MOSCOW, Idaho - The Vandals continue a four-game road streak at Denver on Wednesday, January 3rd at 4:00 PM PST and Chicago State on Saturday, January 6th at 11 AM PST. The Denver game will be broadcast on the Summit League Network ($) while the Chicago State game will be broadcast on ESPN+. Both will be available via radio broadcast on AM 840 KMAX or GoVandals.com.
The match is part of the inaugural Big Sky - Summit Challenge where the two conferences will have teams competing against one another. Both Idaho's men's and women's programs were initially scheduled for two opponents, but Western Illinois left the Summit League before the season. Both teams are taking on Denver on Wednesday. Saturday's matchup at Chicago State was scheduled in place for the missing Big Sky - Summit Challenge game.
Per the conference offices: the two leagues will be playing for a combined trophy, taking both men's and women's results into consideration equally from 36 total games. Victories in the challenge will be weighted differently based on whether they occur at home or on the road. Teams will be awarded one (1) point for a victory on their home floor, while if a road team emerges with a win, it will be awarded one and one-half (1.5) points for the result. The conference with the most total points combined between men's and women's results will be declared the winner. If there is a tie in points following the conclusion of all contests, the first tiebreaker will be total margin of victory. If there is still a tie following the calculation of the margin of victory, the two commissioners will compete in an arm-wrestling contest at the Final Four to determine the champion.
ABOUT IDAHO - The Idaho Vandals started Big Sky Conference play with a 2-0 record defeating Sacramento State and Portland State on the road.
The 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 which is the best road record since 2003-04. 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.
ABOUT DENVER - The Denver women's basketball team (4-9) had a 21-point showing from the bench but fell 95-64 to the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles on the road Sunday.
The Pioneers had two players score in double figures, led by Angelina Robles, who had 14 points and four assists. Jordan Jones tacked on 12 points and Makayla Minett added eight points.
On Friday, the Pioneers won their first Summit League Game, 81-63 vs Omaha. Jordan Jones scored 23 points and Emma Smith added 20 to lead the Denver women's basketball team past the Omaha Mavericks.
The Pioneers (4-8, 1-0) had four players score in double figures, led by Jones, who notched a double-double with 23 points and a career-high 16 rebounds. Smith tacked on 20 points and four assists and Angelina Robles chipped in as well with 13 points, six rebounds, and four assists.
Denver out-rebounded Omaha 44-26 in Friday's game, led by Jones' 16 boards. The Pioneers also grabbed 11 offensive rebounds and scored nine second-chance points. The Denver defense held Omaha shooters to just 36.4 percent from the field.
ABOUT CHICAGO STATE - The Chicago State women's basketball team (0-20) has been off since Dec, 20th following a loss to FIU. The Cougars will have gone 17 days without a game before taking on the Vandals on Saturday.
Chicago State's Josie Hill recorded a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds and added to her season total in blocked shots with three in a 73-55 loss Wednesday afternoon to Florida International in the FIU MTE Christmas Classic at Ocean Bank Convocation Center in Miami, Florida. Hill entered the week ranked second in the nation in blocks with 39 and added to that total with nine in the three-day MTE.
Hill led the Cougars with 16 points and Claire Simmons was the only other player in double figures with 14. Jacia Cunningham had three points and averaged 13.0 during the tournament to earn an all-tournament team selection. Hailey Hohenecker scored her first points in a Cougars uniform with four and also had six rebounds, two assists, and three steals in her first extended for Chicago State.
SERIES HISTORIES - Idaho and Denver have faced off four times prior, all ending in favor of the Vandals. Idaho last saw Denver on 12/15/22 where the Vandals won 91-83. The first meeting took place in 2013 on Jan. 10th where Idaho won 68-60. In three of the meetings, the margin of victory was less than 10 points.
Idaho and Chicago State have also faced off four times all benefiting the Vandals. The programs first met in 1990 when Idaho won 79-51. The last three meetings were in the year 2014 at the WAC conference. In Idaho's last season in the WAC and Chicago State's first, the Vandals defeated the Cougars each time. The last meeting resulted in an 84-43 win.
