In a game where the Vandals were never able to get into an offensive rhythm, Idaho (2-2) dropped its second consecutive game in America’s finest city. After losing by just four against San Diego on Wednesday, Idaho fell to the University of California, San Diego 75-67 on Saturday. The loss to UCSD (4-0) was a missed opportunity, as the Vandals surrendered a double-digit halftime lead and shot very poorly for the majority of the game.  

Kolton Mitchell was the top contributor on offense, scoring eighteen points. The sophomore guard was the Vandals’ driving force early, scoring 11 first-half points, including a pair of threes, and orchestrating a 15–2 run that pushed Idaho into rhythm midway through the opening half. His highlight of the afternoon came just before the break, when he twisted through multiple Triton defenders and lofted in a spinning floater that sent the Vandals into halftime up 10. 

Idaho’s opening 20 minutes showcased much of what head coach Alex Pribble wants the program to be. The Vandals shot 44% from the field, knocked down seven first-half threes, and won the rebounding battle, which is something they have done in all four games this season.  

True freshman forward Jackson Rasmussen, who finished with a game-high eight rebounds, continued to emerge as a central piece of the 2025-26 Vandal team. His 38 minutes were the most played by a Vandal freshman in a single game since the 2006–07 season. 

Idaho’s promising start evaporated almost immediately after halftime. The Vandals missed their first seven shots of the second half, opening the door for UC San Diego to erase what had been a comfortable lead.  

Though Idaho briefly steadied itself and traded baskets long enough to enter the under-eight media timeout tied, the second half belonged entirely to the Tritons. UCSD outscored Idaho 49-31 after halftime, punishing the Vandals in the paint and dictating pace during the decisive final stretch. 

For Idaho, the second half exposed issues on both ends. Offensively, the Vandals struggled to generate clean looks and finished with only five made threes — a surprising step back for a program that broke its single-season record for three-pointers last year and opened the season shooting well from deep. 

Head coach Alex Pribble coaches up his team from the sidelines in game versus Washington State | John Keegan | Argonaut

Idaho’s starting five combined to shoot 14-45 from the field, and UCSD controlled the interior with a 36–18 advantage in paint points, an area Pribble consistently emphasizes as a foundational priority. 

Defensively, the Vandals held UCSD to five made threes and limited the Tritons to season lows in overall field-goal percentage and total rebounds. However, UCSD had a balanced scoring attack, as three Tritons finished with 13 or more points. Tom Beattie and Leo Beath each scored 15, and Aidan Burke scored 13. After Idaho was in control for the majority of the game, the Tritons seized their first lead with just over five minutes remaining and closed the game on a 23–11 run, capitalizing on Idaho’s inability to regain rhythm. 

Idaho returns home next weekend, hosting Eastern Oregon on Saturday at ICCU Arena for a 1 p.m. tip-off.