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t>Power of gold
D
on Monson expected
company atop the Big
Sky Conference race
during the year. Despite his
warnings, many people
automatically predicted Idaho
to capture their third consecutive
conference championship,
host the playoffs,
and earn another trip to the
NCAA playoffs. But nobody
told Montana, and the
Grizzlies proceeded to sweep
the regular-season two-game
series from the Vandals,
knocking Idaho from its usually
padded position at the top
and forcing a wild, four-team
scramble among Idaho, Montana,
Nevada-Reno, and
Weber State for the right to
host the post-season tournament.
And the winner wasn't
decided until the final
weekend.
The Vandals began their
conference schedule in
uneasy style as they barely
escaped upset-hungry
Northern-Arizona 58-55 and
then traveled to Reno, Nevada
to face Nevada-Reno. Reno
was too much for the Vandals
as Idaho blew a 28-7 first-half
lead to fall to the Wolfpack
73-69 in overtime.
Following the less-thanimpressive
road trip, Idaho
returned home to take out their
frustrations in a 59-44 victory
over highly-touted Weber
State.
Merely hours after the
game, the team traveled to
Spokane, Washington to catch
an airplane for South Carolina
in a non-conference, nationally
televised game.
Idaho rallied from as many
as seven points down in thesecond
half to take a 53-52 lead
with about two minutes left.
However, the fatigue of a long
trip finally caught up to the
Vandals as they dropped the
heartbreaker 56-54, and headed
back into conference play
with a 13-3 overall record and
a 2-1 conference mark.
The dreaded Montana trip
was next, and for the second
year in a row Montana knocked
off the Vandals in Missoula
59-49. Two nights later,
however, the Vandals broke
out of their slump with a 66-38
rout of Montana State.
Idaho State invaded the
dome the following week and
found Idaho in top form as the
Vandals routed the Bengals
87-70 for their second straight
blowout, raising their conference
record to 4-2, 15-4
overall.
It was then on to the state
capital and a mat~h-up with
inter-state rival BotSe State. A
record Bronco crowd watched
as Idaho blew out Boise 67-56
for the Vandals' sixth straight
win over the Broncos.
Fallowing the win in Boise,
Idaho returned to Moscow to
prepare for their biggest home
stand of the season - the
Montana schools.
Idaho opened up Thursday
with a lackluster performance
while beating Montana State
continued [>
In the bag.
Head coach Don Monson jumps off
the bench with emotion in the closing
moments of the Far West Cham·
pionship game. Assistants Rod
Snook and Barry Collier also
celebrate following the play. (photo
by T. Treick}
19 2 Men's Basketball