Women's Basketball | 02/17/2017

Anybody who has seen an Idaho Women's basketball game over the few seasons knows that the Vandals like to shoot the basketball, and they are not shy about it.

The 3-pointer has become the weapon of choice for the Vandals under head coach Jon Newlee. Last season the Vandals set a school record with 350 3-pointers, breaking the old mark of 289 in 2013-14. This season already ranks fourth in the record books with 247. Newlee's teams have hit 2,126 3's in his nine seasons at Idaho. All but two of his teams have hit the 200 mark, with all nine seasons ranking in Idaho's top 15.

But he has never had a duo like the sophomore Splash Sisters, Mikayla Ferenz and Taylor Pierce.

"It is kind of a unique situation to have two players that a so good at shooting the 3. It is great to be able to put in plays and sets for them, knowing that either one of them can shoot the 3 as well as they do. I have never had a pair of guards that shoot the ball like they can in my career. The closest here at Idaho is probably Christina Salvatore and Stacey Barr, but they were not pure shooters like these two.

"I have never seen two players shoot the ball so well from 3 in my career. They do it every day in practice. We have a drill where they shoot 100 [3-pointers] and they are consistently in the mid 70s to mid 80s. It certainly is a unique situation that we are trying to make the best of."

Both players immediately made in impact for the Vandals last season, helping the team capture the Big Sky Conference crown. They have carried over their success this season, becoming two of Idaho's top scoring threats.

Pierce, a Carlsbad, Calif., native, broke a school with nine 3-pointers in just her seventh career game last season against Iowa State. She went on to hit a miraculous overtime buzzer beater against Weber State to help Idaho advance to the semifinals of the Big Sky Tournament. Her 88 3's as a freshman set a school record for a rookie. She's now improved her mark to 150 career triples in less than two season, moving her all the way up to sixth all-time in program history.

Ferenz, a Walla Walla, Wash., native, has a similar story. She made her mark in Vandal history late last season, setting a Big Sky Tournament record with 16 3-pointers. She hit eight in Idaho's tournament win over Weber State, setting the record for most in a tournament game. She scored a total of 67 points in the tournament, earning MVP honors. This season she set the school-record for points in a game (41) while tying Pierce's record with nine 3's at Northern Arizona. Like Pierce she too is quickly rising up the all-time 3-point list, now seventh with 145.

Salvatore, Idaho's career 3-point leader with 332, is safe for now. But the Splash Sisters have the top spot in their sights.

As for the single-game record that they both hold?     

"We hope at least one of us breaks that before we leave," Ferenz said.   
  Idaho hosts Eastern Washington (2 p.m. PT) on Saturday in Cowan Spectrum. It is the team's annual Pink Game. The Vandals will have special shooting shirts that will be auctioned off during the game. All proceeds benefit the Light a Candle Foundation.
 
About Idaho: The Vandals look to gain ground as the #RoadToReno winds to a close. Idaho, currently sixth, in the Big Sky standings can pull even with Eastern Washington with a win on Saturday. Idaho is currently fourth in the conference in scoring and leads the league in free throw percentage.

About the Opponent: EWU enters the week at 9-4 in the Big Sky, sitting fourth in the Big Sky. The Eagles defeated Northern Colorado last Saturday, 67-61, keeping pace with the top of the conference.  Junior Delaney Hodgins leads the conference with 18.1 points per game.

The Match-Up: EWU picked up another win in the series earlier this season with a 67-57 win in Cheney. The Eagles hold a 40-30 series lead. The Vandals have a two-game advantage, 16-14, in Moscow.