It was a crazy weekend in the world of Vandal Athletics. The men’s basketball team won their second game of the season, the football team lost their first-round playoff game and the women’s team split their games at the Navy Classic.
Richmond
It was a battle between one-of-one mascots as the Vandals took on the Spiders.
Idaho was unable to get much going in the first quarter, shooting 6/17 from the field and 4/10 from three-point range. Richmond shot 7/12 from the field and 3/6 from three. They also went 7/8 from the free throw line.
Cold shooting spread across the court in the second quarter. The Vandals were only able to hit 6/17 of their total shots while 0/6 of their three-point attempts went through the net. The Spiders shot even worse, going 5/15 from the field and 0/4 from three. Their saving grace came at the free throw line where they went 6/6.
Idaho picked things back up in the third shooting 6/17 from the field and 2/10 from three. They were finally able to get to the line, making all three of their free throw attempts. Richmond went 6/16 from the field and 3/10 from three. They also continued to get to the free throw line, going 5/6.
With the score at 60-39 to start the fourth, the Vandals had a lot of ground to make up. However, they weren’t able to do much. They went 3/15 from the field and 0/5 from three. Free throws were the only real bright point as they hit 4/6. Richmond had a much better quarter, shooting 7/15 from the field and 3/6 from three. They also went 3/4 from the free throw line. The Spiders put the Vandals in a web all game, winning 80-49.
Three Vandals scored double-digits. Senior guard/forward Beyonce Bea led the team with 12 points and eight rebounds. Sophomore guard Ashlyn Wallace was a close second putting up 11 points. Junior guard Sydney Gandy rounded out the top three with 10 points and four assists.
Navy
The Vandals must have spent all evening preparing as their game against Navy was a battle.
Idaho went 8/17 from the field and 3/10 from three in the first quarter. They were also much better at drawing fouls, going 4/4 from the free throw line. Navy went 6/12 from the field and 2/5 from three. They also did a good job getting to the line, hitting 5/6 of their free throws.
Shots continued falling for both teams in the second quarter. Idaho went 7/15 from the field and 3/7 from three. However, they only shot, and made, one free throw. Navy went 8/17 from the field and 2/5 from beyond the arc. The midshipman also only shot one free throw, but they missed it.
Down 41-37, Navy really started getting to work. They shot 9/16 from the field and 3/5 from three-point range. Once again, only one field goal was taken, but this time they made it. Idaho went 5/15 from the field and 2/7 from three. Free throws kept them from going down too much as they hit 4/8.
The fourth quarter started with Bea tying it up 59-59. The Vandals ended up going 8/14 from the field and 1/5 from three. The bulk of their points came from the free throw line as they went 16/19. The Midshipman also had a great shooting quarter going 10/18 from the field, 3/6 from three and 2/3 from the free throw line.
“Beyonce had the game,” head coach Jon Newlee said. “She really saved us from an offensive standpoint, and defensively she shut down their top kid in the fourth quarter.”
Bea had an incredible game, putting up 34 points, 13 rebounds and three steals. Graduate Student guard/forward Tiana Johnson had 13 points and four rebounds. Wallace and redshirt freshman forward Brooke Malone rounded out the double-digit scorers with 11 points each.
Coming off their first win of the season, Idaho will head to the opposite coast to play in the USD Winter Classic. They play Nevada on Dec. 3 at 4 p.m. and New Mexico State on Dec. 4 at 2 p.m.
James Taurman-Aldrich can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @jamesaldrich25