A season filled with lofty expectations came to a disappointing end Wednesday.
The Vandals lost 75-59 to Portland State in their semifinal matchup of the Big Sky Tournament, ending Idaho’s shot at a tournament title to match their regular season success.
Having not prevailed against Idaho since 2007, the Vikings needed a remarkable game to topple the conference’s top seed. Portland State made life difficult on the Vandals by closing out many of Idaho’s opportunities from beyond the arc, forcing Idaho to only a 1-11 showing from 3-point range in the first half.
The Vikings gained the upper hand in the second quarter and pulled away for good early in the third. After freshman guard Hailey Christopher hit a jumper to tie the game at 18 with 8:32 left in the second quarter, the Vandals would never tie or lead the game again.
After riding the success of senior guards Mikayla Ferenz and Taylor Pierce for much of the season, Idaho’s season came to a halt when both stars went cold. The pair combined for 15 points, with Pierce managing only two points on 1-13 shooting and 0-12 from 3-point range.
On top of a stellar defensive performance, the Vikings also continuously found ways to get to the free throw line, converting all 19 of the free throws awarded to them. Sophomore guard Kylie Jimenez led the way for the Vikings with 22 points and nine assists and redshirt senior forward Courtney West led all players with six offensive rebounds and 11 overall.
The Vikings controlled the flow of the game for much of the second half, maintaining a slim lead throughout the third quarter before adding some cushion in the fourth quarter. Jimenez scored 14 points in the second half and redshirt senior guard Sidney Rielly bounced back from an 0-5 shooting performance in the first half to contribute 11 points for the Vikings.
In spite of the loss, freshman guard Hailey Christopher and junior forward Lizzy Klinker performed admirably and should give Vandal fans hope for a post-Splash Sisters world. Christopher came off the bench and poured in 16 points on 7-10 shooting, while Klinker had arguably her best performance of the season after leading Idaho with 21 points and nine rebounds.
The Vandals end their season with a 20-11 record, including a 16-4 record in conference play. Idaho clinched the Big Sky regular season title for the first time since 2016 and three players received postseason accolades from the conference, along with Newlee. Idaho may return to action in the coming weeks as berths for postseason tournaments are announced.
Jonah Baker can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @jonahpbaker