After a 14-18 record and Big Sky Tournament semifinal appearance last season, Idaho looked to continue its success this year. To start the path towards potential success, the Vandals went on the recruiting trail. Head coach Jon Newlee was able to sign guards Rosa Smith from Kirkland, Washington, and Jaiden Bea from Washougal, Washington.
The Vandals continued landing reinforcements with forward Sarah Brans from Dublin, California. After Brans, Idaho brought in guard Asha Phillips from North Nowra, Australia. The Vandals finished the offseason with a surprising move, signing a player from bitter rival Idaho State. Brook Malone hails from Perth, Australia, and gave the Vandals some key depth at forward.
Idaho began the season by traveling to Salt Lake City, Utah, for a game against the Utah Utes. The Vandals were on the wrong side of the Utes as they were defeated 88-63.
The Vandals got their first win of the season in the Navy Classic. After losing the first game of the tournament 80-49, Idaho defeated Navy 90-84 to snap a three-game losing streak. The Vandals finished the non-conference schedule 4-7, winning a huge game over Grand Canyon University.
With non-conference play out of the way, the Vandals moved onto the games that really mattered. They opened the conference slate with a game against the defending champion, and the team who defeated them in the semifinals the year before, Montana State.
Since students were on break, ICCU Arena was nowhere near full. Despite low attendance the Vandals came prepared as they defeated the Bobcats 72-53. Idaho followed that game up by beating Montana in their next game. However, their win streak ran short as they lost the next six games.
The Vandals would finally break the losing streak with a road win at Weber State. They followed their huge win with two more, beating Idaho State and Portland State. Idaho went 2-2 over their next four games before their second matchup with the Bengals.
In Battle of the Domes part two, the Vandals swept the Bengals and kept moving up in the standings. Idaho split their final two games, moving them to the six seed in the Big Sky Tournament. As fate would have it, they would take on one of the two teams that swept them during the regular season. However, unlike last year, the Vandals got a break the first two days before taking on the Sacramento State Hornets.
Just like the first two rounds, the Hornets stung the Vandals, sending Idaho home with a 73-58 loss. It was the first time since Idaho’s 2009 59-58 overtime loss to Utah State that they’ve lost in the first round of a conference tournament.
On top of their tournament loss, Idaho also lost a key player as Tiana Johnson ended her Vandal career. Luckily for Idaho, Beyonce Bea announced that she will be returning for the 2023-2024 season. Bea is on pace to break the Vandals all-time scoring record.
The Vandals did not end the season as they hoped, however there is a sense of optimism as the Vandals will return 11 of their 13 players. They’ve also added two recruits to help them next season. Guards Aspen Caldwell from Idaho Falls, Idaho, and Madelyn Muniz from Pheonix, Arizona will help the Vandals chase the Big Sky Championship next season.
Jayden Barfuss can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @JaydenBarfuss10