Vandals take care of Highlanders behind Gonzalez’s 25

MOSCOW, Idaho – Midway through the first half, the game was tied 14:14, Kristian González scored on four straight possessions, a 10-0 Idaho run, giving the Vandals a 24-14 lead over UC Riverside. The Vandals never looked back, posting an 80-68 men’s basketball win over the Highlanders on Saturday afternoon at ICCU Arena.

The run brought Gonzalez 10 of 25 points, his career high, one of three Vandals in double figures. Idaho shot 28-59 (47.5%) from the field and outrebounded Riverside 33-32. The frontcourt had a 30-22 point advantage in the paint and a 17-7 point advantage in second-chance points.

The game was close at the start and both teams struggled to find an offensive rhythm. The Vandals led 7-3, but the Highlanders tied the game 9-9 and again at 14-9:56.

Gonzalez hit a putback layup to give the Vandals a 16-14 lead, then hit a three-pointer after a turnover to extend the lead to 19-14. Isaiah Brickner He got an assist on his third shot, a three-pointer, before Gonzalez shot to the rim for the fourth straight time to give Idaho a 24-14 lead with 7:47 left in the first half.

The Vandals continued to build their lead, extending the lead to 39-27 at halftime and extending the lead to as many as 22 (72-50) before the Highlanders closed the game with a 13-2 run to cut the lead 12 at the final buzzer.

“At this time of year, consistency is important for us. We showed Sparks play well offensively and defensively, but I thought the guys did it all for 37 minutes tonight,” said head coach Alex Pribble said. “They worked hard and stuck with it, so it’s good to get a win against a good, well-coached UC Riverside team.”

Kolton Mitchell scored a season-high 16 points on 5-10 shooting and contributed five assists in the win. Tyler Mr scored 13 points in the game. Kyson Rose grabbed seven rebounds and added a team-high five assists.

The Vandals had 18 assists on 28 shots made and turned the ball over just eight times.

Idaho (3-5) is next on the road in the Big Sky-Summit League Challenge on Wednesday, Dec. 4, at UMKC at 5 p.m.