MOSCOW, Idaho—The Vandals women's basketball team was unable to hold off in-state rival Idaho State on Saturday. The Bengals fought back from an 11-point hole to beat Idaho in front of the home crowd, 67-60.

How it Happened
Idaho State (9-7, 3-2 BSC) led for a grand total of 3:53 in the contest. Idaho held the lead a majority of the game. The Vandals got off to a quick start to the first. Geraldine McCorkell scored seven of Idaho's first 12 points. Mikayla Ferenz totaled 10 early points, hitting 4-of-4 from the floor to help Idaho to a 21-15 advantage.

The Vandals' biggest lead came early on in the second quarter, going up 26-15 inside the first two minutes of the period. The Bengals recovered to force two ties, before claiming a short lived 31-30 lead with 1:21 to play. Idaho closed the half with five consecutive points from Taylor Pierce to give the Vandals a 35-31 lead.

Idaho (7-9, 2-3 BSC), much like Thursday night's win over Weber State, got a strong third quarter effort from McCorkell. She closed the quarter with 10 of Idaho's 17 points. Idaho was forced to play with different personnel combinations early on in the quarter. Senior Karlee Wilson was forced to leave the game early in the quarter due to injury. Idaho turned the ball over five times in the quarter, leading to seven ISU points. In comparison, the Vandals only had one turnover the entire first half, outscoring the Bengals 9-0 in points off turnovers.   

The tide began to shift towards Idaho State early in the fourth. Idaho gout out to a 56-47 lead, but then let up a 12-2 run, allowing Idaho State to claim a 59-58 lead with 5:06 to play. Idaho would convert just two more free-throws the rest of the way, allowing the run to grow to 20-4 across the final 9:10.

McCorkell led Idaho with her fifth career double-double. She closed the afternoon with 23 points and 12 rebounds. Ferenz notched 22 points, playing a career-high 40 minutes. Idaho closed the game shooting 32.7 percent (18-55) from the field and 22.26 percent (7-31) from long range. Idaho was able to convert a season-high 17 free throws on 20 attempts.

Saylair Grandon led all players with 24 points for Idaho State. The Bengals shot 41.7 percent (25-60) from the field and hit six 3's on the day. The Bengals outscored Idaho in the paint 32-10 and 17-11 off the bench.

Turning Point
Idaho's offense went cold in the fourth quarter. The Vandals were shooting 37.8 percent through three quarters. The Silver and Gold finished the fourth quarter a mere 1-for-13 (7.7 percent) from the field. McCorkell hit Idaho's lone field goal on the team's opening possession of the quarter. The Vandals finished 0-for 12 rest of the way, seeing their lead disintegrate.

Idaho State in the same span shot 6-of-14 from the field with three key 3-pointers. Grandon totaled 11 points and Lindsay Brown was 2-for-2 from behind the arc, adding six points.

Notes
Idaho now has at least one 3FGM in 277 consecutive games…Idaho's 18 total field goals tied for the second-lowest of the season…the Vandals' seven assists marked a season-low…McCorkell matched a career-high converted eight free throw attempts…McCorkell's 12 rebounds also matched a career-high…Pierce moved into a tie for 9th all-time in program history with 124…Ferenz now has 121 career 3's, 11th all-time in Idaho history…Idaho is now 1-1 in its silver uniforms…McCorkell has scored in double figures in 10 consecutive games…Ferenz has hit double figures in nine straight contests…Wilson started her 58th consecutive game.

Quotes
Head coach Jon Newlee
On play of the fourth quarter
"I thought we got tight in the fourth quarter without Karlee [Wilson] out there. For whatever reason we did not fight through the physicality of the game and we let that affect us. They [Idaho State] came up and hit some big shots. So hats off to them. [Lindsay] Brown hit a couple of big 3's. They have not been shooting the 3 very well, but they did a good job today."

On play of the post players
"We need to get a post presence besides Geri. I thought Brooke [Reilly] did a good job against Weber. Somebody has to step up, especially if Geri is going to get quick fouls like she was whistled for in that [fourth] quarter. We need some help inside and somebody is going to have to step up."

On absence of Karlee Wilson
"That was huge. We have not played a long stretch without her this year. It was rough. Things like that happen down there, especially on that play. We will see what the doctor says. Hopefully we can get her back sooner rather than later."

On moving forward
"You cannot lose home games in the Big Sky and expect to win regular season titles. You have to defend your home floor. It is disappointing we did not do that today. That just means we have to go out and steal some on the road."

Upcoming
The Vandals are back on the road next week as they make the trip to Southern Utah on Thursday. The team will close the weekend at Northern Arizona. SUU is 0-5 in the Big Sky after a loss on Saturday at Portland State. NAU sits at 1-3 in the Big Sky, picking up its third straight loss at Sacramento State. The Lumberjacks will play on Monday, at Portland State, in a game that was rescheduled from Thursday.