Djim Bandoumel put in a layup with five seconds remaining to give the Idaho Vandals a 59-58 victory over the New Mexico State Aggies in a Western Athletic Conference thriller at Cowan Spectrum.
Bandoumel finished with 10 points and six blocks for Idaho (14-11, 6-4), while Kyle Barone netted a game-high 16 points. Stephen Madison got into the mix with 10 points and nine rebounds, as the Vandals won their third game in a row.
Wendell McKines and Hamidu Rahman scored 12 points each for New Mexico State (17-8, 6-3). Tyrone Watson added nine points and eight assists as the Aggies three-game winning streak came to its conclusion.
New Mexico State jumped out to a 25-16 lead in the first half, but the Vandals chipped away until Mike McChristian's jumper at the buzzer sent the contest into halftime tied 31-31. Idaho shot better in the opening period, as it made 54.2 percent of its field goal tries, but the Aggies attempted seven more shots to stay even.
The Aggies again took control and led 57-49 with just under six minutes left in regulation before Idaho rallied yet again. Barone made it 58-57 with a pair of free throws at the 1:53 mark before Bandoumel's game winner in the final seconds. McKines missed a game-winning three-point attempt on the last play of the contest. Both sides struggled from deep in the second half, as they combined to go 0-of-9 from three-point range in the final 20 minutes.
Idaho was lucky to escape with a victory after it committed 17 turnovers and dished out only 13 assists. New Mexico State had 15 assists to its 14 turnovers.
Game Notes
