For some players, a fresh start is all they need to find success, and senior guard Kyra Gardner is thriving in her new environment.
The excitement around the Idaho Vandals women’s basketball team was palpable as they hit the court Monday, Nov. 3, ready to prove themselves. As the players walked onto the floor in their black and gold jerseys, the one wearing no. 3 found herself in a familiar place, but wearing unfamiliar colors.
Gardner, a Washington State transfer, walked into Beasley Coliseum for the first time wearing an opposing team’s jersey, and the former Cougar broke Cougar hearts. Gardner was outstanding for the full 40 minutes, finishing with a career-high 26 points while adding eight rebounds, five steals and a game-winning block to help the Vandals secure an 87-85 victory, their first win against the Cougars since 2003.
Gardner, like the Vandals as a team, struggled shooting in the first half but was stellar on the defensive end. At the break, she had six points and the Vandals were 0-9 from beyond the arc.
Gardner ended the drought and hit the first three-pointer of the game for the Vandals, and the rest was history. She connected on five more triples to finish 6-10 from the three-point line and led the Vandals to victory.
“You have a lot of adrenaline going into it,” Gardner said. “It’s definitely helpful when you have teammates that get you the open shots.”
The Raymond, Washington, native spent her first three seasons with the Cougars, appearing in 90 games and helping the team win the Pac-12 championship and reach the NCAA tournament in 2023. Gardner, who averaged three points per game her final season at WSU, came to Idaho in the offseason, and head coach Arthur Moreira has been pleased with what he’s seen so far.
“That’s the player I thought we were going to get,” Moreira said. “She’s the type of player that thrives in freedom. There are multiple ways to be successful, and every coach can be successful in different ways. She thrives in that environment. You have to let her loose a little bit, live with some bad shots, lose some turnovers, but know that overall, she’s going to help us win.”
Gardner looks to be a key player for the Vandals this season and will be a huge part of the backcourt in their hopes to bring a championship back to Moscow.