As the Idaho women’s basketball team traveled for Thursday’s game against Sacramento State, the team was hoping to rebound from a tough conference loss against Montana State Saturday.
Idaho entered the matchup against a strong Hornets program that led the nation in 3-point shooting, averaging 12.1 conversions per game.
But the Hornets powerful shooting faltered Thursday night, as the Vandals defeated Sacramento State 98-88 at the Colberg Court in Sacramento.
The win improves Idaho’s record to 6-2 in the Big Sky Conference and 14-6 overall.
The Vandals had three players finish the game with more than 16 points. Senior post Ali Forde led the team with a career-high 20 points and provided two blocks on defense.
Senior guard Christina Salvatore started off the game by scoring Idaho’s first eight points from the field.
Salvatore ended the night with a double-double, scoring 16 points and collecting 14 rebounds. The senior also made four of Idaho’s six shots beyond the arc and led the team with seven assists.
Junior Karlee Wilson’s quick presence on the perimeter was apparent throughout the game, as the point guard scored a career-high 19 points.
Idaho’s defense shut down the Hornets from 3-point range, as Sacramento State only converted six shots behind the arc.
Free throws also proved to be a deciding factor. Idaho made 83 percent (20-24) of their free throws while Hornets struggled with a 55 shooting percentage.
Idaho outrebounded the Hornets 48-33 in four quarters of play.
Idaho scored 29 points in the first quarter, matching a season high set Nov. 20.
The Vandals shot 71.4 percent (10-of-14) from the field to grab an initial lead that the team never relented.
The Vandals will continue a road trip with a Big Sky Conference matchup on Saturday.
Idaho will face Portland State at 2 p.m. at the Peter Stott Center in Portland, Oregon.
Luis Torres can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @TheLTFiles