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MOSCOW, Idaho—The Idaho Women's Basketball team opens Big Sky Conference play and the 2020-21 season this week against Sacramento State on Dec. 3 and again on Dec. 5 in Memorial Gym at 6 p.m. and 12 p.m., respectively.
 
Per Health and Safety guidelines and in accordance with Idaho Public Health, fans will not be permitted. The game will be streamed live to Pluto TV Channel 1060. You can also listen to the game at govandals.com/listen and on KMAX 840 AM. Live Stats can be found here.
 
Thursday's game marks the latest start to a season for the Vandals since beginning the 1992 season on Dec. 4th.
 
The Vandals (0-0, 0-0) are coming off a successful 2019-20 campaign. Idaho finished 22-9 overall and 16-4 in the Big Sky while finishing the season with a spot in the Big Sky Championship game and a seven-game win streak.

Sacramento State enters (0-0,0-0) the contest looking to open the season after a game cancelation on Monday. Last year the Hornets finished 8-22 overall and 6-14 in conference, earning the nine seed in Boise.

This will mark the 18^th meeting all-time between the two programs. The Vandals are 13-4 all-time against Sacramento State and 7-1 at home.

Idaho and Sacramento State last met on Feb. 22 in Sacramento. The Vandals topped the Hornets 96-88. Beyonce Bea totaled a team-high 30 points, ten rebounds, and seven assists in the win.
 


SCOUTING IDAHO



Gina Marxen led the Vandals in scoring last season averaging 13.3 points per game. She also dished out a team-high 4.0 assists per game. The sophomore from Sammamish, Washington led the Big Sky in three-pointers made (89) and three-pointers made per game (3.8). Marxen has hit 154 career three-pointers as a Vandal which places her in 8th place all-time in Idaho Women's Basketball history.
 
The Vandals were picked to finish first in the Big Sky Coaches' and Media polls announced last month, earning 16 first place votes in the media poll and four in the coaches' poll. Marxen and Beyonce Bea each earned Big Sky Preseason All-Conference recognition. 
 
Idaho totals 10 returners from last season, including four starters. The Vandals added four in the office season which included two freshman and two transfers.
 
The Vandals bolstered a strong defense last season that held opponents to 58.8 points per game and will look to build off of it this season.
 
 

SCOUTING SACRAMENTO STATE


The Hornets are led by two players who scored in double-figures last season. Tiana Johnson averaged 11.4 points per game while Summer Menke averaged 10.8 per game.

Sacramento State was picked to finish ninth in the Coaches' poll and tenth in the media poll. No hornets were named to the preseason all-conference team.
 
Menke and Johnson are part of 11 Sacramento State returners to go along with six newcomers. Of the six newcomers five are freshman and one is a transfer.

Sacramento State averaged 70.3 points per game last season which was the fourth most in the Big Sky. Idaho slowed down the high-powered Hornet offense in the first meeting of last season, only allowing 44 points.
 

FOLLOW: Fans can follow the Vandals all season long on Twitter and Instagram, @VandalsWBB and with the Voice of the Vandals, Doug Taylor, at GoVandals.com/Listen. The game will air on PlutoTV channel 1060.