POCATELLO - Connor Hill scored 20 points and Stephen Madison added 19 in the battle of state rivals.
Hill had 12 of his points on four straight 3-pointers as the Vandals (10-16) took control with a 16-5 run. That burst erased a 36-32 lead for the Bengals (5-21).
Idaho led 61-59 after a 3-point basket by Idaho State's Melvin Morgan with 5:11 remaining. Andre Hatchett's free throw with 4:31 to go put the Bengals within a point, but Hatchett missed three free throws over the next minute.
Idaho only had one basket over the final 5:27 but hit 12-of-13 free throws.
Kyle Barone, the Vandals' top scorer this season, added 12 points and Mike McChristian scored 10 for Idaho. Chris Hansen led Idaho State (5-21) with 19 points. Tomas Sanchez added 18 points and Morgan scored 10.
The win was Idaho's first in Pocatello since 1996. The game was part of the BracketBusters series, but the 101st between the schools.
The Vandals will rejoin the Bengals in the Big Sky in 2014 for all sports except football.
