POSTSEASON GUIDE TOURNAMENT BRACKET
BOISE, Idaho- The University of Idaho Women's Basketball team enters the 2020 Big Sky Tournament in Boise as the No. 2 overall seed with a 15-5 record in conference. The Vandals finished the regular season 20-9 for the fourth 20-win season under Head Coach
Jon Newlee and the first back-to-back 20-win season since 1986.
The Vandals will play their first game of the tournament on Tuesday, Mar. 10
th at 4:30 p.m. PT/5:30 p.m. MT.
The Vandals earn a first-round bye in the Big Sky Conference Tournament for the third consecutive year and will play the winner of the No.7/No.10 seed matchup which will either be Eastern Washington or Portland State. The Vikings knocked out the Vandals in the semifinals last season.
The Vandals closed out the regular season with five consecutive wins, and seven wins in the last eight games.
Natalie Klinker finished the final week of the regular season strong with 11.5 points and 9.5 rebounds per game to earn the final Big Sky Player of the Week award.
Idaho boasts the league's best defense entering the conference tournament, allowing just 59.2 points per game.
Three players lead the Vandals offensively, scoring in double-digits per game. Marxen leads the way with 13.8 points followed by
Beyonce Bea with 12.7, and
Lizzy Klinker with 12.6.
Tuesday's game will be streamed live on Pluto TV Chanel 530. You can listen to the game with Doug Taylor on KMAX 840 AM or at
govandals.com/listen.
SCOUTING IDAHO
Gina Marxen leads the Vandals in scoring this season with 13.8 points per game and in assists with 4.4 per game. Marxen dished out a career-high 12 assists against Eastern Washington earlier this season. The sophomore from Sammamish, Washington leads the Big Sky in three-pointers made (87) and three-pointers made per game (3.0). In addition, Marxen leads the Big Sky in minutes played per game with 38.0. She totaled 11 points, four rebounds, and two assists last time out against Idaho State. Marxen has hit 152 career three-pointers as a Vandal which places her in 8
th place all-time.
Beyonce Bea is right behind Marxen, averaging 12.7 points per game. The freshman from Washougal, Washington is playing an average of 33.4 minutes per game this season, more than any freshman in the conference. Bea scored a career-high 30 points along with a career-high seven assists and 10 rebounds for her second career double-double against Sacramento State two games ago. The freshman chipped in nine points and three assists last time out against Idaho State. Bea is averaging 5.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game this season while making an average of five field-goals per game.
Lizzy Klinker rounds out a group of three players averaging double-figures this season with 12.6 points per game and had a career-high 27 against Northern Arizona five games ago. Klinker, a senior, has recorded four double-doubles as a Vandal and is coming off a 12-point, seven rebounds, performance at Idaho State. Lizzy is averaging 16.8 points over the last five games.
Natalie Klinker leads the Vandals on the boards this season with 7.3 rebounds per game. The junior also ranks second in the Big Sky in offensive rebounding with 2.9 per game. Natalie totaled 15 points and 13 rebounds against Idaho State and earned the final Big Sky Player of the week award with 11.5 points and 9.5 points per game over the final week of the regular season.
Idaho continues to lead the Big Sky defensively in field-goal percentage defense and scoring defense. The Vandals lead the conference in scoring defense allowing just 59.2 points per game. If the tough defense continues Idaho could set an all-time school record surpassing 58.7 points per game from the 1979-1980 season.
The Vandals are also one of the best teams in the country in terms of turnovers. Idaho averaged just 11.7 turnovers per game which leads the Big Sky, while only committing 339 turnovers, the seventh fewest in NCAA Division I
Idaho is second in the league with a 1.14 assist-to-turnover ratio, led by
Gina Marxen who boasts a league-leading 2.35 assist-to-turnover ratio.
COMMENTS FROM COACH NEWLEE
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 chanel 530. Visit govandals.com for more information.
