From the start of the season, the Idaho Vandals women’s basketball team has had contributions everywhere on the basketball court. On the offensive and defensive ends and on the boards, sophomore guard Ana Pinheiro has gone from being a rotational player as a freshman to being a starter and key contributor for the team.
Pinheiro has especially excelled over the past three games, leading the team in scoring each time with 14 points against the University of California and 18 versus Utah State. This past Saturday, Pinheiro scored a career-high 19 points in the Vandals’ 91-63 victory over Western Oregon.
Coming from Braga, Portugal, Pinheiro has been excelling on the court both in the United States and on the international level.
This summer, Pinheiro competed for Portugal in the FIBA U20 Women’s EuroBasket, her fourth appearance in the tournament.
For Portugal, Pinheiro has averaged 12.2 points per game and has competed in several tournaments wearing her country’s colors.
She competed for the Portugal youth national team from 2021-23, participating in the FIBA U16 European Challengers, FIBA U18 European Championships Division B and FIBA U18 European Championship.
Her international experience helped her develop her game before she committed to Idaho and stepped onto campus in Moscow last fall. As a freshman, Pinheiro averaged 15 minutes per game while still working on her offense. She finished the season averaging three points and three rebounds per game.
One aspect of her game that was always on display was her defense. Her long arms and her ability to guard every position on the floor made her stand out on that end and showed her sky-high potential in theVandal uniform.
This offseason, Pinheiro worked on her offense and it has shown. Through summer and fall workouts, head coach Arthur Moreira saw her improvement and grew excited for what she would bring to this year’s team.
“By the end of last season, everybody saw the potential she had and she fulfilled that,” Moreira said. “She’s a matchup problem, a great athlete who can guard one through five. She’s going to be a really good player for us here.”
This season, Pinheiro was asked to do more as a starter and she has delivered. Through the first 13 games of the season, she has averaged 10.6 points and 5.5 rebounds per game and has been effective for the Vandals on both ends of the court, helping propel them to a 9-4 start.
Her hard work hasn’t gone unnoticed. From when she first arrived in Moscow to now, Pinheiro has grown as a basketball player. As her role increases, so does her chance to shine, and she is taking advantage every time her number is called.