MOSCOW, Idaho – The Idaho Vandal women started Big Sky conference play with a dominant 72-53 win over Montana State at ICCU Arena, Thursday night.
The Vandals took charge from the beginning, taking the lead with a left-handed layup from
Beyonce Bea just 40 seconds in. From that point on, Idaho held on to the advantage, building a 26-point lead (71-45) with 6:36 left in the game before closing out the game 19-point win.
The Vandals went 25-66 (37.9%) from the field while Montana State was 23-62 (37.1%). On the defense, the Vandals outrebounded the Bobcats 45-36.
Idaho built a 16-11 lead at the end of the first quarter while not allowing MSU to make a three-pointer in the first frame.
The Vandals had their most productive streak during the second quarter, outscoring the Bobcats 19-9. The defense forced eight turnovers, holding the Bobcats to 4-12 (33.3%) from the field.
After halftime, Idaho continued to increase its lead over the Bobcats. The Vandals shot 50% from the field in the third quarter, completing nine of the 18 attempts and 6-7 on free throws. Freshman
Sarah Brans lit the court up with back-to-back threes, including a buzzer-beater to end the third. The Vandals finished the job with a strong defensive effort in the final quarter.
Idaho is now 5-7 on the year and 2-0 at home. Montana State is 7-6 on the season.
Bea scored a game-high 20 points and a team-high seven rebounds. Bea shot 50% from the field and went 5-7 from the free throw line. Gandy scored 15 points, including four three-pointers, and she added four assists.
In addition to leading the team to the win over Montana State, Bea also reached a career milestone, scoring her 1,500th point. Entering the game, Bea was two points away from the milestone and reached it with the opening layup of the game. Bea is now the 10th Vandal to reach 1,500 points.
The Vandals will be at home for their next matchup against Montana on Saturday, December 31 at 2 p.m.
