BIG SKY MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: Vandals are dancing

From wire and news services and local reports 

BOISE — With 24.6 seconds left, the clock nearing midnight in the Treasure Valley and Kolton Mitchell headed to the free throw line and the game well in hand, a roar began to rise from the pro-Idaho Vandal crowd at Idaho Central Arena.  

For the first time in 36 years, the Idaho Vandals — emphasis on Idaho — are headed back to the NCAA tournament. 

Playing an impressive second half, seventh-seeded Idaho beat the fourth-seeded Montana Grizzlies 77-66 to win the Big Sky Conference tournament Wednesday night at Idaho Central Arena. 

“Hard to describe. I don’t have any words for it. Speechless,” Idaho associate head coach Brandon Laird said on the Vandals postgame radio show. "When we were up about 10, I finally felt we could exhale and breathe.” 

Isaiah Brickner had 23 points and 10 rebounds — his first double-double of the season — for Idaho (21-14), which advanced to the NCAAs for the fifth time in program history — and first since 1990. 

Brody Rowbury, the big guy from Meridian High, added 12 points. Mitchell, the redshirt sophomore from Lake City High, had 11 points, five rebounds and three assists. Trevon Blassingame added 10 points. 

“This is my second time around, but this time I’m actually playing, so this is going to be a lot more fun,” said Idaho’s Jack Payne, who played at Boise High and at Owyhee High. He made the NCAAs as a redshirt freshman at Colorado State. “I just think we have the confidence we can beat anybody now.” 

The Vandals will learn the destination for their first game Sunday, when the Field of 68 is announced (3 p.m., KREM)

Idaho was playing in its first conference tourney final since 2014, when the Vandals were in the Western Athletic Conference. 

It was the Vandals’ first appearance in the Big Sky title game since 1993. 

Playing for the fourth time in five nights, Idaho became the first team to win four games in the Big Sky tournament. 

Before the tourney, Idaho hadn’t won more than two games in a row. 

“We had a lot of conversations during the season,” Laird said. “We felt we hadn’t clicked yet, but we believed in our team, and we stuck together.” 

Under third-year coach Alex Pribble, the Vandals have their most victories since they also won 21 games in 2015-16. 

It capped a wonderful day for Vandal fans in Boise. Earlier in the day, the Idaho women won the Big Sky tournament to punch its ticket to the NCAAs.  

Montana (18-16) was bidding for 14th NCAA bid, and second straight. 

Montana’s Money Williams, the Big Sky’s leading scorer, playing through an apparent stomach bug, finished with 19 points on 7-of-16 shooting, including 1 of 6 from deep. 

With Blassingame and Biko Johnson doing most of the dirty work, the Vandals face-guarded Williams, doubled him, triple-teamed him at times, daring the other Griz to beat them. 

They couldn’t, and the Vandals slowly pulled away, with strong defense and guards attacking the hoop. 

Rowbury drilled a 3-pointer from the top of the key with just over 16 minutes left in the game to put Idaho up 37-35. 

The Vandals never trailed again. 

Rowbury hit another 3 with 8:32 left to boost Idaho’s lead to 53-43 

The Vandals led by as much as 11 points in the second half.  

The Griz cut it to eight and had the ball with just under a minute left, but Mitchell came up with the steal, and that was pretty much ballgame. 

In the first half, Mitchell hit a 3 and scored on a driving layup as part of an 11-0 run that put Idaho up 18-8 after eight minutes. 

Montana went on a 15-2 run, a stretch where Idaho freshman Jackson Rasmussen picked up his third foul, to go up 29-24 with 4:06 left in the half.  

Rasmussen, who played three years at Owyhee High in Meridian, picked up his fourth foul midway through the second half. But the other Vandals picked up the slack. 

Idaho responded with six straight points, including back-to-back hoops from Isaiah Brickner, before two free throws ultimately sent the Griz into the locker room with a 31-30 lead. 

Te’Jon Sawyer also finished with 19 points for Montana. 

The Vandals snapped a nine-game losing streak against Montana and leads the series 113-99. 

Mitchell, Brickner and Rasmussen were named to the all-tourney team. 

Williams was named MVP. Williams scored a tournament-record 91 points, breaking the mark of 83 set by Montana's Anthony Johnson in 2010. 

IDAHO 77, MONTANA 66

IDAHO (21-14)

Rasmussen 2-6 0-0 4, Rowbury 4-5 2-4 12, Brickner 7-17 8-10 23, Johnson 3-9 0-0 6, Mitchell 3-8 4-6 11, Blassingame 2-3 5-6 10, Payne 2-7 5-6 9, Joba 1-3 0-0 2, Klapper 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 24-59 24-32 77.

MONTANA (18-16)

Aguino 1-3 2-2 4, Sawyer 7-11 3-5 19, Hicks 3-8 4-4 11, Thompson 1-4 1-2 3, Williams 7-16 4-6 19, Isaak 1-6 0-0 3, Kepley 2-6 0-0 5, Taylor 0-0 0-0 0, Dick 0-0 2-2 2, Jedkins 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 22-54 16-21 66.

Halftime_Montana 31-30. 3-Point Goals_Idaho 5-21 (Rowbury 2-3, Blassingame 1-2, Brickner 1-4, Mitchell 1-5, Joba 0-1, Payne 0-1, Rasmussen 0-1, Johnson 0-4), Montana 6-25 (Sawyer 2-4, Kepley 1-3, Hicks 1-4, Isaak 1-5, Williams 1-6, Aguino 0-1, Thompson 0-2). Rebounds_Idaho 38 (Brickner 10), Montana 25 (Williams, Isaak 5). Assists_Idaho 6 (Mitchell 3), Montana 7 (Williams, Isaak 2). Total Fouls_Idaho 15, Montana 22.

    IDAHO BASKETBALL via X Idaho senior guard Isaiah Brickner slams the ball during the first half of Wednesday's Big Sky Conference Championship game against Montana at Idaho Central Arena in Boise. Idaho beat Montana 77-66 for the program's first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 1990.