The 1-2 Idaho Vandals are giving BYU basketball all they can handle in the first half of Saturday’s matchup. The Cougars will enter the second half with a 41-38 lead, but struggled to stay ahead of their visitors from the Big Sky Conference after 20 minutes of play.

Why is Idaho sticking around so well? Shooting percentages hotter than a mouthful of Sriracha.

A combination of open shots and simply scorching numbers both from beyond the arc mean the Cougars need to tighten the loose screws of their defensive game plan.

The Vandals are hitting 70% of their attempts from beyond the arc, and 50% from the field, but to BYU’s credit, the Cougars remain ahead in this game and are now in the driver’s seat if they can maintain the little momentum they built at the end of the half.

Have some of Idaho’s shot attempts been a bit too wide-open to assign credit to pure luck, but we shouldn’t expect that number to continue into the second half.

That said, the lack of consistent intensity on defense will need to be tweaked, as the length and athleticism of this BYU team should be dangerous for opposing offenses this season if properly utilized.

Far from panic time, but the Cougars will need to adjust in time for the Big 12 schedule.