CHENEY, Wash.—Idaho and Eastern Washington renewed its series Friday night at Reese Court. The Eagles got the better of the Vandals in the first game of the night's doubleheader, 71-64.

Taylor Pierce led the Vandals with 19 points. Mikayla Ferenz finished with 18 and six boards, while Allison Kirby totaled 10 points.

How it Happened
Pierce hit a 3-pointer in the first minute to put the Vandals up 3-0 at the start. The triple gave her 1,000 career points, joining Ferenz and McCorkell in the 1,000-point club. She hit two 3's in the quarter as the Vandals shot just 5-for-15 from the field. Ferenz, the fourth leading scorer in the NCAA was 0-for-3 in the period.

EWU (8-9, 3-2 BSC) increased its lead to seven points in the latter portion of the second. Idaho gained a 20-18 lead in the early portion of the quarter. The Eagles came back with a 7-0 run to regain a 25-20 lead. Pierce's third 3 of the night closed the gap to two, 29-27, with 3:55 to go in the half. The Eagles outscored Idaho 7-3 in to close the quarter, taking a 36-30 lead at the half.

Idaho (6-10, 2-3 BSC) got Ferenz going in the second half. She totaled 10 points in the third quarter, totaling three of Idaho's four field goals in the period. The Vandals shot just 33.3 percent (4-12) in the quarter. The Eagles got their lead out to 12 points with 4:24 to play in the quarter, the largest of the game.

The Silver and Gold outscored Eastern 18-16 in the final quarter. Idaho twice cut the Eagle lead down to two in the quarter. A Ferenz layup narrowed the score to 62-60 with 3:57 to play. Idaho closed 1-of-7 shooting in the final 3:33, while EWU sealed the wing from the free-throw line.  

Keys
Idaho's turnovers continue to cause problems for the Vandals. Idaho's turnovers (11) were not a staggering total, but the impact was felt on the scoreboard. EWU outscored Idaho 17-0 in points off of turnovers by the end of the third quarter. The Eagles finished with 18 points of Idaho mishaps with the Vandals working for five points off Eagle turnovers.

Quotes
Head Coach Jon Newlee
Overall thoughts
"We didn't rebound the basketball very well. We didn't finish at the rim. I thought Eastern played well like they always do. They are a physical team and are extremely well coached. It was a war like it always is and this one didn't go our way tonight."

On Mikayla Ferenz
"I thought it was easier in the second half. Credit Eastern's defense. They didn't want Mikayla to touch the ball. They did a good job in the first half."

On Idaho's ball control
"It is a key every game. Every time we lose we look at how many turnovers we have. Handling pressure has kind of been the MO of the Vandals. 18 points off or turnovers is not going to win games at home or on the road. Certainly not in this environment."

Notes
Idaho has now hit a 3FG in its last 311 games…Idaho's 20 FGM were the second fewest of the season (12 at Arizona State)…McCorkell posted a season-high with 14 rebounds…Ferenz moved into 10th all-time in Idaho scoring now with 1,341 career points…Pierce now has 247 career 3FGM (3rd) and Ferenz 231 (4th).

Upcoming
The Vandals return home next week for a pair of conference games. Idaho will open the week on Thursday, Jan. 18, against Southern Utah. Idaho will wrap up the week on Saturday against Northern Arizona.