Finding a basket was tough all night for the (14-5, 5-1) Idaho Vandals women’s basketball team. Shooting under 30% from the field with under three minutes remaining, the Vandals clung to a three-point lead. One basket would separate them from victory or defeat.
The (9-10, 3-3) Sacramento State Hornets defended well all game and slowed the pace of the game. But after a pass from senior guard Kyra Gardner, sophomore guard Ella Uriarte used her pace to blow by the Hornets’ defenders for a layup that put the Vandals up five and propelled them to a 62-55 victory.
The Vandals have shown they can win in all sorts of games high or low scoring, they find a way to get it done. Against Sacramento State, it was their dominance on the glass and stifling defense that secured the win. Idaho outrebounded the Hornets 59-35, including 26 offensive boards, while forcing 21 turnovers.
Head coach Arthur Moreira was pleased with his team’s effort.
“Championship teams find ways to win ugly games. That’s what playing on the road in the Big Sky looks like,” Moreira said in an Idaho Athletics press release. “That’s exactly what we did. Our defense and rebounding willed us to win this game. I’m really proud of our effort tonight.”
Both teams struggled offensively early, and after the first quarter, the Hornets held a 12-11 lead. The Vandals found some momentum with two free throws at the end of the quarter by redshirt senior Debora dos Santos to cut the deficit to one.
Gardner opened the second quarter with a three-pointer to give Idaho its first lead of the game. From there, the Vandals hit two more threes from junior guard Hope Hassmann and Uriarte, capping a 17-5 run and building a 28-17 advantage. Idaho carried that momentum into the locker room with a 29-20 halftime lead.
The Hornets came out of the locker room looking for answers, and they called on their leader, redshirt senior guard Benthe Versteeg.
Versteeg, who earlier in the game reached her 1,000-point milestone, converted two quick free throws. Then, after a jumper by redshirt senior forward Lorena Barbosa, she drilled the second of her four three-pointers to cut the lead to 31-25.
Idaho responded with a 7-0 run capped by a Uriarte layup that gave them their largest lead of the game.
The Hornets continued to claw back, and two late threes by Versteeg and sophomore guard Natalie Picton cut the Vandals’ lead to single digits. Dos Santos pushed the lead back to 10 with a tip-in to give the Vandals momentum heading into the final frame.
The teams traded baskets to start the fourth quarter. With the score at 48-40, a quick passing combination between freshman guard Kaitlin Kangur and Hassmann freed Hassmann for a three-pointer that gave Idaho an 11-point lead with six minutes remaining.
Hassmann led the Vandals with 11 points despite shooting just 2-17 from the floor and 2-7 from beyond the arc. She also contributed six rebounds, three assists and went 5-8 from the free-throw line.
Sophomore guard Ana Pinheiro and Barbosa each added 10 points to help the Vandals pull away.
Idaho seemed in control until Versteeg had her say. The Hornets’ leader had been a thorn in the Vandals’ side all game with her lockdown defense and offensive control. She sparked a 7-0 personal run that included her fourth three-pointer of the game. Versteeg capped the run by blowing past the Vandals’ defense for a layup that cut Idaho’s lead to three.
Versteeg led all scorers with 26 points, shooting 4-11 from three-point range and dishing out four assists. Picton added 18 points and also hit 4-11 from beyond the arc.
In the end, the Vandals’ defense, and clutch free throws down the stretch secured the victory. Idaho shot just 18-65 from the field (27.7%) and 5-19 from three-point range, relying on rebounding and defense from tip-off to final buzzer.
Sophomore guard Ana Beatriz Passos Alves da Silva led Idaho with nine rebounds. Gardner and dos Santos each grabbed eight. Hassmann and Kangur contributed six apiece, as Idaho finished with a plus-23 rebounding margin.
When things aren’t clicking offensively, tough teams find other ways to win. The Vandals showed that toughness Saturday night in Sacramento.
Idaho will look to extend its three-game win streak when it travels to the Rose City to take on the (5-13, 1-5) Portland State Vikings. Tipoff is Saturday, Jan. 24, at 2 p.m.