Vandal men's basketball continues to learn the tough lessons

Nov. 23—Homecoming for Idaho men's basketball coach Alex Pribble at the Redhawk Center on Wednesday, a place he called home the last four years, didn't go as planned.

The Vandals came out sluggish, finishing the first half 9-of-26 (34.6%) from the field en route to a 30-point halftime deficit.

Idaho failed to find its footing in the final 20 minutes, limping to a 92-55 loss to the Redhawks in its first game of a multi-team event at Seattle University.

"With a new team and new program, we have to go through these experiences and learn tough lessons," Pribble said. "It's less to do with X's and O's and more to do with competitiveness and consistency with physicality."

Here's what we learned throughout the Vandals' rout:

A two-man show

Much of the first half was dominated by Seattle's junior forward tandem of Kobe Williamson and Clarkston High School graduate Brandton Chatfield.

Williamson, a Melbourne, Australia, native, finished with a career-high 28 points on 11-of-15 shooting.

He scored in a variety of ways, but he was especially effective from deep, converting five of his seven 3-point attempts.

Chatfield was an inside force for the Redhawks (3-2), tallying 18 points and eight rebounds. But he wasn't too shabby from range, either, notching two 3-pointers.

The former Clarkston standout's highlight play came with 17:09 remaining in the second half.

Junior guard Vasja Pandza lobbed an alley-oop pass to Chatfield, who threw it down over the top of Idaho guard Quinn Denker to give Seattle a 58-28 advantage.

Chatfield led a Redhawks offensive attack that outscored the Vandals 44-28 in the paint.

Idaho (2-3) put a heavy emphasis on shutting down senior guard Cameron Tyson, which allowed the two post players to shine.

The former Vandal was a preseason All-WAC honoree and is a member of the Lou Henson national player of the year watch list.

The Vandals limited the Bothell, Wash., native to just four points and six assists in his 23 minutes of action.

"I think when you play Seattle, a lot of focus goes toward him," Pribble said. "Credit him (Williamson) and a couple of players who stepped up, made shots, and had a lot of success."

A slow start and can't put out the fire

The first five minutes for the Vandals looked favorable as Denker made a traditional layup to cut its deficit to 10-7.

After Williamson and Terren Frank traded baskets on opposite ends, the scoreboard read 12-9 with 14:37 remaining in the first half. And from there, Seattle went on a 19-0 run that lasted five minutes.

Idaho's first-half numbers were some of its worst of the season, getting outrebounded 7-1 on the offensive glass and 24-9 overall.

The Vandals also turned the ball over six times and were 3-of-13 (34.6%) from beyond the arc in the first 20 minutes.

"Right now, we're not doing well with our responses," Pribble said. "We're struggling to rebound consistently. That hurts, and we're playing a bit rushed."

Up next

Idaho was led by junior forward Kyson Rose with 12 points on 4-of-8 shooting. Denker was also in double digits with 10 points, adding three rebounds and three assists.

The Vandals will have Thanksgiving off before facing UC San Diego at 3 p.m. at the same site.

"We got to get some rest and get a quick mindset change," Pribble said. "They're 4-0, and that's a good opportunity to get over a disappointing game."

IDAHO (2-3)

Kyson Rose 4-8 2-2 12, Quinn Denker 5-8 0-0 10, Julius Mims 3-7 1-2 8, D'Angelo Minnis 1-4 0-0 3, Trevon Balssingame 0-4 1-2 1, Titus Yearout 3-4 0-0 8, Terren Frank 4 0-0 8, Kristian Gonzlez 1 0-0 2, Tyler Linhard 0-1 2-4 2, Takai Hardy 0-0 1-2 1, EJ Neal 0-2 0-1 0, Cooper Church 0-1 0-0 0, Jack Hatten 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 21-52 7-13 55.

SEATTLE (3-2)

Kobe Williamson 11-15 1-1 28, Brandton Chatfield 8-13 0-1 18, Alex Schumacher 2-2 1-2 5, Cameron Tyson 2-5 0-0 4, Vasja Pandza 1-4 0-0 3, Paris Dawson 3-5 3-4 11, Seyi Reiley 2-2 4-8 8, Malek Gomma 2-4 3-6 7, Brody Nunn 2-3 0-0 5, Matthew Levis 1-2 1-1 3, Nikolas Fotopoulos 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 34-55 13-23 92.

Idaho 24 31—55

Seattle 54 38—92

Halftime — Seattle 54-24. 3-point goals — Idaho 6-25 (Yearout 2-2, Rose 2-5, Mims 1-3, Minnis 1-3, Denker 0-1, Church 0-1, Neal 0-2, Blassingame 0-2, Frank 0-3, Gonzalez 0-3); Seattle 11-21 (Williamson 5-7, Dawson 2-3, Chatfield 2-4, Nunn 1-1, Pandza 1-4, Tyson 0-1, Levis 0-1). Rebounds — Idaho 21 (Rose, Mims 5); Seattle 37 (Chatfield 8). Assists — Idaho 10 (Denker 3); Seattle 23 (Schumacher 11). Total fouls — Idaho 19, Seattle 14. Attendance — 999

Pixley may be contacted at (208) 848-2290, tpixley@lmtribune.com or on Twitter @TreebTalks.