BOZEMAN, Mont. – The Vandal women's basketball team (14-14, 7-9) came from behind to defeat the Bobcats (15-14, 9-7) 58-53 on Thursday night. With 10 points in the final quarter, Kennedy Johnson led the squad with 15 total followed by Sarah Brans with 13.
The Vandals are a force to be reckoned with on the road as they now boast an 11-3 record away from home with only two road losses in conference play. For the third time this season, Idaho came from behind at halftime to win, with the last time at Idaho State. Idaho also improved to 2-1 all-time on February 29th with tonight's win.
Amalie Langer led the Vandals with eight boards, featuring five offensive boards. Ashlyn Wallace was a key disrupter, grabbing four steals of the team's 14 overall. All but one Vandal that saw the court tonight points while six scored six plus. Brans had a stellar night, shooting 5-6 from FG and 3-4 from three-point distance, playing all but one minute of the game.
The first 10 minutes proved to be a seesaw of a quarter as the teams scored 16 points apiece. Brans led Idaho with eight points (3-3 FG, 2-2 three-point) while Natalie Picton (3-6 FG, 3-4 three-point) led the court with nine. Idaho had the better shooting percentage while the Bobcats fired off more shots. Langer grabbed half of her total rebounds in the quarter as the lead changed twice.
Idaho went cold as the second quarter came, shooting 1-11 from the field, but sparing some points from the free throw line (5-7). On the other hand, the Bobcats earned their largest lead of the game at seven points with on a 7-0 run with just over six minutes in the half. Idaho slowly inched back, going on a five-point run after the media timeout. Montana State doubled Idaho in points scored in the quarter (14-7) to earn a 30-23 lead going into the half.
On paper, the Bobcats were in complete control of the game as the teams headed into their locker rooms. Idaho shot an overall 28% (7-25) from the field and 20% (2-10) from three while Montana State measured at 37.9% (11-29) from the field and 41.7% (5-12) from three. Idaho attempted more shots from the charity stripe converting seven of 10 while the Bobcats converted all three of their attempts. The Bobcats also had the edge with 22 rebounds to Idaho's 17 and seven blocks to one.
As the second quarter began, a rejuvenated Vandal team stepped out onto the court dropping 20 points – only three less than they had in the first half. Sarah Schmitt and Wallace scored six each as the Vandals gained a three-point lead. Idaho took their turn scoring double, outscoring the Bobcats 20-10. Asha Phillips dominated the boards with four, the same as Montana State's quarterly total.
In the final 10 minutes, the Bobcats made the Vandals continue to work, tying the game up twice. Idaho was not able to let off the gas, led by Johnson with 10 points and Brans with five. After the final tie, Idaho went on a 7-0 scoring run to lead the team into the final minute and earned their largest lead of eight points. Johnson grabbed four boards while Asha Phillips and Wallace grabbed two each. Idaho outscored the Bobcats 15-13 in the quarter to seal the road win.
Idaho finished the game shooting 40.7% (22-54) from the field, 29.4% (5-17) from three, and 75% (9-12) from free throw. The Bobcats totaled 37.3% (19-51) from the field, 34.8% (8-23), and 70% (7-10) from free throw. Idaho grabbed 36 rebounds to MSU's 33. Defensively, the Vandals dominated with 14 steals and forced 15 turnovers.
The Vandals will play their final road game of the regular conference season on Saturday at Montana at 1 p.m. PST.
