Saturday’s match wasn’t the first time that the Vandals found themselves trailing by a large deficit, but it was the first time the team had staged a memorable comeback.
The Idaho women’s basketball team beat Southern Utah 62-51 to earn its fourth Big Sky Conference win.
The victory was Idaho’s second road win of the week, and the team’s first sweep during a travel week since 1993. The Vandals (12-5 overall) are now 4-1 in Big Sky play, while the Thunderbirds (3-12 overall) drop to 0-5.
Sophomore post Geraldine McCorkell led Idaho with 14 points, while freshman guard Mikayla Ferenz provided another.
Senior post Ali Forde earned her 17th career double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds, and also provided four assists for the Vandals.
Freshman guard Taylor Pierce started just the second game of her collegiate career, replacing senior guard Connie Ballestero.
Forde scored the first points of the game with a layup to spark Idaho’s offense.
The initial offensive success for the Vandals began to fade after the opening minutes.
The Vandals shot 19 percent during the first quarter, allowing the Thunderbirds to take a substantial 19-8 lead.
“We dug ourselves a big hole there,” head coach Jon Newlee said. “Early on I thought we had some good looks that we usually hit. They just were not going down.”
Idaho began a 13-point comeback by notching 13 rebounds and scoring 15 points during the second quarter.
The team continued using defense to hold Southern Utah to just one offensive rebound during the second quarter.
The Thunderbirds took a 31-23 lead into halftime.
McCorkell jumpstarted the Idaho offense by scoring seven points in the third quarter.
A 3-pointer from Ferenz tied the game 39-39 midway through the period. Two free throws from senior post Renae Mokrzycki evened the score again as the two teams entered the final quarter locked in a 41-41 tie.
A layup from Ballestero gave Idaho a two-point lead that the Vandals built on in the final minutes of the game.
Ferenz scored eight points while McCorkell added another seven to carry the Vandals to a 6-51 victory.
Idaho is scheduled to face Montana Thursday at 6 p.m. at the Cowan Spectrum.
Tess Fox can be reached at [email protected]Â or on Twitter @tesstakesphotos