MOSCOW, Idaho - Emily Faurholt became the 14th player in the history of the University of Idaho women's basketball program to score 1,000 career points as she tallied a game-high 28 points in a 74-52 victory over the visiting Pacific Tigers.
Faurholt surpassed the 1,000-point mark with a 3-PT shot at the 11:06 mark of the first half to tie as the ninth-fastest player in NCAA Division I history to accomplish the feat. She did so in 43 career games and finished the contest with 1,022 career points.
"It's cool," Faurholt said. "All of it is cool and it is good for our team. The scoring (achievements) are great and tonight is awesome, but it is not what is important to me. What I get is what I get and I don't go out any night thinking ?€˜I'm going to get this title tonight.' If they come, they come, but I am not going to go for it."
"It is a tremendous team accomplishment when a player scores 1,000 points and Emily will be the first to tell you that," Vandal head coach Mike Divilbiss said. "Emily has a great take-on mentality and take-on players will win championships. She loves to make baskets, she loves to be the best, she seeks excellence in everything she does, and a player with those qualities is infectious to others and she does a lot to make us a better basketball team. This is a tremendous accomplishment for her."
The scoring mark came in the midst of what turned out to be a first-half romp by the Vandals (9-5, 4-1). After both teams played over three minutes of scoreless ball, Idaho finally got on the scoreboard at the 16:43 mark. Three minutes later with the score tied at 6-6, Heather Thoelke hit a 3-PT shot that would spark what would be a 25-8 Vandal run over the remainder of the first half. Idaho forced Pacific (4-9, 2-4) into 20 turnovers while grabbing 12 steals and holding the Tigers without a point for a 5:37 stretch all in the first half. The result was a 31-14 halftime lead for Idaho.
The two teams played relatively even in the second half, although Idaho was able to stretch its lead to 25 points, the largest of the game, at the 9:26 mark before finishing with the 22-point victory.
"Pacific is a good ball club," Divilbiss said. "I feel when the year ends they are going to be a lot better team than their record shows right now. For the last two years they have struggled early, they stepped up during conference play, and by the time the Big West Tournament comes around they are a very formidable basketball team."
Faurholt accomplished the scoring feat with 9-of-19 shooting and a 9-of-10 performance from the free-throw line. Thoelke was the only other player to score in double figures as she finished with 14 points on 4-of-8 shooting from beyond the 3-PT line. She also grabbed six rebounds and dished out four assists. Leilani Mitchell was close to a triple-double and she finished with seven points, nine rebounds and nine assists. She also grabbed four steals and was credited with the assist on Faurholt's plateau-breaking 3-PT shot.
All nine Vandals who dressed for the game scored in the contest.
Next week Idaho will be back on the road as the Vandals will travel to meet UC Riverside, Thursday (Jan. 20) and Cal State Fullerton, Saturday (Jan. 22). Both games begin at 7 p.m. PT.
