POCATELLO, Idaho—The Vandals got dazed early by Idaho State's hot shooting and never recovered. The Bengals hit seven first-half 3-pointers on Friday on their way to a season-high in points. Idaho could not find an answer to ISU's hot hand, falling 89-68 at the ICCU Court at Reed Gym.
Despite the loss, Idaho will have a first-round bye in next week's Big Sky Tournament. Idaho will be the No. 3 seed and will play the winner of the No. 6 Weber State vs. No. 11 Portland State on Wednesday, March 9.
“Hats off to Idaho State,” head coach Jon Newlee said of his former team. “They made their shots. When they were open they knocked them down. I have never seen them shoot like that all year and we have seen a lot of their games. They were home on Senior Night. That is what happens here. I know. I have been through enough of them.
“The real prize is Reno and we are well aware of that. We will regroup and get ready to play in the tournament.”
Idaho State (15-14, 8-10 BSC) shot 58.8 percent (10-for-17) from the field in the first half, including an untouchable 70 percent (7-for-10) from long range. The Bengals led by 11 at the break, 45-34. ISU had three players hit double-figure scoring in the first twenty minutes, led by Brook Blair's 14 points.
Idaho (21-9, 13-5 BSC) found itself down by 14, 55-41, in the first three minutes of the third quarter. The Vandals used a 9-2 run over a span of 3:45 to twice cut the Bengal lead to seven points, the latter coming off a pair of Renae Mokrzycki free throws with 2:08 to play. Idaho State seemed unphased, closing the quarter on an 8-2 run of its own to go up 13 at the end of the period.
The Bengals opened up a 21-point lead by the time the game expired. Blair finished the night with a game-high 24 points. Apiphany Woods totaled 21 points, shooting 8-of-14 from the floor. Lindsay Brown scored a season-high 16 points, hitting 3-of-4 shots from beyond the arc. Tressa Lyman added 10 points to go with her seven rebounds.
The Vandals also saw four players reach double figures. Ali Forde led Idaho with a 17-point effort. She was an impressive 7-for-9 from the free-throw line, setting a new career-high. Mikayla Ferenz posted 14 points, before picking up her fifth foul midway through the fourth quarter. Mokrzycki totaled 13 points, while Christina Salvatore quietly put together a 10-point night.
Idaho closed the regular season with 21 wins, the ninth time in school-history an Idaho team has won 20 or more games. It's the second time in Newlee's eight-year tenure that Idaho has hit the 20-win mark. The last time Idaho won 20 games was in the 2013-14 Western Athletic Conference championships season (25 -9 record).
For more information on Idaho Athletics, visit GoVandals.com. Fans can also follow Idaho women's basketball on Twitter, @VandalsWBB.
