The Idaho women’s basketball team continued to impress Thursday with an important win over Montana State with a final score of 95-77.
This was a big conference matchup for the Vandals as they not only looked to continue their seven game win streak, but also enter into a tie for first place standing with Northern Colorado in the Big Sky.
Once again junior guards Mikayla Ferenz and Taylor Pierce dazzled in the scoring category, with 29 from Ferenz and another 20 from Pierce. Senior post Geraldine McCorkell and Ferenz were both dangerously close to triple-double territory as well. McCorkell finished with 10 points, eight boards and six assists.
The Vandals had a slow start to the showdown, giving up back-to-back 3-point shots to the Bobcats to begin the game. The game was quickly equalized behind a fast paced first quarter of play from Idaho. Both teams traded points back and forth throughout the first. This ultimately resulted in a 3-point shot from the Bobcats in the final seconds of the opening quarter to tie the game at 20.
The fast pace of the first quarter continued in the second quarter as each team continued to score repeatedly. While both teams drove up the score, Idaho took the second quarter, outscoring the Bobcats by six points. The score at the end of the first half was Idaho 46 Montana State 40.
At the half, the Vandals were lead in scoring by Pierce with 12 and Ferenz with 11.
During the second half of play Idaho picked up exactly where they left off at the end of the first. The Vandal offense was unrelenting, as they did not lose the lead in the entirety of the second half of play.
Outscoring the Bobcats 49 to 37 in the second half of play, the Vandals cashed their check for an
“They (MSU) got a fast start and the crowd was into it. We needed to match that and I thought we did. I thought Issy came in and gave us a spark in that first half. When Solo got tired she came in and knocked down shots and played some pretty good defense,” Idaho Head Coach Jon Newlee said in a news release. “Total team effort from the Vandals tonight on both sides.”
Idaho rolls on to Montana 1 p.m. Saturday in Missoula, Montana.
Clay McKinley can be reached at [email protected]