The Vandals headed down to Ogden, Utah on Thursday to play in a rare early morning game. Idaho and Weber State weren’t originally supposed to play early in the morning, but the time change didn’t seem to faze Idaho as they won 66-52 on the road.
Idaho started off with a bang as freshman forward Sarah Brans hit a three to open the scoring. Weber was able to answer Idaho’s shots in the first seven minutes, holding an 8-7 lead with 6:30 off the clock. Senior guard/forward Beyonce Bea hit a layup 26 seconds later to give Idaho the lead, and the Vandals never let it go.
This was the first time Idaho led in the first quarter in five games. They shot 7/17 from the field and 2/8 from three. Weber shot 5/16 from the field and 0/2 from three.
Weber State senior forward Jadyn Matthews started the scoring in the second half with a layup after 1:30 of play. Sophomore guard Ashlyn Wallace didn’t like Idaho’s lead getting cut early, so she answered that layup with a three. A couple more threes from sophomore guard Sydney Gandy and redshirt freshman forward Brooke Malone upped Idaho’s lead to nine just before the halfway point of the second quarter. The Vandals were able to get to a double-digit lead shortly after and held onto that lead for most of the quarter.
While Idaho held a 12-point lead, senior forward Daryn Hickok wanted to try and push the momentum towards Weber at halftime. She drove to the basket and hit a buzzer-beater layup, making it 36-26 Idaho at halftime.
Idaho shot slightly better in the second quarter, going 6/14 from the field, 4/10 from three and 4/6 from the free throw line. Weber shot much better in the second quarter as they went 5/11 from the field, 0/2 from three and 6/6 from the free throw line.
The third quarter started great for Idaho and ended great for Weber. Malone hit a three with just under one minute off the clock to open the scoring. Gandy backed up that three with one of her own to push the lead to 16 points. The next three was hit just over three minutes later as Wallace brought the Vandals’ lead to 20 points.
It would be another almost five minutes before Idaho would hit from beyond the arc. This time, it came from graduate student guard/forward Tiana Johnson. With 34 seconds left on the clock, it looked like Johnson’s deep shot was going to be the last of the quarter, but Laura Taylor had different plans. The Weber State senior guard/forward got the inbound, went to the three-point line on the other end of the court and banked it in off the back of the rim.
The Vandals took a step back field goal percentage wise in the third quarter. They shot 5/16 from the field, 4/8 from beyond the arc and 4/5 from the free throw line. The Wildcats shot 5/16 from the field, 1/5 from three and 1/2 from the free throw line.
The fourth quarter was more of the same from both teams. It started with a 14-point Idaho lead, ended with a 16-point Idaho lead. Idaho shot 4/11 from the field, 2/4 from three and 2/2 from the free throw line. Weber shot 5/16 from the field, 0/5 from three and 2/4 from the free throw line.
Overall, Idaho had a great game. Gandy led in scoring with 19 points while Bea followed with 15, nine of which came in the first half. Bea pulled down 15 rebounds, 11 of which came in the first half, and notched her eighth double-double of the season. Wallace led the team in assists with five while Bea led in steals and blocks with two.
Weber State was led in scoring by Ava Williams who put up 14 points. Sophomore guard Kaiija Lesane did the work in the paint pulling down 10 rebounds. The game’s playmaking was led by Matthews and Hickok who dished out two dimes each. Williams and Parra each put up a block while Hickok led on defense with two steals.
The Vandals will continue their road trip this weekend as they take on Idaho State in the Battle of the Domes. The game will tip off at 1 p.m. on Saturday and can be watched on ESPN+.
James Taurman-Aldrich can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @jamesaldrich25.