SACRAMENTO—Senior Christina Salvatore recorded her third double-double in as many games, helping lead the Idaho charge in its 98-88 win over Sacramento State on Thursday. Salvatore hit four of Idaho's six 3-pointers, finishing with 16 points and a career-high 14 rebounds.

Idaho (14-6, 6-2 BSC) got career performances from senior Ali Forde and junior Karlee Wilson. Forde matched her career-best with 20 points in her 21 minutes off the bench. Wilson used a 10-point third quarter to finish with a career-high 19 points.

Sacramento State (7-11, 4-3 BSC) was just one game removed from setting a NCAA DI record with 25 made 3-pointers against Portland State. The Vandal defense, ranked atop the Big Sky in 3-point field goal defense, was up to the task. Idaho held the Hornets to just 6-of-29 from beyond the arc. Sac State's six 3's was its lowest total since hitting six against at North Dakota last February. The Hornet's 29 attempts from 3 was also well below their nation-leading average of 42.1 per game.

“[Limiting Sac. State's 3-pointers] was huge,” head coach Jon Newlee noted. “You cannot let them go crazy out there. I liked our effort on the perimeter.

“Our gameplan was to minimize their 3's. We gave up a lot of layups at times, but they want to hit that three ball.”

Coach Newlee threw out a smaller starting lineup on Thursday, hoping to keep up with the high-pressing Hornets. The change seemed to kick-start Idaho, who matched its best first-quarter scoring total of the season with 29 points.

The Hornets clawed back in the second quarter, using a 15-2 run to take a 40-37 lead with 3:04 left in the half. Salvatore hit a 3 to tie the game at 40 at the 2:28 mark. Geraldine McCorkell got an inside bucket to answer Sacramento State at 42 with just over two minutes to the break. Free throws from Wilson and Renae Mokrzycki sent the Vandals to the break with a 45-43 lead.

Forde, Wilson and Salvatore helped ensure the Vandal lead, combining for 30 of Idaho's 53 second-half points. The Vandals got out to a 12-point lead three times in the third quarter. As a team Idaho shot a game-best 75.0 percent (12-for-16) from the field in the period and were 12-of-16 from the free-throw line. Idaho outpaced the Hornets, 31-22, taking a 76-65 lead into the fourth quarter.

A Taylor Pierce 3-ball followed by a Forde layin put the Vandals up by 16, 85-69, with 6:27 to play. The Hornets pushed back, cutting the Vandal lead to nine with just under five minutes remaining. The Silver and Gold used a 6-1 run to get its lead back up to 14 with 2:39 to play.

Salvatore, although quite offensively in the fourth, came up big for the Vandals with six rebounds of Idaho's 12 fourth quarter rebounds. Pierce led the final push for the Vandals on offense, scoring all seven of her points in the final 10 minutes.

The Vandals outrebounded the Hornets on the night, 48-33. Sacramento State entered the night leading the nation with 20 offensive rebounds per game. Idaho limited Sac. State to just 12 offensive boards and nine second-chance points.

“That was our key,” Newlee added. “We wanted to keep them off those offensive boards. Christina was huge for us tonight. When things got a little crazy she was the one that settled the team down. She got some huge defensive rebounds for us tonight.”

The Vandals got to the free-throw line 24 times, matching a season-high. Idaho made the most of its time on the charity stripe, hitting a season-high 20 free throws. Wilson hit a career-high 9 free throws, the most by a Vandal this season.

The Vandals continue on the road on Saturday, facing Portland State. Tip is set for 2 p.m. PT.

For more information on Idaho Athletics, visit GoVandals.com.  Fans can also follow Idaho women's basketball on Twitter, @VandalsWBB.