POCATELLO, Idaho – Idaho State men's basketball leaned on second-half defensive toughness, rebounding resolve, and late-game composure to defeat the Idaho Vandals 76–68 Thursday night inside Reed Gym, extending the Bengals' home-floor dominance in the rivalry with a 10th consecutive victory over Idaho in Reed Gym.
Head coach Ryan Looney credited both the opponent and his team's response after halftime. Idaho entered as the Big Sky's top three-point shooting team, but Idaho State flipped the script over the final 20 minutes. "I was really impressed with our toughness defensively in the second half," Looney said. "We had a game plan to take away the three-point line, and I thought we did a really good job executing that the last 20."
That plan held the Vandals to 4-of-26 shooting from three-point range (15.4%), forcing Idaho to rely on twos. "At the end of the day, we were going to live with them trying to beat us with twos, not threes," Looney said.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The rivalry matchup was physical and tight early, with Idaho attacking the paint while Idaho State worked through some early rebounding struggles. Despite being outworked on the glass in the opening minutes, the Bengals stayed within striking distance behind steady guard play from Jamison Guerra.
Momentum swung late in the first half when Idaho State closed on a 11-2 run over the final 2:15, capped by a Martin Kheil three-pointer at the buzzer, giving the Bengals a 37–36 lead at the break. Looney later said the basket provided a needed jolt. "We came down at halftime feeling like we were winning and not playing very well," he said. "I think it gave us a boost for sure."
The second half belonged to Idaho State's defense and rebounding. After Idaho briefly countered by feeding the post, the Bengals adjusted their ball-screen coverage, took charges, and cleaned up the glass. "It got scary early because they tried to counter and go inside," Looney said. "But I liked the adjustment our players made after a few timeouts."
Late in the half, Idaho State seized control with a 8-0 run from the 5:29 mark to 2:47, sparked by consecutive stops and second-chance opportunities, Idaho State would not look back.
Down the stretch, Guerra calmly delivered at the line, knocking down the final two free throws in the game's closing seconds to seal the win. "I'm really proud of how our group competed on both ends, especially late in the second half," Guerra said. "We were kind of getting our butts kicked on the boards, and then we turned the tide late and ended up plus-three on the rebounds. That ended up winning the game."
PLAYER STATS
Idaho State's starting group was led by Guerra, who led the Bengals in scoring for the third straight game and recorded his third consecutive 20-point performance, finishing with 21 points and six assists. Looney summed it up simply. "Jamison is a winner," he said. "I think we've figured out exactly how to use him."
Martin Kheil added 14 points, highlighted by his momentum-swinging buzzer-beater before halftime, four rebounds, and two steals. Evan Otten contributed six points, three rebounds, and two blocks, anchoring the interior defensively, now sitting just two blocks away from 100 for his career and becoming 5th on the ISU Blocks All-Time Leaderboard. Lachlan Brewer chipped in five points and five rebounds, while Connor Hollenbeck added four points, one rebound, one block, and one steal in limited minutes due to foul trouble.
Off the bench, Caleb Van De Griend provided a strong scoring punch with 14 points, while Gus Etchison added seven points, including a pair of threes, and three assists. Cheikh Sow delivered a pivotal all-around effort with four points, a game-high 11 rebounds, and a block. Eight of Sow's rebounds came in the second half, many of them momentum-changing offensive boards. "Coach tells me every time I go in, just go out there and get stops and go," Sow said. "Then trust your teammates to make the next one."
Guerra made sure to point out Sow's impact. "This guy right here was an animal on the boards," Guerra said. "He really turned the tide for us."
Blake Daberkow, and Quin Patterson would each provide the Bengals with privotal minutes off the bench as well.
TEAM STATS
Idaho State shot 47.1 percent from the field, 42.1 percent (8-19) from three-point range, and 80.0 percent (20-25) at the free-throw line. The Bengals finished with 34 rebounds, nine assists, four blocks, five steals, and nine turnovers.
Idaho shot 41.5 percent overall, a season low 15.4 percent (4-26) from beyond the arc, and 64.5 percent (20-31) at the line, totaling 31 rebounds, eight assists, one block, seven steals, and nine turnovers.
BENGAL BITES
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Idaho State secured its 10th consecutive victory over Idaho in Reed Gym.
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The Bengals held the Vandals to a season-low 15.4% shooting from three-point range (4-of-26).
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Jamison Guerra led Idaho State in scoring for the third straight game and posted 20+ points for the third consecutive outing.
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Cheikh Sow recorded a game-high 11 rebounds, eight in the second half, repeatedly creating second-chance opportunities.
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Idaho State flipped the rebounding battle after halftime and limited Idaho to kist two made field goals over the final 9:23.
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Connor Hollenbeck was held to just four points scored, his second lowest scoring output of the season.
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Cheikh Sow is averaging 8.3 rebounds per game over the last three games.
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Jamison Guerra is averaging 23.0 points per game over the last three games.
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Evan Otten is just two blocks away from career block number 100, and it would also put him in 5th place in Idaho State's All-Time Blocks List.
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Quin Patterson's 13 minutes tonight were the most he has seen since he played 16 minutes versus Jusice University on Nov. 21st, 2025.
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Idaho State's 20 made free-throw's were tied for the 3rd most made FT's in a game this season for the Bengals, and their 80% was the highest FT% when making 20 or more FT's in a game this season
