While many were celebrating Thanksgiving with their families, the Idaho Vandals women’s basketball team was in sunny California, feasting on two more victories.
After starting the season 5-1, the Vandals traveled to Irvine, California, for the UC Irvine Thanksgiving Classic. In a span of 24 hours, they secured two huge victories, first carving up Colgate University in a commanding 82-53 win, then rolling past Wichita State 83-61 the following afternoon. The wins improved Idaho to 7-1 on the season and extended their winning streak to six games.
“Great weekend for us in California,” head coach Arthur Moreira said in an Idaho Athletics press release. “I feel like every game we play, we keep improving and getting better as a team. We played two completely different styles and have a lot to clean up, but I was very happy with how we competed. Playing back-to-back days without time to prepare for the second game simulates what we will face in Boise for Starch Madness, so it was a great opportunity for us to get an early look at that.”
Colgate
The Vandals and Raiders battled through a back-and-forth first half before Idaho took a 38-28 lead into the locker room. Coming out of halftime, the Vandals revved their engines and exploded on a 21-8 run, capped off by sophomore guard Ella Uriarte, a Folsom, California native, knocking down a three-pointer to give Idaho a 61-36 lead. From there, the Vandals cruised to a 29-point victory.
Junior guard Hope Hassmann led Idaho, setting the tone early and finishing with 17 points, five rebounds, four assists, and two steals. Redshirt senior forward Debora Dos Santos added a season-high 15 points and nine rebounds, while redshirt senior forward Lorena Barbosa had a stellar four blocks to help protect the rim and limit the Raiders to 53 points.
Wichita State
Idaho needed to regroup quickly, and from the opening tip, they were the better team. Behind outstanding backcourt play that combined for 32 of the team’s 83 points, the Vandals rolled to victory. After struggling in recent games, senior guard Kyra Gardner bounced back with 21 points, six rebounds, and connecting on three three-pointers Hassmann delivered another outstanding performance with 12 points and seven assists, including a 3-5 showing from beyond the arc.
Dos Santos, who has been extremely efficient in limited playing time this season as she works back from injury, contributed seven points and 10 rebounds. Her effort helped the Vandals outrebound Wichita State 53-44 and control the game on the boards.
Defensively, Idaho held an explosive Shockers offense to 61 points, securing two big road wins before heading home for the first game of the Big Sky-Summit League Challenge.
Idaho will host Oral Roberts University on Wednesday, Dec. 3, at 11 a.m.