Vandals win nail-biter in Greely
It was a game that every basketball fan loves to watch: a close in-conference game that goes down to the wire. The Vandals started the game hot as graduate student guard Allison Kirby got a steal and senior guard/post Tiana Johnson hit a three. After four minutes had gone off the clock, junior guard/post Beyonce Bea went on a scoring run, putting up 11 of her 23 total points in the first quarter. The second quarter started off slow for both teams, but the Bears were eventually able to flip a switch and score 13 points in the final four minutes of the half to go into the locker room down 31-30.
The second half started out similar to the first with both teams battling to take, and keep, a lead. The Bears were able to go ahead for a total of 18 seconds before Bea hit two free throws to tie it up. Northern Colorado continued to match Idaho through the rest of the quarter, but a layup followed by an and-one from Kirby allowed the Vandals to up their lead to six going into the fourth.
Coming back from the huddle, the Bears clawed their way back and took the lead. Northern Colorado senior guard Allie Downing hit a three to go up 56-53 with 5:28 remaining. Northern Colorado held the lead for just over two minutes before Bea hit a layup to put the Vandals back on top. Shortly after, Bea hit another layup to put Idaho up three with two minutes remaining. In the final moments of the game, Kirby, who has hit 95 percent of her free throws this season, was sent to the line three times. She hit five of six to ice the game. Vandals won 64-59.
Bea notched her third double-double in a row with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Johnson also contributed 10 points and eight rebounds. Kirby finished the game with 10 points, 4 rebounds, and a team high three steals. Off the bench, graduate student guard Louise Forsyth made her presence known with 17 points.
Vandals lose in overtime in Sacramento
After a huge win against Northern Colorado, the Vandals headed down to Sacramento to take on the Sacramento State Hornets. The first quarter was neck-and-neck as the Hornets matched everything the Vandals put up. It looked as though Idaho was going to take a four-point lead at the end of the quarter, but a buzzer beater layup from sophomore center Isnelle Natabou dropped the lead to just two.
The second quarter was just as back-and-forth as the first. Both teams tried to keep their lead. Sacramento was able to hold a three-point lead for just over a minute before freshman guard Ashlyn Wallace hit a three to put Idaho back up with three minutes remaining. The Vandals held a two-point lead up until Jazmin “Jazzy” Carrasco hit a buzzer-beater three to put the Hornets up 26-25 at the half.
The Vandals had another one of their miraculous third quarters, starting with a three-pointer from senior guard Chayse Milne. Threes continued to fly, and fall, for the Vandals as they hit a total of six in the quarter. Despite the huge three-point output for Idaho, Sacramento had a great quarter as well, ending the quarter down 51-48.
The fourth quarter started well for the Vandals as they were able to go on a 10-3 run in the first five minutes. The Hornets stung the Vandals in the final five minutes going on a 14-5 run to send the game into the Vandals’ first overtime of the year. Overtime started off rough for the Vandals as a foul in the first 16 seconds sent Carrasco to the line. Sophomore guard Sydney Gandy was able to tie it back up with a jumper, but the tie was short lived. Despite the Vandals’ efforts to get the lead back, the Hornets’ nine points, five of them being free-throws, allowed them to come out on top 76-73.
Three Vandals finished the game with double digits in the scoring column. Bea ended with 21 points along with six rebounds and five assists. Gandy had 17 points and tacked on eight assists and five rebounds. Johnson had a solid game against her former team scoring 17 and pulling down five rebounds. The Vandals will return home to play Portland State on Jan. 24 at 2 p.m.
James Taurman-Aldrich can be reached at [email protected]