The tension and pressure were palpable as the Idaho Vandals and Idaho State Bengals were locked in a classic rivalry battle down at Reed Gym. The Bengals held a four-point lead heading into the fourth quarter and were ten minutes away from another King Spud victory.
Sophomore guard Hope Hassmann and the Vandals had the ball and momentum to begin the fourth quarter. Hassmann dribbled at the top of the key, drove to her right, stopped, and put up a heavily contested layup. Hassmann got the layup to go and cut Vandal’s deficit to two.
The Bengals, however, ran away with the game in the end and defeated the Vandals 75-69, dropping them to 17-10 (9-7).
The Vandals, unlike the meeting on Feb. 1, got out to a hot start and started the game on a 7-0 run. The Bengals, like the rest of the night, responded, and after a three-pointer by senior guard Maria Diaz, they had their first lead of the game, 15-14.
The Bengals led the rest of the quarter and held a 21-18 lead at the end of the quarter.
The Bengals, led by senior guard Tashia Jordan’s strong second quarter, extended their lead to eight points multiple times, but the Vandals continued to battle back and ended the half on an 8-2 run.
Graduate guard Olivia Nelson knocked down a corner three to start the run. Hassmann then found Junior guard Anja Bukvic in the left corner, and she knocked down a second straight three-pointer for the Vandals and cut the lead.
Nelson got the last points in the half with two free throws to bring the Vandals to 34-30 at the end of the quarter.
The Vandals continued their fight, and on the back of graduate forward Jennifer Aadland, who had nine points in the quarter, and a buzzer-beater by freshman guard Ana Beatriz Passos Alves da Silva, the Bengals held a 51-47 lead.
After the Hassmann tough layup, the Bengals went on an 11-0 run to seal the win and earn the season sweep of the Vandals.
Idaho, led by Nelson and Aadland, was the offense’s sparks all night. Nelson finished with 19 points, five rebounds, and six assists. Aadland also finished with 19 points and grabbed eight rebounds and three assists. However, as a team, they still struggled to shoot the ball.
The Vandals finished the game shooting 23/61 from the field, 11/33 from beyond the arc, and 12/16 from the free-throw line.
Idaho State had five players in double figures. Leading the way was Jordan with 16. Sophomore guard Alyse Aby had 12, nine of which were beyond the arc. The Bengals, as a team, were highly efficient, shooting 25/53 from the field, 7/13 from three, and 18/27 from the free-throw line.
February has been a month to forget for the Vandals, with a 2-5 record and some poor performances on offense and defense. The ups and downs of a season have hit the Vandals hard during the last seven games, and they will have to put that behind them as they come into the do-or-die part of their season.
The Vandals will head to Ogden, Utah, for a high-stakes game against Weber State to keep the third seed in the Big Sky tournament.
Jayden Barfuss can be reached at [email protected].