RENO, Nevada — Following his team’s first-round victory on Tuesday at the Big Sky Conference Tournament, Eastern Washington head coach Jim Hayford said there are no secrets between his Eagles and the Vandals of Idaho.
During Thursday’s fourth and final quarterfinal matchup between the two most geographically snug neighbors in the league, UI showed just how familiar, flustering the highest scoring offense in the Big Sky from start to finish.
Sophomore Victor Sanders proved to be a disruptive force on the perimeter despite battling foul trouble, Idaho exerted physicality on both ends of the court and the Vandals never let Eastern Washington find an offensive rhythm. UI moved into the Big Sky Tournament semifinals with a 77-73 win in front of 2,365 at the Reno Special Events Center on Thursday night.