GREELEY, Colo. – The Idaho women's basketball team defeated Northern Colorado 73-70 on Thursday morning at the Bank of Colorado Arena.
Beyonce Bea led the team with 28 points while three others tallied double digits. After a 2-6 start to conference, the Vandals have turned around the season, winning five of the last six games.
In today's win, Bea surpassed Mary Raese in career points at 1,807. Bea is having a standout season with a career-best of 554 points and 22.2 points per game which both currently rank in the top 10 in the NCAA. She was only one rebound away from recording a potential 11th double-double on the season.
Tiana Johnson and
Ashlyn Wallace both drained 12 points while
Rosa Smith was right behind with 11. Smith led the squad with six assists. The team shot 50% (27-54) from the field and 42.9% (9-21) from three-point range.
As the Vandals tipped off in front of a large crowd of school kids, both teams struggled to find the net with only six combined points in the first three minutes. Bea led Idaho with nine points, followed by Johnson with six, going 2-2 from three-point range. Northern Colorado came out aggressive, recording four team fouls before the first media timeout. The Bears also outrebounded the Vandals 8-3.
Idaho turned it around in the second quarter, fighting back point by point. The Vandals tied it up on the opening play following a six-point run. As the clock winded down, Idaho continued to respond to the Bears, tying the match several times. The Vandals were finally able to gain the advantage on the last effort of the half with a three-pointer from
Ashlyn Wallace. Idaho outscored the Bears 20-15 and shot above 40% in all aspects.
The Vandals entered the locker room with a 41-38 lead thanks to 16 points from Bea and nine from Johnson. Bea shot 7-12 from the line while Johnson shot 3-3 from the three-point range. Smith reentered the game and made an immediate difference, tallying five assists. Idaho was successful at the net, shooting 53.3% (16-30) from the field, 54.5% (6-11) from the arc, and 75% (3-4) from the charity stripe. The Bears gave up the lead shooting 48.3% (14-29) from the field, 50% (4-8) from the arc, and 6-6 from the line.
Entering the third quarter, the Bears' fans grew quiet as the Vandals went on a 10-point run, holding Northern Colorado scoreless for just under five minutes. Northern Colorado was not ready to give up just yet as they responded with a 7-0 run of their own to bring it within four points. Idaho continued to have hot hands, shooting 60% (6-10) from the field and 40% (2-5) from the arc. The Bears continued to outrebound the Vandals 10-4 in the quarter, but Idaho prevailed outscoring them 17-16.
The final 10 minutes were nerve-racking as Northern Colorado continued to fight, tying the game many times and even taking the lead back at one point with an extra-point play. Idaho managed to hold on and play smart as Northern Colorado had to bench two due to fouling out. The Vandals fought on the Bear's side of the court, bringing in five offensive rebounds in the quarter. With 23 seconds left, the game tied at 70-70, Johnson earned the go-ahead layup off an assist from Bea. Idaho prevailed in the final moments to defeat the Bears and return to .500 in the conference at 7-7.
UP NEXT: Idaho will take on Northern Arizona on Saturday, Feb. 18th. The matchup against the second-ranked team in the Big Sky will tip off at noon PST.
