POCATELLO, Idaho – The Idaho State men's basketball team delivered its most complete performance of the season Thursday afternoon, rolling past Justice University 89–51 inside Reed Gym. After what both players and coaches described as a slow start, the Bengals erupted for 49 second-half points while holding Justice to just 19 after the break.
"We're still working on coming out stronger in the first half," captain Jamison Guerra said. "But I'm really proud of how we responded in the second half. We challenged ourselves to take away the three ball, and I think they only made two after halftime."
Head Coach Ryan Looney echoed the sentiment. "A little bit of a rough start, but I was happy with our response as the game went on," he said. "We were plus-23 on the glass and only turned it over four times. Those numbers allowed us to shoot it a bunch more than they did."
The Bengals improved to 3–3 on the season behind season-best outings from Caleb Van De Griend, Jamison Guerra, and Lachlan Brewer, with Van De Griend recording a dominant 29-point, 10-rebound double-double in just 19 minutes.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Early foul trouble for Connor Hollenbeck and Martin Kheil forced Idaho State to adjust its rotation, which Looney said "negatively impacted our defense early in the game." But the Bengals steadied themselves behind Van De Griend's interior scoring and Guerra's calm control of the offense.
"Some of the guys you mentioned — Jamison played all those minutes and never had a turnover," Looney noted. "Because of that, our team only turned it over four times."
Van De Griend said the team's unselfishness set the tone for his big night:
"We recognized we had the mismatch down low and they weren't doubling, so we just kept feeding it. I do good when my teammates do good around me — I benefit from them. We moved the ball well, only had four turnovers, and when we miss, we don't care because we're crashing the glass anyway. We see it as another pass."
Idaho State led 40–32 at halftime, but it was a fiery locker room that sparked the surge that followed.
"I think 'spirited coaching' would be the right way to explain it," Looney said. "We challenged ourselves to be more focused and play harder defensively. We also wanted to increase our tempo, and Jamison did a good job making that happen."
The Bengals were suffocating defensively in the final 20 minutes, limiting Justice to just two made threes and 21.9 percent shooting. Guerra credited recent changes in ISU's defensive schemes.
"We've made some tweaks," he said. "Earlier in the season we were really bad about taking away the three. That's in our control. The last two games we've shown we can make it tough on teams, so we just need to keep doing that."
Van De Griend also praised ISU's interior presence from himself, Evan Otten, and Blake Daberkow:
"Evan's a great defender down low — he had three blocks today in limited minutes. Blake's huge for us too. We go at each other in practice, and that makes us better. We learn how to finish tough shots and how to defend tough."
Brewer, making his first appearance off the bench this season, delivered his best scoring game of the year with 13 points. Guerra loved seeing his teammate step up:
"We all know what Lachlan is capable of. He's our Swiss Army knife. He can do a lot of things, and it was great to see him find different ways to be effective."
PLAYER STATS
The Bengal starters set the tone early. Connor Hollenbeck scored 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting to go with two rebounds, a block, and a steal before foul trouble shortened his minutes. Martin Kheil added nine points and four rebounds. Jamison Guerra totaled eight points, six assists, and zero turnovers in 25 minutes. Cheikh Sow posted seven points, five rebounds, and two steals, and Evan Otten anchored the paint with four points, a season-high nine rebounds, three blocks, and a steal.
And off the bench for the Bengals, Caleb Van De Griend delivered one of the top performances in the Big Sky this season, putting up 29 points and 10 rebounds on 12-of-14 shooting, his second double-double of the season. Lachlan Brewer added 13 points, four rebounds, and three assists and finished with a team-best +42 plus/minus. Blake Daberkow scored six points on perfect shooting, while Gus Etchison, Quin Patterson, Louis Bond, Landen Birley, and Kasen Carpenter all contributed strong minutes.
TEAM STATS
Idaho State shot 52.3 percent (34–65) from the field, 21.1 percent (4–19) from three, and 81.0 percent (17–21) from the line. ISU dominated the boards 46–23, including a 15–6 advantage in offensive rebounds. The Bengals tallied 56 points in the paint, 20 second-chance points, and a season-high 50 bench points.
Justice University shot 33.3 percent overall and was held to 21.9 percent shooting in the second half.
BENGAL BITES
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Idaho State posted its largest win of the season, winning by 38.
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Van De Griend recorded his second double-double of the season.
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Guerra totaled six assists and zero turnovers for the third time this year.
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Brewer had his best offensive outing of the season (13 points).
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Otten grabbed a season-high nine rebounds and blocked three shots.
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ISU controlled the paint with 56 points inside, the most in a game this season.
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The Bengals out-rebounded Justice 46–23, their largest margin of the season.
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ISU's 50 bench points were tied for the most in a game this season.
NEXT UP
Idaho State heads to Boise next week for the Holiday Hoops Classic, facing Sam Houston State on Wednesday, Nov. 26th and Cal State Northridge on Friday, Nov. 28th. The games will take place in the Idaho Central Arena, and tipoff is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. for both games.
SUPPORT THE BENGALS
Fans can purchase tickets at idahostate.evenue.net/list/Athl. The ISU Ticket Office can be reached at (208) 282-4093 or joyerin@isu.edu.
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