POCATELLO, Idaho – The Vandals women's basketball team closed out an undefeated weekend at Idaho State with a 49-48 win. Sarah Schmitt knocked in a last-second layup under pressure followed by an and one to earn the win.
Kennedy Johnson led the Vandals with 17 points on the day, shooting 50% from the field (5-10) and three-point range (2-4) as well as 100% from free throw (5-5). Freshman, Aspen Caldwell dropped 12 points shooting 4-6 from the field, 1-1 from three-point, and 3-4 from the free throw line. The Vandals finished the weekend undefeated for the second time in conference this season.
Asha Phillips opened the scoring with a lefty layup before the Bengals hit their stride. Idaho State went up, 7-4 as the media timeout was called in the first quarter. Both teams struggled to score after the timeout as the Vandals went scoreless for two minutes and the Bengals went 1-11 from the field. Johnson drained her first three of the game to knot the game at 9-9, but the Bengals quickly responded. Caldwell entered the scoring chart soon after with two free throws tying the game at 11 at the end of the quarter. The scoring struggle was apparent on the stat sheets as both teams shot under 30% from the field.
Amalie Langer gave Idaho their first lead of the game at the start of the second quarter scoring 2-2 from the foul line. The lead was short-lived as Idaho committed three turnovers in two minutes, allowing the Bengals to earn the edge. The second quarter failed to provide entertainment as the teams were at a 15-15 standstill for over two minutes until Idaho State converted on an and-one right before the media timeout. The Vandals continued to struggle, going scoreless for over four minutes. Schmitt broke the seal with a wide-open three-pointer to tie the game up for the third time. Schmitt went on to score five of Idaho's seven total points in the period (2-2 FG, 1-1 3PT). The Bengals went on a 6-0 run, handing them a 24-18 point lead at the half.
The first half proved to be a defensive win for both teams as the squads struggled to get shots off. Idaho went 5-19 (26.3%) from the field and 2-9 (22.2%) from three but remained perfect at the free throw line at 6-6. Idaho State shot 10-35 (28.6%) from the field, 0-6 from three, and 4-5 (80%) from free throw. The Vandals gave the Bengals plenty of opportunities, turning over the ball ten times in the half. Johnson led Idaho with seven points, all of which were scored in the first quarter.
Idaho came out of the gate with a fire in their shots. Sarah Brans opened the scoring with her only three-pointer of the game. Moments later, Johnson grabbed a bad pass, went coast to coast to put in a layup, and earned an extra point off the free throw to level the game at 24-24. Caldwell subbed back on the court and made an immediate impact, scoring off a self-driven layup on the right side. The Bengals responded on the following play, tying the game once again. Not long after, Ashlyn Wallace brought the Vandals back in the lead with a corner three, forcing a Bengal timeout. The teams went on exchanging points and the lead until Idaho hit back-to-back threes from Johnson and Aspen to give them their biggest lead of the contest, 37-32.
Going into the final quarter, the Vandals were up by three points. While the Bengals were struggling to score from the field, Idaho let them back within one point off four attempts at the free throw line. On the following possession, Idaho turned over the ball and the Bengals made the Vandals pay with a fastbreak play to regain the lead. The Bengals continued a 10-0 scoring run holding Idaho to zero points for just under four minutes. Caldwell and Johnson were able to keep the Vandals' hopes alive scoring three points from the charity stripe, bringing the deficit to two points (46-48).
With 45 seconds left, the Vandals attempted to run a play and turned the ball over to ISU. Caldwell fouled the Idaho State player to stop the clock and with some luck, the Bengals missed both free throws. With less time on the clock than the shot clock, the Vandals were given the final opportunity to get the winning shot off. Schmitt ended up with the ball and took on two Bengals at the rim, sending in an impossible layup as the whistle rang and the refs signaled a foul. Schmitt stepped up and put away the game with the final free throw.
For the second time this season, Idaho did not allow a single three-pointer as the Bengals went 0-7. The Vandals shot 16-45 (35.6%) from the field, 6-21 (28.6%) from three and 11-12 (91.7%) from free throw while the Bengals shot 16-61 (26.2%) from the field and 16-19 (84.2%) from the free throw line. Turnovers punished the Vandals as Idaho State scored 15 points off Idaho's 18 turnovers while the Bengals gave the ball away six times.
Idaho returns home next weekend to host Northern Arizona and Northern Colorado on Thursday and Saturday.
