MOSCOW, Idaho - Steals, sharp shooting, solid rebounding, good decisions. Together it totaled the best half in three years for the University of Idaho women's basketball team as it parlayed an 18-point halftime lead into a 74-59 Western Athletic Conference victory over San Jose State.
The Vandals improved to 8-18 overall and 6-7 in the WAC in their quest to secure the best possible seed in the post-season tournament. The Spartans dropped to 6-21 and 2-12.
Winning Wednesday night at Memorial Gym allowed the Vandals to exact a measure of revenge after a 58-53 loss at San Jose earlier this season. Coach Jon Newlee said not buying into the Spartans rugged style of playing and focusing on what they do best was a key to the game.
"We got a little complacent," Newlee said in reference to a drop in intensity after Idaho built a 27-point lead, 52-25, with 12:23 to play. "Then they went to some other tactics. That's their game. When teams do that, we need to make free throws and make them pay. We can't get caught up in it."
If the Vandals didn't remember their lack of effectiveness at San Jose State, their coaches reminded them. And the message was taken to heart.
"In order for us to be successful, we need to rise above that," senior Charlotte Otero said. "We need to be tough against these guys. We turned the ball over a lot when we played them down there. We did a fairly good job of taking care of it tonight."
While the Spartans did manage to close to within 10 with 1:21 to go, the game never felt in doubt after the Vandals' thoroughly dominating first half. Those first 20 minutes saw them make almost 42 percent of their field goals and nearly 55 percent of their 3s. They forced 13 turnovers and had seven steals, while bobbling the ball only three times themselves.
"Defensively we were doing exactly what we wanted to do," Newlee said. "Offensively, we were really sharp. We were sharing the basketball, getting it to the rim - all the things we wanted to do. The first half was definitely our best half of the year."
Contributions came from throughout the lineup and from off the bench. Sophomore Shaena Kuehu had one of her best nights as a Vandal with a team-best 16 points to go with five rebounds, four steals and a career-high six assists. Steady senior Rachele Kloke accounted for 15 points, while Otero dropped in two baseline 3s en route to 12 points. Freshman Natasha Helsham came off the bench for 11 points and junior Yinka Olorunnife had 10 points and seven rebounds before fouling out with slightly more than seven minutes to play.
