The Vandals will finish a calmer part of conference play with only their third game in 15 days when the team travels to Missoula.
The result should be an intriguing bout between two very different approaches to the game of basketball.
Idaho’s Splash Sisters have made the 3-pointer the team’s identity with plenty of success to back it up, while Montana (8-7, BSC 3-3) has attempted the second fewest threes in the Big Sky at this point in the season. Instead, the Grizzlies rely on controlling the paint and getting higher-percentage shots.
Montana also focuses on slowing down the pace of play and maintaining posses- sion, which is exactly what fans saw in the two teams’ only matchup in the 2017-18 season. The Vandals (7-7, BSC 4-1) won 67-56 on the road and their final point total was their second-lowest offensive output in a win all season.
Only three players scored more than three points for Idaho in the matchup and guards Mikayla Ferenz and Taylor Pierce combined for 43 of Idaho’s points.
This year, Ferenz and Pierce are once again the engine driving this Idaho team. They are the first and sixth leading scorers in the conference, respectively, and Pierce leads all players with 54 made 3-pointers this season.
After Geraldine McCorkell’s departure, the team has cycled through a few different configurations in the post to replace her production. Sophomore Natalie Klinker has emerged as a possible fill for that void, leading the team in rebounds with eight per game. On the other side of the court, the Grizzlies played most of their bench and returned plenty of contributors for the 2018-19 season. Junior forward McKenzie Johnston led the team with 14 points in the last matchup and she is currently 20th in
the Big Sky with 11.8 points per game. Redshirt senior forward Jace Henderson could also be a problem for Idaho. She ranks among the conference’s leaders in points and rebounds, and she is second overall in field goal percentage with a .567 rate.
While Idaho has cruised through early conference play for the most part, Montana will enter Saturday’s game on the down- swing of a 3-3 start to conference play. The Grizzlies started with three straight wins, culminating in a double-overtime win at Sac- ramento State, but have since lost their past three to Portland State, Eastern Washington and Northern Colorado. The Vandals have started 4-1 after a bumpy run through non- conference play, with their only conference loss coming against Northern Colorado.
There is no reason to expect a game all that different from last year’s win in Missoula. The Grizzlies haven’t prevailed against Idaho since the 2014-15 season, and their recent skid would normally in- crease the motivation for picking an upset. However, the Vandals got plenty of rest over the break and seem poised to shatter Montana’s slow pace if Ferenz and Pierce can find any sort of rhythm.
Idaho will travel to Missoula to take on Montana Saturday at 1 p.m.
Jonah Baker can be reached at [email protected]