MOSCOW, Idaho—It was déjà vu for the Idaho women's basketball team in its 76-49 win Saturday over Southern Utah. The Vandals used another strong run at the end of the first half to control the game's tempo. Idaho closed the final 7:10 of the half on a 22-9 run, not allowing a Thundebird field goal until the final seconds of the half.
A strong push off the bench from junior Renae Mokrzycki helped Idaho to a 7-0 run that took back the lead from SUU at 22-20. Mokrzycki totaled all seven of her first-half points in the final half of the period. Back-to-back baskets from Christina Salvatore and Connie Ballestero pushed the lead to 25-20, before the T-Birds were able to get on the board. Seven of SUU's final nine points of the half came from the free-throw line.
“Just like on Thursday she [Renae] came in and we went on that 22-0 run,” head coach Jon Newlee commented. “Today she comes in and we go on a 12-0 run. Her energy level has been great. She got real physical with their big kid and got on the glass. She really jumpstarted us when I thought our energy was going down.”
Stacey Barr totaled just four points of her 18 points in the first half. She handed Idaho the 4-0 lead with a pair of free-throws to get her day started. The two points tied her with Mary Raese for fourth all-time on Idaho's career scoring list with 1,785. She passed Raese to move into sole possession of fourth with a late-first half layup. She finished the day 1,801 career points.
“It is great [to reach that mark],” Barr humbly stated. “I do not really like to talk about my scoring, but it is an honor to be up there with some of the great players that have played here.”
Salavotre's play in the first half inspired the Vandals offense. She scored all 11 of her points in the opening 20 minutes, going 3-of-5 from 3-point range and was 4-for-6 from the floor. The rest of the team shot a combined 7-for-22. Idaho's physicality paid off in the first half as the team got to the free-throw line 13 times. Karlee Wilson, Barr, Mokrzyki and Geraldine McCorkell were a combined for perfect 11-for-11.
“Christina plays with a lot of energy,” Nelwee added. “Coming off her performance Thursday on the glass, it was nice to see her shot start falling again. It has been a while since she has made a few in a row. She shot the ball extremely well.”
The win jumped Idaho up three spots in the Big Sky standings. The Vandals enter the final four games of the season as the No. 8 seed. The Silver and Gold have rematches with Montana, Montana State, Weber State and Idaho State to close out the season.
“We talked about protecting our home-floor and getting this home-sweep,” Salvatore noted. “We are just trying to move up in the rankings at this point and get us a good spot in the Big Sky Tournament. This home sweep is what we needed. It gives us some confidence and a much needed energy boost.”
Idaho (12-13, 6-8) shot 37.5 percent from the field on the afternoon, holding Southern Utah to just 15 total field goals. McCorkell finished the game with 10 points, joining Barr and Salvatore in double figures. Mokrzycki finished 5-for-5 from the free-throw line to help herself to a nine point performance. Junior Ali Forde finished with eight points and five boards. Salvatore led the team in rebounds with nine.
SUU (12-12, 5-9) was led offensively by Brenna Gates. She was limited to 14 points on the day after starting fast with nine in the first half. The T-Birds shot just 7.1 percent from beyond the arc, matching the lowest mark for an opponent this season.
The Vandals hit the road next week before closing the season back at home. Idaho opens against Montana on Feb. 26 and continues in the state against Montana State on Feb. 28. The Lady Grizzlies have already clinched a berth in the Big Sky Tournament, and are the No. 1 seed at the moment. The Bobcats are ranked ninth in the conference.
NOTES:
Idaho has hit a 3-pointer in 223 consecutive games…McCorkell has converted on her last 26 free throw attempts…the Vandals are now 2-3 when wearing silver…Saturday marked the eighth time this season Idaho has held opponents to under 50 points…Idaho is back to even in the month of February with a 3-3 record…the team is now 3-8 following a win.
