MOSCOW, Idaho—The Vandal offense knocked Northern Arizona to the mat in the first half Thursday night, closing the final 5:10 on a 22-0 run. Senior Stacey Barr recorded nine points in the run, finishing with 28 on the night. Idaho left no doubt in the 78-43 decision. Barr fell two points shy of tying Mary Raese for fourth on Idaho's all-time scoring list.
Idaho (11-13, 5-8) led 16-13 with 7:44 to play the half. Geraldine McCorkell sparked the Vandals' hot hand with an inside layup. Karlee Wilson and Renae Mokrzycki followed combining for Idaho's next seven points, increasing the lead to 25-13 with 3:03 remaining. Barr scored nine of Idaho's next 13 before the break to go into the half up 38-13. Idaho forced six NAU turn overs in the run. The Lumberjacks closed the half with 14 total turnovers, leading directly to 18 Vandal points.
“I thought the whole first half we played great,” head coach Jon Newlee commented. “I thought we really tightened things up, really giving them one look at best [on offense]. We came out running. Renae gave us great energy up and down the floor, we got on the glass and Stacey started getting out in transition. Our defensive rebounding was the key to that tonight.”
The Vandals entered Thursday ranked third in the NCAA with 31 defensive rebounds per game. Idaho totaled 37 rebounds in the defensive court against NAU, allowing the 'Jacks to just nine offensive boards all game. Christina Salvatore totaled 11 of the 37 defensive boards to lead Idaho on the glass. The Vandals outrebouned NAU, 53-34, on the night.
Northern Arizona (11-13, 7-6) finished the night 13-for-58 shooting. The 13 field goals marked the lowest only to Multnomah's six against Idaho this season. NAU's 20 turnovers were the second most forced by Idaho this season. Salvatore led the team with three steals, while Connie Ballestero and Karlee Wilson each forced two steals. Wilson, making her third consecutive start, has jumpstarted both sides of the ball with her 15 assists and four steals over the last three games.
“It is great to get into the rhythm of the game at the start,” Wilson noted. “I get up into the other team's point guard and really try to pressure her. It helps getting steals and run-outs. It helps boost the team's confidence when we are getting those steals and the other point guard gets rattled.”
Idaho's hot hand continued after the break. The Vandals scored the first basket of the second half, before Brittany Lusain cut Idaho's run after 24 consecutive points. Erika Banks' basket cut Idaho's lead to 23 with 18:47 left to play. That was as close to mounting any kind of comeback as they would get. Salvatore started a 9-0 Idaho run that increased the Vandal lead to 49-17 with 15:33 to go. Another quick 8-0 run for the Tribe from the North mad the lead unsurmountable at 57-22. The Vandals finished the final 20 minutes outscoring the Lumberjacks, 40-30.
Ballestero enjoyed a season-high 13 points, leading the bench in scoring. All 13 players got into the action against NAU, with 10 recording points. Wilson and Ali Forde each totaled seven on the night, while Mokzrycki and McCorkell added six apiece.
Idaho as a team combined for 40 points in the paint, holding NAU to only 10 points down low. Idaho's 31 points off the bench were the most in 14 games, since scoring 42 bench-points against Lewis-Clark State College.
“We can play with anybody,” Wilson emphasized. “Tonight defiantly boosts our confidence going into Saturday against Southern Utah, knowing we can play with anybody and beat them.”
SUU comes into the Cowan Spectrum on Saturday, following a loss to Eastern Washington on Thursday night. The Thunderbirds are just ahead of the Vandals in the Big Sky standings, each team owns a 5-8 conference record. On the season SUU is 12-11.
NOTES
Idaho has hit a 3-point field goal in 222 consecutive games…Idaho is now 9-4 following a loss on the season…the team improves to 4-2 in white uniforms…Barr has hit nine straight free throws, going 8-for-8 on Thursday…she moved into fourth all-time on Idaho's career free-throw list with 349, passing Yinka Olorunnife.
