The Vandals may have struggled mightily prior to conference play, but that 4-7 record in non-conference play is quickly fading into unimportance.
Idaho dispatched North Dakota 78-64 Saturday night on the road. On paper, the Vandals and Fighting Hawks should be the same. They both sport 10-10 overall records, but that is about where the similarities end.
Idaho has started to dominate conference play, winning six of nine and each of their last four. North Dakota is only 3-6 in conference games.
Like any team that focuses on deep shooting, Idaho goes through hot and cold streaks both on the court and in the schedule. In spite of this identity, Idaho has a few steady hands that keep the team moving forward even when the shots don’t fall.
Junior guard Mikayla Ferenz dominated once again on Thursday. She didn’t meet her conference leading points average, but she did put together Idaho’s first triple-double since 1984 with 15 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists.
Despite getting fewer points from Ferenz than usual, this team was able to find a way to win. That particularly is the mark of teams that will find success at the end of the season, especially when their leaders keep finding unique ways to stuff the stat sheet.
“(North Dakota) was doubling her all game and she was able to find people,” head coach Jon Newlee said in a news release. “She gave up to a wide open three to give (Nejra) Solo that look underneath. She is unselfish and she wants this team to win and is going to do what it takes.”
Jonah Baker
Whatever the team didn’t get in points from Ferenz, senior post Geraldine McCorkell contributed in spades.
McCorkell was a force all night, recording a career-high 34 points in 32 minutes. She played an integral part in Idaho pulling away in the second quarter, adding 13 points, including 3-3 shooting from beyond the arc. She also took advantage of North Dakota’s aggressiveness, ending the night shooting 9-10 from the free throw line.
Factoring in junior guard Taylor Pierce and freshman guard Allison Kirby, this team has four different players who can go off for double digit points in a quarter. It doesn’t need 15 from each player every night to win, which should be a very exciting prospect for Vandal fans.
This team can win on any given night against any team. And, with the team’s newfound emphasis on rebounding, there is even less margin for error for opposing teams. Idaho has not been outrebounded since its loss against Eastern Washington, and the team has won each of its last four games since then. The combination of opportunistic shooting and glass domination has proven to be a winner over the current streak, and it could carry over into the upcoming three game home stand.
Idaho has Portland State and Sacramento State up first, and both play into the Vandal’s strengths.
Neither team is in the top half of the conference for 3-point defense or rebounding. Sacramento State is also 0-10 away from home this year, and Idaho’s home stand will end with a chance to avenge the earlier loss to Eastern Washington.
If Idaho is able to follow the formula of winning on the glass and firing from three like they have been, Eastern Washington won’t have much of a chance to get the sweep. With nine Big Sky games left before the season-ending tournament, this Vandal team is poised to make a full comeback after a rocky start.
Jonah Baker can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @jonahpbaker