Idaho’s postseason began with a bang in Boise, even without the team’s trademark accuracy.
The Vandals defeated Northern Arizona 90-73 Tuesday to advance to the semifinals of the Big Sky Tournament.
“Once we got the first quarter out of the way, we did a great job of defending them better, and the second quarter really turned the tide for us,” said Idaho Head Coach Jon Newlee. “That defense really led to opportunities for our offense in transition and allowed us to get into our flow offensively.”
Northern Arizona matched the Vandals blow-for-blow through the first quarter, but senior guard Taylor Pierce led the charge in the second quarter to set a deficit for the rest of the game. Pierce scored 17 of her 31 points in the second quarter, including 5-7 shooting from the floor and a 5-5 performance from the free throw line. Idaho outscored the Lumberjacks 32-12 in the second quarter to take a 56-36 lead at the break, and NAU never recovered.
“My teammates do a great job of finding me great looks in transition,” Pierce said. “The rim looked pretty massive today and I hope that’s the case tomorrow.”
The Vandals also outscored NAU 26-10 in the paint in the first half and 42-20 overall, helping to overcome the team’s worst 3-point shooting performance since early January at only 28.1 percent. Forwards Natalie and Lizzy Klinker each came within one point of a double-double, with Lizzy finishing with nine points and 13 rebounds and Natalie recording nine points and 10 boards.
“They bring so much energy to this team and their motors run so high all the time,” said Newlee. “Sometimes you even need them to bring it down a bit but they’re great rebounders and they’re physically unafraid. They always want that ball when it goes up and we love having that energy.”
The Lumberjacks came into the game at a disadvantage, losing senior forward Kaleigh Paplow in the previous round’s matchup with Sacramento State. In her place, freshman Regan Schenck stepped up with 24 points and 12 rebounds, leading the team in both categories.
“I’m so proud of the way our team played together and battled together today,” said Northern Arizona Head Coach Loree Payne. “Kaleigh was in too much pain to play today unfortunately, but you got a great sneak peek into what the future of Lumberjack basketball looks like today.”
Northern Arizona managed to outscore Idaho 37-34 in the second half, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the advantage Idaho built in the second quarter. Sophomore forward Khiarica Rasheed fouled out with more than seven minutes left in the final frame, and redshirt sophomore guard Caitlin Malvar struggled with foul trouble after earning her fourth foul less than three minutes into the third quarter.
The Lumberjacks managed to shrink the deficit to 12 with 1:04 left in the fourth quarter, but could not overcome Idaho’s early lead. Vandal reserves Nina Carlson and Chayse Milne padded the team’s stats with a pair of buckets in the final minute to put the cap on a resounding start to the Big Sky Tournament.
Up next, the Vandals will play the winner of the Portland State, Montana State game 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at CenturyLink Arena in Boise.
Jonah Baker can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @jonahpbaker