MOSCOW, Idaho - Emily Faurholt scored 24 points to pace the University of Idaho women's basketball team as the Vandals handed visiting Cal State Northridge a 68-54 loss in their first home game since Dec. 8.

Faurholt entered the game needing 30 points to reach the 1,000-career-points plateau.

"We have struggled with (Cal State Northridge) through the years," Vandal head coach Mike Divilbiss said. "They are very athletic and this is a quality win. Northridge is a much stronger team this season and coach Holder has done a great job getting her team to turn the corner. I would be very surprised if they don't finish in the upper-middle of the league."

Idaho (8-5, 3-1) took control from the beginning, causing three turnovers and connecting on its first four 3-PT shots to pull away 16-5 in the first five minutes of the game. The Vandals pushed their lead to as many as 17 points at the 3:20 mark and never let the Matadors (7-5, 3-2) within less than eight on the way to a 38-25 lead at halftime.

"Our players did a great job of keeping the ball on one side of the floor and that is thanks to (assistant coach) Debbie (Roueche's) scout. Debbie did a great job scouting Northridge and coming up with a defensive game plan and it really helped set the tone. We had some players get some good steals and that came out of us just following the plan and doing what we needed to be doing. Those first few possessions really set the line of scrimmage," Divilbiss said.

The Matadors threatened in the second half, bringing the score to within nine points on three occasions, the final time being a 51-42 Idaho lead with 11:45 remaining in the game. The Vandals then took advantage of multiple missed opportunities by the Matadors and put together a 13-2 run over the next four minutes to lead by 20 points, the largest margin of the game. The two teams battled fairly evenly for the remainder of the game, however Cal State Northridge was able to make up a little ground as Idaho finished with the 14-point victory.

"We are getting stronger as a basketball team," Divilbiss said. "The struggle we have gone through so far with the month on the road and our tough non-conference schedule has made up stronger and tougher and we are starting to see some of the fruits of that struggle. We still have a long way to go as a basketball team to reach our potential, but we are getting stronger mentally and emotionally which is really important for this team, we are starting to come together as a team, which is also important, and we are improving in our understanding of the game."

The Vandals held a 48-35 rebounding edge in the game, punctuated by a career-high 12 rebounds for Jessica Summers. Faurholt added eight rebounds to her point total and Leilani Mitchell and Heather Thoelke both turned in all-around performances to help Idaho to the victory. Thoelke finished with 17 points, six rebounds and four assists and Mitchell, who got into foul trouble late in the game, added 12 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, and three steals.

Ofa Tulikihihifo had a double-double for CS Northridge, scoring 22 points and grabbing 10 rebounds to lead the Matadors in both categories.

The next action for the Idaho women's team will be Saturday (Jan. 15) when the Vandals will face Pacific at 7 p.m. in the Cowan Spectrum.