The University of Idaho Argonaut

Last year, the Idaho women’s basketball team struggled all season with a thin bench. Point guard Charlotte Otero led the NCAA in minutes,  playing an average of 40.6 minutes per game.

But with 36 points coming from the Vandals’ bench Sunday in Idaho’s runaway 82-52 exhibition win over Northwest Christian, it appears that coach Jon Newlee’s depth woes are over.

Yinka Olorunnife led the Vandals offensively with 16 points, 8 rebounds and two blocks, while Shaena-Lyn Kuehu made her presence felt all over the court, scoring 13 points on 4-9 shooting, pulling down a game-high 9 boards and grabbing two steals. Otero had an off night, shooting with just 5 points in 28 minutes, but she dished up six assists for just one turnover.

Newlee said his squad did well for an opening game, particularly given the absence of last year’s leading scorer, Derisa Taleni. The 2009 WAC Newcomer of the Year suffered a season-ending knee injury in practice last week.

“I wouldn’t say I was pleased with everything I saw out there today, but that’s what these exhibition games are for,” Newlee said. “When the starting unit was in they did a good job, but the other players need to get in there and figure out their roles as well.”

Kanisha Bello and Jessica Graham were tops among Idaho’s newcomers with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Graham looked sharp shooting, going 4-of-7 from the floor, but was unable to come up with a few key rebounds — something which can probably be chalked up to experience.

The Beacons, an NAIA school, were bolstered by star shooter Lori Renner, who led all scorers with 19 points on 7-for-9 shooting, including 5-of-7 from downtown. But only seven Northwest Christian players made buckets, while all 10 Vandals put points on the board.

Northwest Christian managed to keep the score close in the early going, trailing by just 12 at the half. But their lack of depth showed as the Vandals ran up and down the court at will in the game’s trailing minutes.

Idaho racked up just five fouls in the game, all tallied in the second half. While most coaches might like that clean play, Newlee was disappointed his players didn’t go harder, stronger and more aggressively after the ball.

“Our lack of aggression defensively was really bad,” Newlee said. “That is something we can pick up. We didn’t even get called for a foul in the first half. We didn’t play with any sense of urgency or aggression and that is something we need to get better at.”

The Vandals take to Memorial Gym court on Friday at 6 p.m., where they’ll face Eastern Oregon in the first half of an exhibition double-header.