MOSCOW ? The Idaho women's basketball team had a chance to steal a victory in the final seconds of Sunday's game against Long Beach State, but Derisa Taleni's shot as time expired rolled off the rim and the Vandals fell 55-54 on Sunday.
“It was our first really close game and these guys haven't been under that pressure, so that was good to get under our belts before the (Western Athletic Conference) season starts,” Idaho head coach Jon Newlee said. “They kept going all the way to the end.”
The name of the game on Sunday for Idaho (2-5) was missed opportunities. The Vandals were just 12 of 22 from the free throw line, missed a number of lay-ups and short-range shots and didn't take full advantage of 28 Long Beach State (2-4) turnovers.
“It's a one-point game and we missed 10 free throws,” Newlee said. “You've got to make lay-ups and you've got to make free throws. Those are little things.”
The Vandals forced 28 turnovers and turned those into 22 points, while the 49ers forced 13 Idaho turnovers, which turned into 15 points. Both teams were even in second-chance points at 16 each, even though LBSU out-rebounded Idaho 52-43, while Idaho, despite fielding a much smaller line-up, held a 24-15 advantage in points in the paint.
Sophomore Yinka Olorunnife had her second-straight 20-point game, as she put in 20 and grabbed 16 rebounds, a career-high and a tie for the most by a player in the WAC this season. The total also gives her the fourth double-double of her career.
Sophomore Rachele Kloke had 10 points and five boards on a four-of-10 shooting day, while junior point guard Charlotte Otero scored nine points grabbed three rebounds, dished two assists and tied a career high with her second five-steal game of the season.
The game started out slowly, as neither team got much going in the first five minutes, as Idaho led just 7-6 at the 15:03 mark, but Idaho went on a 7-0 run to take a 14-6 lead at the 12:26 mark. LBSU went on a run of its own and tied the game at 18 with 6:02 remaining, then outscored Idaho 9-4 over the remainder of the half and took a 27-22 lead into the break.
“There was a big difference between the two halves and I told them it's a 40-minute game, it's not a 20-minute game,” Newlee said. “We didn't match their intensity in the first half. In the second half, we did and it was a different story.”
Long Beach State extended its lead to 31-22 over the first two minutes of the second half before Otero nailed a 3-pointer to spark the Vandals into an 8-2 run to battle back within three. Idaho battled into a tie at 36-36 at the 11:13 mark that tightened the game for good. Long Beach State extended to a four-point lead at 46-42 with 5:41 remaining, but Idaho tied it back up just 39 seconds later and neither team led by more than three points from then on out.
Olorunnife hit a running layup with 48 seconds to go and Idaho got a good defensive stop to set up the final possession, but Taleni put up a short-range shot in a lot of traffic and couldn't get it to fall. Rachele Kloke grabbed the rebound for a quick put-back and banked it in, but the clock had already expired.
Idaho will now host its final game of the season at Memorial Gym against Pacific on Thursday at 7 p.m. before returning to the Cowan Spectrum on Sunday, Dec. 14, to host border rival, Washington State, at 2 p.m.
