The Idaho Vandals men’s basketball team lost to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish 80-65 in South Bend, Indiana, on Wednesday. This was only the second time the Vandals have played at Notre Dame.
The game began with both teams matching each other’s intensity for the first five minutes. At the 10:43 mark of the first half, Notre Dame took an eight-point lead. The Vandals responded with a 10-2 run and held a two-point advantage with under five minutes left before halftime.
A freshman from Meridian scored seven points during this stretch and finished the first half with 14 points. Another Vandal contributed 13 points in the opening half, going a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line and collecting three rebounds.
Notre Dame tied the score by halftime. Early in the second half, Notre Dame built a seven-point lead, but Idaho narrowed it to one after making consecutive three-pointers. Both teams struggled offensively late in the game, but Notre Dame pulled away with a 12-1 run over the final six minutes.
Idaho made ten three-pointers during the contest, extending its streak of games with at least five made threes to 56 straight games. The Vandals also committed just six turnovers—a season low—and limited Notre Dame to only three fast break points.
After this loss, Idaho’s record stands at 6-4 for the season, while Notre Dame improves to 8-3.
Idaho will return home for its next game against Evergreen State on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time. The matchup will be available on ESPN+, Vandal Radio Network, and Varsity Network app.
All student tickets for Idaho home events are available free of charge through Idaho Athletics.
