MOSCOW, Idaho—The Idaho Vandals played just its second home game of the season on Tuesday, closing out the non-conference season with an 85-49 win over Lewis-Clark State inside Memorial Gym.

Four Vandals scored in double figures on the night, led by sophomore Taylor Pierce's 16 points off the bench. Pierce, after being held scoreless for the first time in her career at Oregon, shot 6-of-14 from the field and 4-for-10 from behind the arc.

Idaho (5-6) jumped out to quick 6-0 lead in the game's opening minutes. A 3-pointer by sophomore Mikayla Ferenz pushed the Vandal lead to eight, 12-4, with just over six minutes left to play in the quarter. A 9-0 run from the Warriors gave LCSC a brief 13-12 lead. Idaho finished the quarter with 3's by Pierce and Karlee Wilson to regain an 18-17 advantage.

"The first game after Christmas is always a hard game," head coach Jon Newlee explained after the win. "I thought our team did a good job of coming back focused. We had a really good start, but then we kind of lost focus. We were rolling at 12-4 and then [Caelyn] Orlandi got rolling. They [LCSC] are a good team. I would pick them to be right there for the NAIA National Championship." 

The Vandal defense came out aggressive in the second quarter, closing the door on any chance of an LCSC upset. Idaho limited the Warriors to just two points all quarter, holding the Warriors to 1-of-19 from the field. Idaho outscored the visitors 15-2 in the period. Redshirt freshman Sue Winger came on strong for Idaho with six points off the bench. The Vandals shot 35.7 percent in the second, ridding the defense to an 85-49 lead at the half.

"I challenged our guys after the first to see how well we could defend in the second quarter," Newlee recalled. "I wanted to go out and get some stops. I thought we responded extremely well, holding them to two points. I thought Beth [Krause] did a great job on Orlandi, cutting off some of those diving lanes. We wanted to shut down the drives and get out on the 3-point shooters and make somebody else try to beat us inside the arc."

Idaho pushed its lead to 25 with an acrobatic layup from Winger, closing the third quarter with a 57-32 lead. A Pierce 3 gave the Vandals their largest advantage of the night, 77-44, with 6:23 to go in the fourth quarter. Pierce hit three 3's in the final quarter to score 11 points the frame. 

Idaho was 8-for 16 from long distance in the second half, shooting 66.7 percent in the fourth. The Silver and Gold hit a game-high 62.5 percent (10-16) from the field in the final quarter. The Idaho defense held Lewis-Clark State to 0-for-16 from 3-point range for the game.

Junior Geraldine McCorkell led Idaho's starters with 14 points, joining Pierce in double figures. Winger totaled a season-high 13 points, while Ferenz rounded the pack with 12 points. Wilson led the team with seven assists. Redshirt junior Brooke Reilly controlled the boards for the Vandals, recording a team-high seven rebounds. The Vandal bench outscored LCSC, 46-20.

"Everyone did a great job tonight [off the bench]," Newlee added. "I thought Sue [Winger] responded well. I challenged her after the Oregon game to take some open shots. Tonight she looked a lot more comfortable. Taylor [Pierce] certainly looked good. She's doing a good job of running backup point for us, which is not what we really brought her in to do. We just had good production from the bench. That is what you want, a confidence in your bench."

Caelyn Orlandi led the Warriors with 12 points and five rebounds.

Idaho opens Big Sky play on Saturday, visiting Eastern Washington. That game is set for a 2 p.m. tip. 

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

Notes: 
Pierce's four 3's give her 114 for her career, holding her at No. 10 in school history behind Ari Skorpik's 124 (1993-97)...Ferenz moves into 11th in school history now with 108 career 3's.