MOSCOW, Idaho – After a close first-half contest, the Vandal women's basketball team suffered their first loss of the season to Cal Poly in the ICCU Arena on Wednesday night. Asha Phillips scored a career-high 14 points while shooting 50% (5-10) and 75% from the arc (3-4). 

The Vandals trailed for the majority of the first quarter but found their rhythm near the end to bring themselves within three points of the Mustangs. Three back-to-back scoring plays helped put Idaho back in the game. There weren't many shooting opportunities for either team in what played out to be an uneventful quarter.

Idaho remained within reach the entire second quarter but just couldn't seem to find a breakthrough. Each time they closed the gap, Cal Poly managed to hold on and maintain their lead. Idaho battled up until the buzzer and found 15 points in the quarter, compared to Cal Poly's 16. 

Amalie Langer helped lead the offense with three assists alongside Phillips who tallied six points. However, the Vandals weren't able to finish on their shooting opportunities as they trailed the Mustangs in every category. Both teams were shooting over 40% from the field in the first quarter but the second quarter was a different story as both shot under 30%. 

Cal Poly came out fighting in the third quarter going on a 9-2 run and holding the Vandals scoreless for just over three minutes. After the period, Cal Poly put up 17 points and held the Vandals to 11 as they extended their lead. Despite Idaho's difficulty in scoring, Phillips had a successful quarter finding a career-high with 12 points on the night.

In the final 10 minutes, both teams put up equal points which resulted in Cal Poly maintaining their lead until the end. The Vandals finish the week 1-1 at home and will hit the road to travel to Honolulu, Hawaii for the Bank of Hawaii Classic.