On Feb. 22, the lights in the ICCU Arena never shined brighter. Graduate guard Olivia Nelson dribbled the ball as she stood two points away from a career high. Nelson received the ball on the left wing, put her foot on the ground, and exploded past four Northern Colorado defenders in a dazzling display of skill.
With a smooth right-handed layup, Nelson reached her new career high of 31 points, leading the Vandals to a commanding 77-59 victory over the Bears, snapping Idaho’s three-game losing streak and improving their record 17-9 (9-6).
“It’s been a long time coming,” Nelson said. “As Arthur [Moreira] said, we put five really good halves together. Our defense was outstanding. It was a well-rounded, great game.”
With the win, Head Coach Arthur Moreira tied Tara Vanderveer for the most wins by a first-year head coach in program history.
From the beginning of the game, the Vandals were on a mission to get back in the win column. They got off to a blistering start, knocking down back-to-back three-pointers to take a 6-0 lead. The Bears fought back and went on a 10-4 run to tie the game at ten.
The Vandals’ great ball movement found the hands of graduate forward Jennifer Aadland. She then fired a pass to the right wing to sophomore guard Hope Hassmann. With confidence, Hassmann stepped in and knocked down a three-pointer, which began their 10-0 run and gave them a 20-10 lead.
The Bears answered with a 6-0 run to end the quarter, and the Vandals took a 20-16 lead into the second quarter. The Vandal defense revved up the intensity and started to cause havoc for the Bears. The Vandals outscored the Bears 19-12, 10 of those 19 from Nelson to take a 39-28 lead into the locker room.
The Vandals ended the half shooting 50% from the field and were firing on all cylinders through 20 minutes of basketball. The Bears woke up from their hibernation and exited the locker room, ready to play. The Bears went on an 8-0 run to cut the 11-point Vandal lead to 43-40 and put pressure on the Vandals to respond.
Idaho responded with a 7-0 run of its own, bringing its lead back to double digits. After that run, the teams went back and forth, and with five seconds left, Nelson took the game into her own hands.
With time ticking down, Nelson had the ball in her hands, a position familiar to the point guard. As the time ticked, Nelson dribbled back and forth, surveying the defense, waiting for the opening.
The clock was under ten seconds when Nelson blew past two Bear defenders and laid the ball up, plus the foul. Nelson sank the free basket and helped the Vandals take a 55-45 lead into the fourth quarter.
Nelson added ten more points in the fourth quarter and guided the Vandals past the Bears to complete the season sweep.
Nelson finished with 31 points on 11/15 from the field, a perfect 4/4 from beyond the arc, and 5/6 from the free-throw line.
“We were able to attack gaps, and then there were a lot of open kickouts,” Nelson said. “It also helps when you make four threes. My teammates found me when I was open, and that helped me a lot.”
Nelson has had seven 20-plus-point games this season, including two games of over 30 points, and has broken her career high twice in the same season.
Along with Nelson, three other Vandals were in double figures. Hassmann was excellent as she finished with 14 points, five assists and a perfect 6/6 from the free-throw line.
Graduate forward Rosie Schweizer finished one rebound short of a double-double. She helped the Vandals with 10 points and nine rebounds. Aadland was the last Vandal in double figures. She had an extremely strong game, scoring 11 points and eight rebounds.
The Vandals, a team that has struggled with shooting the ball over the past games, improved drastically in this game. They finished 24/50 from the field, 9/17 from three and 20/24 from the free-throw line.
“We made some shots. It’s easier when you make baskets,” Moreira said. “We were building some confidence in the NAU game. They came into this game, even though we lost three in a row, believing that we could win, believing that we should win. So that gave us some confidence.”
Over the last two games, the Vandals’ defense has hit another gear. Intensity and energy have trickled into the offense. With their newly formed confidence, the Vandals will look to build on it as they approach their final road trip of the season.
The Vandals will travel to Pocatello next to face an in-state rival and avenge their 52-44 loss last month as they edge closer to the Big Sky tournament.
“They were more physical than us and beat us around a little bit, and we didn’t like that,” Moreira said. “In any sport, anytime Idaho plays Idaho State, it’s always a blood bath and always going to be a grind. So, we’re going to prepare our kids for that this week.”
The Vandals and Bengals will tip off from Reed Gym on Thursday, Feb. 27, at 6 p.m.
Jayden Barfuss can be reached at [email protected]