MOSCOW, Idaho – Idaho women's basketball will host Idaho State and Weber State as they close up the final weekend of regular season play. The Vandals will tip off against Idaho State at 7 p.m. on Thursday, February 23rd, and against Weber State at 7 p.m. on Saturday, February 25th. The games will be broadcast on ESPN+ and available via radio broadcast on AM 840 KMAX or GoVandals.com.
BREAKING NEWS: Earlier this week, head coach Newlee announced that
Beyonce Bea will be returning for a fifth year following this season. Bea already lines the all-time record book and will certainly further engrain her name in Idaho history. She is only three starts away from being second all-time with 113 career starts. Bea also reigns top-10 in at least 12 other stat lines for career and season bests at Idaho.
Bea has earned four Big Sky Player of the Week honors this season and has tallied 10 double-doubles. Bea leads the Big Sky in four different categories: points per game, points, free throws, and field goals made. In the NCAA, she is ranked eighth with 22.0 points per game, ninth with 573 points, seventh with 155 free throws, and 11th with 204 field goals.
ABOUT IDAHO: The Big Sky Conference standings are tight as five teams have the potential to place fourth through eighth. The Vandals are 7-8 in the Big Sky after splitting the last weekend on the road at Northern Colorado and Northern Arizona. Idaho won the Thursday morning matchup against Northern Colorado, 73-70. In Thursday's win, Bea surpassed Mary Raese in career points at 1,807. 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. On Saturday, four Vandals recorded points in double digits for the second game in a row as Idaho lost to Northern Arizona, 87-78. Bea led the squad with 19 points, followed by Johnson with 15,
Brooke Malone with a career-high 14, and Smith with 13.
ABOUT IDAHO STATE: ISU sits just below the Vandals with a 6-9 record in the Big Sky. This past weekend, the Bengals split their matchups with a win over Portland State and a loss to Sacramento State. ISU defeated Portland State 59-43 at home led by Callie Bourne with 22 points. Laura Bello recorded a double-double notching 10 points and 11 rebounds. ISU shot 44.4% (24-54) from the field, 50% (5-10) from the arc, and 66.7% (6-7) from the line. On Saturday, the Bengals dropped the match to Sacramento State, 75-62. Bourne tallied 29 points and broke her assist record with eight on the day. The Bengals struggled at the net, only shooting 38.5% (21-56) from the field, 42.9% (6-14) from the arc, and 77.8% (14-18) from the line.
Idaho State leads the Big Sky in three defensive categories, only allowing opponents a field goal percentage of 37.3%, scoring of 57.7%, and a three-point percentage of 29.6%.
ABOUT WEBER STATE: Weber State also split the weekend with a win against Portland State and a loss to Sacramento State. The Wildcats dropped Thursday night's game to Sacramento State, 66-52. The Wildcats were hurting as Daryn Hickok and Ava Williams were out for the match. Without their leading scorer, Weber State was not able to keep up with the Hornets. Three Wildcats scored in the double digits, led by Laura Taylor with 11 points. The team shot 37.5% (18-48) from the field, 11.1% (1-9) from the arc, and 83.3% (15-18) from the line. The Wildcats turned it around and won their second game in conference to Portland State, once again. Weber State defeated PSU 62-55, led by Jadyn Matthews with 21 points. The game was very close as there were 12 lead changes and 11 ties throughout the game. The Wildcats shot 46.7% (21-45) from the field, 46.2% (6-13) from the arc, and 70% (14-20) from the line.
SERIES HISTORY: Idaho leads both series histories against Idaho State and Weber State. The Vandals are 35-17 against the Bengals all-time as they fight for the Battle of the Domes. The last time the two met was in Pocatello ending in a 68-61 win for the Vandals. Idaho leads the Wildcats 31-21 all-time and are on a nine-game winning streak. The last time the teams met, the Vandals defeated Weber State 66-52.
