SAN JOSE, Calif. ? The University of Idaho women's basketball team started off the game with a 13-0 run and never looked back on Thursday, as the Vandals moved to 2-1 in the Western Athletic Conference with a 66-47 win at San Jose State.
All five of Idaho's starters contributed as the Vandal women opened the game up by scoring the first 13 points en route to a 31-15 halftime lead. Idaho led by as many as 23 points in the second half before settling for the 19-point victory. Idaho moves to 5-9 and 2-1 in the WAC, while San Jose State slips to 1-13 and 0-1 in the WAC.
The Vandals have a winning record in the WAC for just the second time ever. Idaho started the 2006 WAC season, Idaho's first in the conference, with a 3-1 record and finished 5-11.
“I was really happy with the effort,” Idaho coach Jon Newlee said. “We really came out strong both offensively and defensively. We talked about coming out from the start and taking these guys out of the game quick and I think we did that tonight.”
True freshman Shaena Kuehu, who Idaho coach Jon Newlee calls the team's “X-Factor,” gave the Vandal women a huge boost with 14 points on six-of-six shooting in the first half. She finished the game with a career-high 19 points, along with four rebounds, one assist and one steal.
“Shaena came out really aggressive, hit a couple shots early and played under control,” Newlee said. “She played with that energy we needed her to play with and I thought it was her best game, by far, of the year.”
Junior Derisa Taleni added 14 points with eight boards, while sophomore Yinka Olorunnife put in 10 points and grabbed eight boards to give Idaho three double-digit scorers on the day. Junior guard Charlotte Otero had another efficient night, as she dished five assists with just one turnover, while grabbing two steals and scoring five points. Sophomore Emily Doran came off the bench and nailed a pair of 3-pointers to finish the game with a career-high eight points.
“Everybody has to trust each other ? that's what we've been talking about all year,” Newlee said. “We've got to share the basketball and when they get their chance, everyone has to step up, and I think tonight was a great example of a total team effort, offensively and defensively.”
Idaho's stiff defense kept San Jose State at bay for the first 15 minutes of the game, as the Spartans started off the game one-of-18, while Idaho built up a 20-5 lead. San Jose State finished the first half shooting six-of-26 (.231) and finished the game 19-of-61 (.311). Idaho, by contrast, shot an efficient 12-of-26 (.462) in the first half and finished the game with an impressive 22-of-50 (.440) clip.
The Spartans were able to knock down more shots in the second half (13-35, .371), but the Vandals kept with them step-for-step and never allowed San Jose State to put together any sort of late run ? an accomplishment that kept Newlee very happy with the team.
“We said at halftime that for the first five minutes, we needed to start the second just like we started the first,” Newlee said. “We really contested shots and stayed aggressive on offense for the first five minutes and expanded the lead and it was over then.”
Up next will be a more difficult road test for the Vandals, as they will make the quick trip to Fresno State for a Saturday contest with the Bulldogs. Fresno State enters the game 11-4 overall and 2-0 in the WAC after beating Boise State and Hawai'i to start out the season, with both wins coming by double digits. The game will start at 2 p.m. (PST).
