PORTLAND, Ore. – The Vandal women's basketball team defeated Portland State 61-55 in a nail-biting finish on Saturday afternoon. Idaho improved to 2-0 in conference for the fourth time since rejoining the Big Sky in 2014. Kennedy Johnson led with 16 points.
The Vandals are now 5-1 away from home after today's victory. For the third-straight game, Johnson led the Vandals in points scored with her sixth game in double-digits. Hope Butera and Sarah Schmitt also scored in the double-digits with 12 and 10 points, respectively. Schmitt led with nine rebounds and five assists. Butera grabbed eight rebounds, five of which were offensive and equated to more than Portland State's individuals had combined.
Idaho started on the right foot in the first quarter, earning a 10-4 lead as a media timeout was called. The Vandals held the Vikings to a scoring drought that lasted over three minutes while Johnson and Hope Butera both scored points from the paint. After a series of turnovers, shot clock violations, and missed opportunities for the Vandals, the Vikings regained the lead with 1:48 left in the quarter. After scoring five three-pointers in the last game, Idaho was denied points from beyond the arc as time expired.
After giving up their largest lead in the first quarter, Idaho climbed back in the second to overtake the Vikings on an 11-3 run. Johnson hit a wide-open jumper in the paint to bring Idaho within one point while Asha Phillips hit Idaho's first three-pointer to regain the lead. PSU responded on the next play and the lead was exchanged a handful more times before Idaho grasped it in the final minutes of the half. Sarah Schmitt made back-to-back three-pointers to cushion Idaho's lead.
As the half expired, the Vandals entered the locker room with a 31-26 lead. Johnson led the court with 10 points shooting 4-7 from the field and 2-2 from the charity stripe. The Vandals held the preseason MVP, Esmeralda Morales to only five points total. Idaho's shooting success at Sacramento State continued as they shot 50% from both the field (12-24) and three (3-6) and 100% (4-4) at the free throw line. The defense stifled the Vikings, forcing shots under pressure as PSU shot 39.3% (11-28) from the field and 30.8% (4-13) from three and did not allow any free throws.
The momentum continued in Idaho's favor as the play resumed in the second half. Idaho went on a 7-0 run in the first two minutes to earn their largest lead of the game of nine points (40-31). The momentum was killed shortly after as Idaho struggled to convert on attempts from the field they hit a scoring drought for over three minutes. The Vikings capitalized, shooting 5-5 from the field to bring the game within three points. Coming off the bench, Sarah Brans kept the lead intact with seven points in the quarter, shooting 3-4 from the field and 1-2 from three. Idaho held on to the lead even though the Vikings outscored them 17-16.
Heart rates spiked in the final quarter as the Vikings climbed back to level the score 53-53 with 48.3 seconds left. Idaho had hit another scoring drought, this time for over four minutes, that allowed PSU back into the game. With 28 seconds left, Schmitt drove through the paint and put in a layup to regain the lead, 57-55. When Portland State tried to create a chance to equalize on Idaho's half, Johnson intercepted a pass to regain possession of the ball. After a series of fouls, the Vandals ended up at the free throw line where Ashlyn Wallace and Butera converted on both attempts extending the lead to 61-55. With only three seconds left, the Viking's hands were tied, and Idaho walked away victorious.
The Vandals finished the game shooting 40.7% (22-54) from the field, 38.5% (5-13) from three and 12-12 from the free throw line. The last time Idaho shot perfectly from the charity stripe was on Jan. 21, 2023, vs Northern Colorado (10-10). The Vikings averaged 42.0% (21-50) from the field, 37.5% (9-24) from three, and 4-8 from the free throw line.
Idaho stays on the road next week to finish up the non-conference portion of their schedule as they head to Denver and Chicago State. The Denver matchup on January 3rd is part of the inaugural Big Sky – Summit League Challenge.
