RENO, Nev. – It took an extra five minutes and a brilliant buzzer-beater from Taylor Pierce, but all that matters is that Idaho is advancing to the Big Sky Tournament semifinal after knocking off No. 11 Weber State, 86-83.
The Vandals got the ball back with just over seven seconds to play after a tremendous defensive stop. Pierce fumbled the ball on the wing, but it fell right back into her hands, directly in front of the Vandal bench. She gathered and fired at the buzzer, draining the game-winner.
“Oh my gosh,” senior Ali Forde exhaled. “All I see is Taylor in this weird position. She went up to throw the ball and I am thinking, 'You are going to crash and get a tip in,' but the ball just goes straight through the hoop and I still cannot believe it. It is crazy.”
Idaho trailed by as many as 15 points in the second quarter, and nine in the fourth quarter, but clawed its way back into things each time. Mikayla Ferenz was lights-out on the day, draining 8-of-16 3-pointers and scoring a season-high 29 points.
Idaho (22-9) trailed for most of the contest. Ferenz gave Idaho its first lead with 3:02 to play in the third, 52-50, hitting her fifth 3-pointer. The lead was short lived though as Weber State answered back, closing the third quarter with a 56-54 advantage.
The Wildcats continued to pressure the Vandals, going up 63-58 in the first two minutes of the fourth quarter. Ferenz ignited the Idaho comeback once again draining form long range to get Idaho to within 71-65 with 2:15 to play. Four points from Forde gave the Vandals a 5-0 run, cutting the Weber lead to 71-70 inside 1:25 to play.
“What a game,” head coach Jon Newlee laughed. “It was crazy. It was a great comeback. We were a little out of sync offensively for most of the night. We just kept talking about how this is our place. We have been in this position before. We like where we are at as a team. Everybody came up big, taking their turn making plays. Of course the biggest one of all was Taylor throwing that thing in.”
WSU twice gained a four-point advantage inside the 1:21 mark. Ferenz cut the lead to one, 76-75, with 10 second to go. The Wildcats turned the ball over on the ensuing inbound play, giving Idaho a chance at the final shot. Ferenz's name was called, firing up a 3 with six seconds to play. She was fouled on the shot and tied the game up from the free-throw line, forcing the extra period.
Yarden Danan opened the overtime for Weber, hitting a 3-pointer to give the Wildcats the early lead. The Vandals used Weber State fouls to their advantage in the overtime. Idaho shot 5-of-6 from the line, scoring half its overtime-points from the line. The extra time featured three ties, the last at 83-83 with 1:31 to play. Forde dominated inside in the final four minutes. She totaled four points, two rebounds and a big block in the final seconds.
Ferenz's 29 points was the most scored by a Vandal this season. She was all over the floor, adding seven rebounds and two blocks to her line. Forde totaled 16 points and seven rebounds. Pierce ended the night with 15 points and six boards.
Idaho returns to action on Friday, playing No. 2 Eastern Washington at 2:35 p.m. PT.
