In spite of an early exit in the Big Sky Tournament, the Vandals are not done on the court just yet.
Idaho will play Loyola Marymount in the first round of the WNIT in Los Angeles. The Vandals were selected as one of the tournament’s 32 automatic bids for each conference’s regular season champion.
The berth is Idaho’s second consecutive appearance in the WNIT and the fourth straight postseason invite for the Vandals.
“We couldn’t be more excited to play in such a prestigious tournament as the WNIT,” head coach Jon Newlee said in a news release. “I know Charity (Elliott) does a great job with her program and we are looking forward to playing such a talented and well-coached team.”
Loyola Marymount started the season strong with wins over UCLA and Arizona, but struggled to find consistency in a remarkably rugged West Coast Conference. The Lions went 1-3 against NCAA Tournament qualifiers BYU and Gonzaga and they crumbled in the WCC Tournament to Saint Mary’s with a 32-point loss in the quarterfinals.
The Lions ended the season as the sixth team in the WCC to get a postseason bid. Although not clearly superior in any statis- tical category, Loyola plays slow with the third-fewest points allowed per game and the fourth-fewest points scored per game in the conference.
A talented group of seniors leads the Lions in their first tournament appearance since 2004. The trio of Gabby Green, Bree Alford and Andee Velasco paced Loyola through a season full of injuries. Green missed half of the season, but her 13.5
points per game are second on the team to go along with 6.1 rebounds per game and a team-leading 2.7 steals per game. Alford leads the Lions on the boards with 9.1 per game, and Velasco facilitates the offense with a team-leading 4.5 assists per game.
The real question for the Vandals lies in whether or not this team can recover from the devastating defeat it suffered a week ago against Portland State. The Vikings took the perfect approach to attacking Idaho and an especially off night from senior guard Taylor Pierce snuffed out any hopes of a comeback.
Finding the need for speed: In order for the Vandals to win their first postseason game since 2017, Idaho will need to be able to push their own tempo and force the Lions out of the slow pace that keeps them comfortable and successful. Much of the game will be determined early on, especially if the Vandals can break out of the shooting slump that doomed them in the Big Sky Tournament.
Look for Mikayla Ferenz and company to come out with a vengeance in an effort to extend the season.
The Vandals will travel to Loyola Mary- mount to play at 7 p.m. Thursday March 21 in Los Angeles.
Jonah Baker can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @jonahpbaker