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Hope Hassmann
52
Weber St. Weber 11-22,4-14 Big Sky
66
Winner Idaho UI 27-5,17-1 Big Sky
Weber St. Weber
11-22,4-14 Big Sky
52
Final
66
Idaho UI
27-5,17-1 Big Sky
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Weber St. Weber 12 9 12 19 52
Idaho UI 14 22 18 12 66

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

No. 1 Vandals Seal Spot in Semis, Beat Wildcats 66-52

FINAL SCORE: Idaho 66, Weber State 52
RECORDS: Idaho (27-5, 17-1), Weber State (11-22, 4-14)
IDAHO LEADERS: Hope Hassmann and Kyra Gardner (14 points), Ana Pinheiro (11 rebounds), Hassmann (six assists), Gardner (eight steals)
 
NOTABLES:
  • Idaho has advanced to the semifinals of the Big Sky Conference tournament for the first time since the 2021-22 season
  • The Vandals sweep the season series against Weber State, winning all three games against the Wildcats
  • Ana Pinheiro recorded her third double-double of the season, and tied her career high in rebounds
  • Idaho outrebounded Weber State by 19
  • The Vandals have now won 16 games in a row, setting a new school record for longest winning streak in the NCAA era
BOISE, Idaho – In a record-setting day at Idaho Central Arena, the Idaho Vandals Women's Basketball Team (27-5, 17-1) defeated the Weber State Wildcats (11-22, 4-14) for its 16th consecutive win, and advances to the semifinals of the Big Sky Conference tournament for the first time since 2021-22. 

A see-saw first quarter had the lead bouncing back and forth between the Vandals and the 'Cats, but an early free throw from Ana Pinheiro, followed by a corner three from Ella Uriarte gave the Vandals an early 4-3 lead. WSU regained a single-point edge, but Hope Hassmann sprinted to the cup on the fastbreak, finished a layup through contact, and capitalized on a free throw to give the lead back to the silver and gold. The lead flip-flopped between the two sides a few more times, but a Debora Dos Santos jumper off the glass banked home the two points that Idaho needed to take a 14-12 advantage to the second quarter.

The Vandals created some separation in the second, with the Idaho defense clamping down the Wildcat attack, holding them without a field goal for six and a half minutes of game time. Near the 3:45 mark in the quarter, Lorena Barbosa zigged through traffic and put the ball off the window and in for an and-one opportunity, and then made the free throw. She followed that up with a picture-perfect two-person fastbreak, zipping the ball back and forth between her and Hassmann, ending in another Barbosa layup. She finished the half with eight points on 3-3 shooting from the floor, and the Vandals took a 15-point lead to the locker rooms. 

Pinheiro got the Vandal offense kick-started after the break, hitting back-to-back threes to give Idaho an early 7-0 second-half run. Shortly after that, Hassmann banked in a layup from the right side to make her the first Vandal with 10 or more points. The mighty Idaho defense stood tall, forcing another Weber State scoring drought of over three minutes in the third. Idaho held a 54-36 lead going into the fourth, and already had enough points in the bank to win the game. 

Weber State didn't make it easy on the Vandals and put up a quick 8-0 run that forced Arthur Moreira to call a timeout, but Idaho ultimately was able to stave off the furious Wildcat run to preserve its place in the Starch Madness bracket, winning by a score of 66-52. 

This is Idaho's 16th win in a row, setting a new record for longest winning streak in the program's NCAA era.

UP NEXT: The No. 1 seed Idaho Vandals will play the winner of the No. 4 Idaho State and No. 5 Sacramento State game, which will start on Monday, March 9 at 11 p.m. PT. Idaho's next game will tip off on Tuesday, March 10 at 11 p.m. PT, and can be seen on ESPN+

TICKETS: Tickets to the Big Sky Conference tournament can be purchased here.

SOCIAL MEDIA: Stay up to date with everything happening with the Vandals by following them on Facebook, Instagram, X, and YouTube.
 
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