cost the Vandals valuable victories. Idaho’s season, which started so promisingly with an upset of Utah in Salt Lake City, now comes down to this game. Win, and the dream is alive. Lose, and it’s back to Moscow for the long wait until November.
Can the Vandals pull off the improbable bracket upset? Join us, live from courtside, and find out.
Complete pregame coverage begins at 5:30 p.m., with tipoff at 6.
Click here for Vandal Nation Live commentary, analysis and chat!
Good Afternoon Vandal Nation: WAC Tournament Day 2
11 MarRENO, Nev. — We’re back in the Lawlor Events Center for the second day of quarterfinal action in the 2010 Western Athletic Conference Basketball Tournament.
The bracket for the men’s quarterfinals looks like this:
(1) Utah State vs. (8) Boise State — noon
(4) Louisiana Tech vs. (5) Fresno State — 2:30 p.m.
(2) Nevada vs. (7) Idaho — 6 p.m.
(3) New Mexico State vs. (6) San Jose State — 8:30 p.m.
We’ll have complete liveblog coverage of the Vandals/Wolf Pack showdown, with pregame analysis starting at 5:30 p.m., tip at 6.
The winners will play Friday in the semifinals, with the 1/8 and 4/5 winners squaring off in one matchup, the 2/7 and 3/6 winners in the other.
Yesterday, Idaho’s women made history, becoming the first Vandal team to reach the semifinals in any WAC basketball tournament since Idaho joined the conference in 2005. They defeated New Mexico State, 75-63, and will play the No. 1 seeded Fresno State Bulldogs on Friday at noon.
Men’s basketball
- For a complete rundown on the day’s conference tournament action across the mid-major leagues, check out The Mid-Majority’s Tourney Central.
- Follow us on Twitter — @VandalNation — for live courtside scoring updates throughout the WAC Tournament.
- The Spokesman-Review’s Josh Wright has a game preview of this evening’s Idaho/Nevada showdown.
- Nick Jezierny of the Idaho Statesman looks at Boise State’s final chance to make something of a disappointing season. Nick also checks in with a quicky on Idaho’s win over NMSU and storylines to watch this week.
- The Nevada Sagebrush is all over the WAC Tournament.
- Idaho’s “sneaky” squad could pose a threat to the Wolf Pack’s NCAA Tournament hopes — at least, so says the Reno Gazette-Journal’s Chris Murray.
- Kraig Williams, a very good friend of the Vandal Nation, is liveblogging everything for Rush the Court. (h/t to Parsing the WAC.)
- Also check out the Las Cruces Bulletin’s courtside coverage.
Good Morning Vandal Nation: WAC Tournament Day 1
10 MarRENO, Nev. — A light dusting of snow fell on the Washoe Valley last night, as the eight Western Athletic Conference women’s basketball teams which qualified for the tournament get ready to play this afternoon. Four of their NCAA Tournament dreams will end today.
The bracket for the women’s tourney looks like this:
(1) Fresno State vs. (8) Hawaii — noon
(4) Idaho vs. (5) New Mexico State — 2:30 p.m.
(3) Nevada vs. (6) Boise State — 6 p.m.
(2) Louisiana Tech vs. (7) Utah State — 8:30 p.m.
The 1/4 game winner and the 2/3 game winner will play Friday in the semifinals.
We’ll go live from courtside at 2 p.m. for pregame coverage of the Idaho/New Mexico State matchup.
Men’s basketball
- Jared Eborn reports on Utah State coach Stew Morrill getting a slap on the wrist from WAC commish Karl Benson. Apparently, he said something naughty to NMSU guard Jahmar Young, who had just been T’ed up. (h/t to Parsing the WAC)
- Continuing the trend, Eborn talks to Stew about the Aggies’ NCAA chances. Unsurprisingly, he thinks USU should be in. (So do we, by the way.)
- The Lewiston Tribune’s Dale Grummert has more on the Kashif Watson kerfuffle, noting that the suspended guard has now protected his Twitter page.
- The Wall Street Journal has a brutal take on the Mid-American Conference’s competitive woes.
- The Mid-Majority talks to court-rushing gurus Marco Anskis and Eric “Extra P” Angeline in TMM’s Second Annual Floor-Storming Symposium. (Someone needs to get a Ph.D in post-game celebrations.)
Watson to miss WAC Tourney; career at Idaho over
9 MarSPOKANE, Wash. — Idaho men’s basketball coach Don Verlin confirmed to us this afternoon that senior guard/forward Kashif Watson remains on suspension and will not travel with the team to this week’s Western Athletic Conference Tournament.
Verlin declined to comment further on the matter.
Watson was suspended indefinitely last week after Spokesman-Review writer Josh Wright uncovered comments made on Twitter which were harshly critical of Verlin’s leadership of the team.
The decision effectively ends Watson’s career with the Vandals, barring a seemingly-unlikely reinstatement for potential post-season play. Watson, who hails from Las Vegas, joined the team as a junior college transfer and was the Vandals’ second-leading scorer this season, averaging 10.7 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists per game. In 62 career games, Watson started 60 times, scoring 651 points and grabbing 201 rebounds in 1,838 minutes.
Ironically, in what would be his final game as a Vandal, Watson banked in a 75-foot buzzer-beating shot just before the halftime break in Idaho’s 86-76 win over San Jose State. The miracle bucket earned him the No. 2 spot on that night’s SportsCenter Top 10 Plays.
WAC Tournament Pre-info
9 MarMOSCOW — We are getting ready to depart for Reno and the Western Athletic Conference Tournament! This space will have much more preview stuff up throughout the day, but here’s a rundown of where the Vandals stand:
Women:
Jon Newlee’s squad has made a miracle turnaround after losing leading scorer Derisa Taleni to an injury before the first game was played. The Vandals won just two games in non-conference action, but finished .500 in WAC play to nab the No. 4 seed in Reno. They’ll take on No. 5 New Mexico State at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday. We’ll go live from courtside at 2 o’clock.
Men:
Don Verlin’s second year has been a roller-coaster ride, and unfortunately much of the conference season was a downward plunge. The Vandals’ 6-10 WAC record was good for only the No. 7 seed in the tournament, and on Thursday they’ll face the No. 2 seed, a very talented Nevada squad on the Wolf Pack’s home floor. That game is the prime-time battle, tipping at 6 p.m., and we’ll go live at 5:30.
Finally, a huge thank you to all who have donated to help make this trip possible — or at least, possible without ruining my credit score! We’ll have more on that later, too.
Vandal Nation Live: Idaho vs. Hawaii
6 MarIt’s Senior Day in Moscow, as the Idaho Vandals look to clinch the 7-seed in next week’s Western Athletic Conference Tournament by defeating the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors in both team’s regular-season finale.
But the Vandals will have to do it without second-leading scorer Kashif Watson, who’s been suspended indefinitely by Don Verlin after making Twitter posts critical of the second-year coach.
That’s going to put big pressure on guys like Shawn Henderson, Jeff Ledbetter and the rest of Idaho’s bench, who will have to put up big numbers to help cover for Watson’s absence.
This will be the final Vandal Nation Live home Webcast of the season. We will be on the road in Reno starting Wednesday for complete coverage of the WAC Tournament, as Idaho’s men and women fight for the conference’s pair of automatic bids.
Honored will be graduating seniors Mac Hopson, Marvin Jefferson, Luciano de Souza and Steffan Johnson.
Join us for Senior Day pregame coverage at 4:30 p.m., tip at 5.
Click here for Vandal Nation Live commentary, analysis and chat!
