It took every second of game clock and much more to finish the job, but Idaho got back to its winning ways in Cheney.
The Vandals (14-9, 11-3 BSC) defeated Eastern Washington 75-74 in a game that came down to the very fractions of a second.
The game was the first half of a doubleheader, followed by both men’s teams shortly after. Fans trickling in early for the men’s game were not disappointed. Monday afternoon’s game featured seven lead changes and neither team achieved an advantage larger than nine points.
Idaho started hot and gained a seven point lead with 9:11 left in the second quarter after a made 3-pointer for freshman guard Gina Marxen. The Eagles (7-16, 6-8 BSC) immediately responded with a 9-0 run to retake the lead at 26-23. Freshman guard Grace Kirscher started the run with two threes, and the Sandpoint native was a thorn in Idaho’s side all day, leading Eastern with 19 points on 7-13 shooting.
In spite of Kirscher’s efforts, the Vandals were able to maintain momentum throughout the first half thanks to some spectacular frontcourt play. Idaho out-rebounded the Eagles 25-11, led by junior post Lizzy Klinker with seven rebounds and four players with at least three boards.
Coming out of halftime, the narrative remained consistent until midway through the fourth quarter. A 9-1 run by the Eagles punctuated by a turnover by Idaho guard Taylor Pierce led to another layup for Kirscher to put the Vandals in a 74-72 hole with less than two seconds left. Pierce then inbounded the ball halfway across the court to Klinker who passed to senior guard Mikayla Ferenz, whose 3-point shot banked off the glass and in seemingly after the final buzzer sounded.
Both teams began celebrating hesitantly as the referees converged to discuss whether or not Ferenz’s shot was released in time. In both real-time and replay, it appeared as if Ferenz had not let go of the shot before the buzzer, but the officials found that the clock had started prior to Klinker receiving Pierce’s inbounds pass and proper clock management would have allowed Ferenz’s shot to count. The officials declared the shot good after 10 minutes of deliberation and the Vandals won 75-74.
Ferenz’s final three was the exclamation mark on a heroic performance. She lead all players with 29 points on 10-19 shooting and 7-13 from behind the arc. Pierce finished with 13 points but struggled with turnovers for the second straight game, leading all players with six.
Head coach Jon Newlee played with a shortened rotation that could reflect which players will be relied upon come Big Sky Tournament play. Only junior post Isabelle Hadden and freshman guard Hailey Christopher logged minutes off the bench for Idaho, a fact reflected in Eastern Washington’s 20-7 advantage in bench points.
Up next, the Vandals will return to Moscow to play Northern Arizona in Memorial Gym at 6 p.m. Thursday Feb. 21.
Jonah Baker can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @jonahpbaker