A silence fell over Idaho Central Credit Union Arena as the (12-5, 3-1) Idaho Vandals began losing their momentum they built against the (10-6, 2-2) Idaho State Bengals. The Vandals had been ahead by double digits for most of the game but were losing ground and needed someone to step up with almost a full quarter left to play. The Vandals called on senior guard Kyra Gardner, and she delivered.
With the Vandals in need of a spark, junior guard Hope Hassmann took the ball out and found Gardner. She shot over two Bengal defenders and got the lead back to ten.
The next possession, sophomore guard Ana Pinheiro stole the ball and threw a fast break to Gardner, who used her speed and finesse to blow by the defenders and finish with a euro step scoop layup to extend the lead.
The Vandals, behind a balanced offensive attack with four players finishing in double figures, along with a smothering defense, secured an 81-68 rivalry victory, the first one in head coach Arthur Moreira’s era.
“It feels good,” Moreira said. “The Idaho, Idaho State rivalries are older than any of us here. I think coach Seton Sobolewski is one of the best coaches in the conference, he’s just hard to figure out. His teams are always prepared; they know everything you’re going to run, their defensive stuff, their physical. Last year, we didn’t handle that physicality very well, so I was happy with how we did today on that.”
Pinheiro was a huge reason for that. For the sixth time in seven games, she led the Vandals in scoring with 14 points. She also grabbed six rebounds. Pinheiro was on the Idaho team last season that got swept by the Bengals, making this win extra special for the team to get some state pride back in Moscow.
“We know this game is not just a regular Big Sky game,” Pinheiro said. “Two Big Sky teams in the state of Idaho, we knew we have to have to be proud of us, because it was a tough game.”
The Idaho and Idaho State rivalry goes back decades. When the Vandals and Bengals square off, records and expectations are thrown out the window. When the teams walk onto the court with their state’s name across their chest, it’s much more than basketball. It’s about pride and representing Idaho.
Coming off their worst loss of the season to Montana State, the Vandals, leading up to the game, had a hard week of practice and were ready to come out and put their hard work into results.
“It’s about toughness and wanting to win and having the heart,” Pinheiro said. “We’ve been practicing hard the last couple days. Against Idaho State, we’re all together, we knew we’re going to face it and put in work, and we did really good.”
With the emotions of a rivalry game and wanting to respond they came out and set the tone early.
Redshirt senior Lorena Barbosa was putting on a clinic early with her physicality down low. She was proving to be an issue for the Bengals defense. Barbosa made four quick points and Idaho had an early 8-5 lead.
The swarming Vandal defense forced another miss from Idaho State. Hassmann picked it up and dribbled up the court. She blew by former Vandal junior guard Aspen Caldwell, then she hit Barbosa at the top of the key, and she drained a three and punched the air with excitement to put the Vandals up six.
From then, the combination of the Vandals’ fast-paced tempo and pressure, and smothering defense, wore down the Bengals. Gardner’s buzzer-beater three-pointer put the Vandals up 21-14 at the end of the first quarter.
Idaho took a 38-27 lead into halftime and looked to be putting the game away in the third quarter, stretching their lead up to as much as 19. The Bengals were not going down without a fight and clawed back. Behind Tasia Jordan’s 23 points, they stayed in the game.
Idaho, who has had its share of issues closing games out, used those experiences and made the right plays, outscoring the Bengals 26-23 in the final frame and grabbing the victory.
Alongside Pinheiro, Gardner had a great game and made clutch plays when her number was called; she finished with 13 points and six rebounds.
Idaho was also helped off the bench by sophomore guard Ana Beatriz Passos Alves da Silva, who finished with 13 points, connecting on two huge three-pointers. Redshirt senior Debora dos Santos finished with 12 points and ten rebounds to collect her second double-double of the season.
The Vandal offense was clicking, but most importantly, so was their defense. After giving up 99 points in Bozeman, they set out to improve, and they played with connection, energy and relentlessness and made the Bengals work for every basket they got.
“The most important thing was, we were together defensively,” Pinheiro said. “If somebody got by another one would come [and help]. We were rebounding very well, all the things matter, and we were there.”
Idaho will look to build on this win as they host the (6-12, 0-5) Weber State Wildcats before heading on a three-game road trip.