With 5.9 seconds on the clock at Idaho Central Credit Union Arena, the Vandals had one more possession to cap off their best quarter of the season. Junior guard Hope Hassmann raced up the floor. As the clock ticked, she hit the brakes, creating the separation she needed to hoist a three-pointer.
The ball sliced through the air as the buzzer sounded. It swished through the net, giving the Vandals a 32-19 lead over the University of California Riverside at the end of the first quarter, the most points they had scored in a quarter this season.
From that point on, led by sophomore guard Ana Passos Alves da Silva’s career-high 18 points, the Vandals dominated the Highlanders and captured an 89-75 victory to improve to 4-1 on the season.
“I thought for the first three quarters, we played our best game of the season on both ends,” head coach Arthur Moreira said. “I knew these guys were going to be hard because they don’t crash on the glass offensively, so they send five people back. Their transition defense coming into this game was one of the best in the country, and I thought our transition offense was better. Those three quarters, that’s what a championship team looks like.”
From the opening tip, the Vandals were on a mission to extend their winning streak. Hassmann and redshirt forward Debora dos Santos combined for 18 of the Vandals’ 32 first-quarter points, with nine each.
Dos Santos was a force down low. Her presence and soft touch around the rim got baskets to fall early. Hassmann led Idaho from the outside with three three-pointers, including the buzzer-beater that gave the Vandals the 13-point lead.
The Vandals were outstanding shooting the ball in the quarter. Using their fast pace, ball movement and explosive offense, they put Riverside on their heels defensively. Idaho finished the quarter shooting 11-19 from the field, connecting on five of their seven three-pointers and finishing a perfect 5-5 from the free-throw line.
As the teams broke the huddle for the second quarter, the Vandals continued their momentum and wanted to put the game away early. They went back on the attack and scored the first two buckets of the quarter to push their lead to 17.
On the next possession, the Highlanders, in desperate need of a basket, threw a cross-court pass in Hassmann’s direction. She played the passing lane to perfection, jumped the pass and went coast to coast for the layup to put Idaho up 38-19 and force Riverside to call a timeout.
Hassmann was all over the floor for the Vandals. She finished with 15 points, two rebounds and four assists while connecting on three of her four shots from beyond the arc.
Idaho kept their momentum going and closed the half strong, taking a 52-26 lead into the locker room.
In the third quarter, the Vandals got some fresh faces in the game. This changed their offensive approach, leading to sophomore Passos Alves da Silva taking control on the offensive end.
Normally known for her defense and relentless effort, Passos Alves da Silva got started with a three-pointer near the end of the first quarter for her first points. She came out of the locker room wanting to make a difference.
Passos Alves da Silva scored all over the floor. She started with a few free throws to get going, then knocked down a fast-break three-pointer followed by back-to-back layups. That gave her nine points in the quarter and pushed the Vandals’ lead to 74-42 at the end of the third.
“For me, I was just trying to be useful and play hard for the team and take good shots and make a difference,” Passos Alves da Silva said.
Since arriving in Moscow, Passos Alves da Silva has taken strides on the offensive side, and the coaching staff is excited about her potential in a Vandal uniform.
“She’s done a great job. She worked so hard this summer on her shot,” Moreira said. “She came in practice, she was shooting lights out. But I felt like once she started playing, she was still a little timid. She wasn’tsuper aggressive. She’s better when she can be aggressive, run the floor and shoot. She is going to end up being a really good player for us.”
The Vandals won their third game in a row and have the final game of their four-game homestand on Sunday before they head to the University of California Irvine tournament next week.
Idaho will welcome California State University Northridge on Sunday, Nov. 23, at 1 p.m.