For the second straight game the Idaho women’s basketball team (1-1) didn’t look sharp, but this time it hurt them as the Vandals fell on Monday 84-54 at North Dakota.
The Vandals won their opener against Corban University Nov 12, by three points, but will now host Gonzaga this Thursday after a poor performance.
North Dakota opened it up early quickly establishing a 20-7 lead, and handled the Vandals in the remaining three quarters for the victory.
Turnovers were once again an issue for Idaho. The Vandals turned the ball over 19 times as the offense continued to struggle taking care of the ball. The Vandals have turned it over 36 times in their first two games.
Rebounding also hurt Idaho in this one. The Vandals were outrebounded 50-31 in the game and that includes a 23-11 disadvantage on the offensive side of the ball. As a result, North Dakota scored 48 second-chance points.
For the second straight game the Vandals’ free-throw shooting was inconsistent as they hit only 15 of 26.
Freshman Stacey Barr was one of the positives for the Vandals on Monday night. Barr was 4-5 from the field with 10 points. Senior Ganeaya Rogers led Idaho with 11 points while sophomore Alyssa Charlston finished with eight. Madi Buck was the thorn in the side for Idaho as she led North Dakota with 17 points and 12 rebounds.
The Vandals will try to work things out before Gonzaga comes to town Thursday. Idaho will get two more shots at North Dakota this season as they play them
at the Lady Griz Holiday Classic in Missoula, Mont., on Dec. 29 and again on Jan. 3 in the Cowan Spectrum.