MOSCOW, Idaho – On senior night inside Cowan Spectrum, the largest lead of the game for the Idaho Vandals was 1-0 with 9:52 remaining in the first quarter. Idaho State led for over 39 minutes in the game as they topped the league-leading Vandals 73-67 to close out the regular season.
Despite the disparity in lead time, the game was tight down the stretch. Idaho's Taylor Pierce cut the Bengals' lead to one point with 1:46 remaining in the game, but ISU forced a shot clock violation on UI's ensuing possession. At the other end of the court, freshman
Callie Bourne drew a foul with one tick remaining on the shot clock and 19 seconds left in the game. She netted one of her two free throws to eliminate the possibility of losing on a two-point shot.
The Vandals missed a three-point attempt that would have given them the lead with six seconds left, and
Estefania Ors sank two free throws to create a two-possession advantage.
Madison Hinrichs then sealed the win with a steal on the inbound and a finish at the other end.
The Bengals became just the second team to defeat the Vandals at home and improved to 20-9 (15-5 BSC). The win marks the first time in program history ISU has posted back-to-back, 20-win seasons. Idaho is now 19-10 (16-4 BSC), but did become the outright regular season champion with Northern Colorado's loss earlier today.
Idaho State did not shoot worse than 50 percent from the field in any quarter and finished the game with a 55.6 field goal percentage. The Bengals shot the same percentage from behind the arc (5-9) and sank 80 percent of their free throw attempts. Idaho shot 43.6 percent from the field, 44.0 percent from three and 53.3 percent from the charity stripe. ISU won the battle on the boards once again with a 34-26 advantage.
Hinrichs and
Sai Tapasa were instrumental in the win with both knocking down eight shot attempts. Hinrichs led the team with a career-high 19 points on 8-10 shooting. Tapasa was close behind with 18 points and three assists. Each player collected four rebounds. Ors finished the game with 14 points and four assists and
Grace Kenyon led the team with six rebounds.
After Idaho's free throw to open play, Idaho State scored 12 unanswered points while preventing any baskets on Idaho's first six field goal attempts. Four and a half minutes passed before UI landed its first field goal and after the first quarter, ISU had an 18-13 lead. The Bengals stretched the lead by one over the course of the second quarter. Hinrichs scored the last seven points for ISU including a layup at the buzzer.
Idaho State padded its cushion early in the third with a jumper from Tapasa giving ISU the largest lead of the game at 14. Despite the back-and-forth battle in the final minutes, the Bengals were able to fend off Idaho and secure their ninth road win of the season.
Idaho's "splash sisters," Mikayla Ferenz and Taylor Pierce, combined for 43 points, seven rebounds and six steals in the loss. Gina Marxen was the only other Vandal with over five points after netting 10.
The win also sealed a win for Idaho State University in the Battle of the Domes matchup regardless of the result in the men's game tonight in Holt Arena.
Next up for the Bengals is the Big Sky Conference Tournament quarterfinals. With the No. 3 seed, ISU holds a bye and will not play Monday night. Idaho State will play the winner of the 8 p.m. Monday-night game which pits No. 6 Eastern Washington against No. 11 Weber State. ISU's quarterfinal matchup will be held at 8 p.m. Tuesday night.
Monday, March 11
Game 1
#8 Northern Arizona vs #9 Sacramento State – 2:30 p.m. MT
Game 2
#7 Montana vs #10 Southern Utah – 5:30 p.m. MT
Game 3
#6 Eastern Washington vs #11 Weber State – 8:00 p.m. MT
Tuesday, March 12
Game 4
#1 Idaho vs Game 1 Winner – 12:00 p.m. MT
Game 5
#4 Portland State vs #5 Montana State – 2:30 p.m. MT
Game 6
#2 Northern Colorado vs Game 2 Winner – 5:30 p.m. MT
Game 7
#3 Idaho State vs Game 3 Winner – 8:00 p.m. MT
Wednesday, March 13
Game 8
Game 4 Winner vs Game 5 Winner – 5:30 p.m. MT
Game 9
Game 6 Winner vs Game 7 Winner – 8:00 p.m. MT
Friday, March 15
Game 10
Game 8 Winner vs Game 9 Winner – 1:00 p.m. MT
