The men’s basketball team started the season on the right foot with an 80-70 victory over the Idaho Vandals.
Four Raiders scored in double-figures. Freshman JT Yoho came off the bench in his first collegiate game and scored 17 points while also grabbing five rebounds.
“The exhibition game versus Central State really helped me get my nerves out,” Yoho said. “I was a little more relaxed heading into tonight’s game.”
Cole Darling led the Raiders with 18 points, while Reggie Arceneaux and AJ Pacher both chipped in 10 points in front of a crowd of 1,303 at Idaho’s Memorial Gym.
Idaho jumped out to an 8-2 lead less than three minutes into the game, but the Raiders came roaring back to take a 12-10 lead on a Matt Vest jumper.
Idaho’s main offensive threat – Kyle Barone – was limited to just eight field goal attempts, and was ineffective from the free throw line (4-9).
“The guards really helped out [limiting Barone], and our other big guy did a great job of trapping,” Yoho said.
WSU shot a blistering 17-19 from the charity stripe while also knocking down nine shots from beyond the arc. A combination of 16 points off turnovers while only committing six turnovers themselves gave WSU a cushion on the scoreboard despite allowing the Vandals to shoot better than 53 percent.
WSU’s biggest lead came with 2:24 left in the game when Kendall Griffin’s layup gave the Raiders a commanding 75-59 margin.
Next up for the Raiders is a road test against the Eastern Illinois Panthers. Tipoff is set for 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday.
