Pribble picks up 1st win as UI hoops coach

First-year Idaho men’s basketball coach Alex Pribble got his first win as a Division I coach with an 88-42 decision over Evergreen State of Olympia, Wash., on Tuesday at ICCU Arena in Moscow.

In a bit of irony, Pribble’s first-ever win as a head coach at Saint Martin’s also came against the Geoducks (88-76, Nov. 2, 2015).

“We’re so focused on getting better,” Pribble said. “End results are obviously a big part of it, but we’ve got 30 more of these games, and we’re in a one-bid conference, so for us, it is so much more about finding ways to improve, and I think our guys are doing a great job of that.”

Idaho ran away with things relatively early, and by the time there was 7:22 remaining in the first half, it was on a 13-2 run, catering to a 20-7 lead, and had made four of its last five field-goal attempts.

“I’m really proud of the guys,” Pribble said. “For us, every game is about finding ways to learn and improve, and I think after those first two games, we really tried to put an emphasis on rebounding and transition defense, and we made good strides in those areas tonight.”

Here’s what we learned following the Vandals’ rout of the Geoducks:

Improved on the glass

Idaho (1-2) was outrebounded 88-57 in its first two games, so to say Tuesday’s result was an improvement would be an understatement.

Idaho demolished Evergreen State (1-3) on the glass 60-23 and had a distinct 33-13 edge at halftime.

The Vandals were highlighted by juniors Kyson Rose and Terren Frank, who combined for 13 rebounds. Frank had a game-high eight boards.

“He’s the most skilled big I’ve ever played with,” Rose said of Franks. “He’s just a stud. He works hard, he plays hard, and when you’re on the court with him, you know you have a guy in the frontcourt who you can trust. He can get a bucket when you need it or a stop when you need it. T-Frank was a huge part of our success tonight, and I don’t think that’s going to change for the rest of the season.”“We needed to get better in that area, there were no doubts about it,” Pribble said. “And I trust that we will. We have a lot of skilled players. But really, as our execution improves, the value of the possessions will improve as well.”

An improved night of shooting the ball

Rose finished with 13 points, while Frank added nine. The pair of post players also shot at an improved clip, being a combined 9-for-16 (56%) while constantly facing pressure inside.

The pair led an offensive

charge that outscored Evergreen State 44

-4 from inside the paint.

Rose’s production wasn’t limited to the post, as he drilled his second 3-pointer of the season with 18:32 remaining in the second half to put the Vandals in front 45-19.

Idaho’s guard play also improved, with the Vandals dishing out 22 assists.

Junior guard EJ Neal had a flawless night of shooting, going 6-for-6 from the field for a game-high 15 points. He also added six rebounds and three steals.

“It feels good, but we’re not satisfied; we have a long journey ahead,” Neal said. “We just want to keep stacking and building day by day and attack the next opponent the same way we attacked tonight. We’re not complacent at all. It feels good, but we’re still hungry.”

Senior guard D’Angelo Minnis added seven points while dishing out four assists. Denker contributed eight points and three assists.

The Vandals even subbed in Lapwai High School graduate Titus Yearout late in the first half.

In Yearout’s first taste of college basketball, he finished with three points and a steal.

Struggles from range

Idaho finished 33-for-63 (52.4%) from the field, its best shooting performance of the season. But it struggled to convert the long ball, at least in the first half, finishing 4-of-19 (21.1%).

Denker buried a 3-pointer with 4:50

remaining in the firs

t half to increase Idaho’s lead to 28-12. Denker’s triple ended a streak of 12 straight missed 3s for Idaho.

“Our guys are just still nervous,” Pribble said. “They care so deeply, they want to perform so well, and they haven’t been here before, so we just have a little bit of nerves where they’re playing tight at the beginning of the game. They were the right shots. We have a good shooting team, we really do, and I think over time you’ll see that. But guys are playing a little tight and tentative right now, so we just need to go out there and be aggressive.”Jayden Upshaw 2-7 2-3 6, Elijah McLaughlin 2-8 2-3 7, Daniel Thomas 1-4 2-2 5, Zach Jones 1-3 0-0 2, Gunnar Harroun 1-7 0-0 2, Deondre Russ 1-8 0-4 3, Luke Brwer 1-4 0-0 2, Kohrey-Lee Bridges 1-4 0-0 2, Alex Glenn 0-4 0-0 0, Jaivion McLaughlin 2-7 0-0 5, Mubarak Michael 2-4 4-4 9, Jameel Morton 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 14-16 9-15 42.

IDAHO (1-2)

Julius M

ims 3-4

1-2 7, Kyson Rose 6-8 0-0 13, Trevon Blassingame 0-1 1-4 1, Quinn Denker 2-6 2-2 8,

D’Angelo Minnis 3-9 0-0 7, Terren Frank 3-8 3-4 9, Takai Hardy 3-4 0-0 6, Kristian Gonzalez 2-7 1-2 7, EJ Neal 6-6 1-1 15, Titus Yearout 1-3 1-2 3, Tyler Linhardt 1-1 1-2 3, Cooper Church 2-3 2-4 6, Jack Hatten 1-3 0-0 3. Totals 33-63 13-23 88.

Evergreen State 17 25—42

Idaho 40 46—88

Halftime — Idaho 40-17. 3-point goals — Evergreen State 5-24 (Russ 1-1, Michael 1-1, J. McLaughlin 1-4, Thomas 1-4, E. Mclauglin 1-5, Harroun 0-1, Brewer 0-1, Bridges 0-1, Upshaw 0-3; Idaho 9-29 (Neal 2-2, Denker 2-5, Gonzalez 2-6, Rose 1-2, Hatten 1-3, Minnis 1-7, Yearout 0-1, Church 0-1, Frank 0-1, Blassingame 0-1). Rebounds — Evergreen State 27 (Upshaw, Bridges 4); Idaho 60 (Frank 8). Assists — Evergreen State 9 (Upsh

aw E. McLaughlin 2); Idaho 22 (Denker, M

innis 4). Total fouls — Evergreen State 19, Idaho 14. Attendance — N/A