BOISE - Derrick Marks scored a season-high 31 points to help Boise State overcome a career-best performance by Idaho's Mike Scott and win 86-75 on Tuesday night at CenturyLink Arena for their sixth consecutive victory against their in-state rivals.

"[Marks] is a good player," Idaho coach Don Verlin said. "He's probably an NBA guy. He drives to the basket and we do not have a great guy to guard him. He's just a darn good player."

Nick Duncan scored 15 points, Anthony Drmic added 14 and Mikey Thompson 12 for Boise State (4-1). The Broncos outshot the Vandals 54.9 percent from the field to 44.6 percent and made 21 of 27 free throws.

Scott scored 31 points on 11-of-17 shooting from the field and 6 of 7 from beyond the arc for Idaho (2-2). Bira Seck scored 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, and Connor Hill scored 14.

"We did some good things and we did some bad things," Verlin said. "Offensively in the second half I thought we did very well. We shot the ball from the perimeter well. Mike Scott stepped up and played the best game of his career. We just were not tough enough to get it done tonight."

Idaho took a 19-17 lead on a 3-pointer by Hill at 11: 37 but only managed one field goal the rest of the first half. Marks netted 12 points in a 14-5 run the Broncos used to end the half and take a 38-28 halftime lead.

After trailing 42-28 early in the second half, the Vandals nearly clawed back behind Scott.

see VANDALS, B2

Idaho used an 18-5 run to pull within 47-46 on a layup by Seck with 11:19 remaining, but back-to-back second-chance 3-pointers by Igor Hadziomerovic and Marks pushed Boise State's lead back to seven. The Vandals never got closer than four points in the final 8 minutes.

Scott's six 3s were a career high, and his five assists tied a career high.

The size of BSU was the cause of Idaho's frustrations. The Broncos outscored Idaho 36-18 in the paint. They also recorded 25 defensive rebounds, limiting the Vandals to nine offensive boards and six second-chance points.

"This game is fun," Verlin stated. "We enjoy coming down here, but we would like to get one at home for the northern Vandals. It is disappointing for our home fans that they do not get to see one of the biggest games of the year. We always look forward to coming down here and we look forward to this rivalry and the competition."

TIP-INS

Idaho: Verlin lost his sixth consecutive game to rival Boise State and was denied his 100th career victory at Idaho. Verlin, in his seventh season, started 3-1 against the Broncos but has yet to defeat current BSU coach Leon Rice in the annual series. After playing an annual home and home series for 40 years, the teams now play once a year at a neutral site.

Boise State: Senior forward Anthony Drmic made three 3-point baskets against Idaho to up his career total to 211, moving him into a tie for fourth place on the school's all-time list. The school record is 266 by Coby Karl, set from 2003-2007. Drmic has made at least 57 3-pointers per season in a Boise State uniform.

UP NEXT

Idaho hosts Northern Kentucky on Saturday.

Boise State visits North Carolina State on Friday.