The last time Idaho hit the road against a top Big Sky team, they got demolished. Montana State ran the Vandals off the floor 99-66 on Jan. 10, exposing every weakness and testing their championship mettle. Now, with a four-game win streak behind them, Idaho gets another chance to prove they can win the big one on the road Thursday versus Northern Colorado at 11 a.m.
The Vandals (15-5, 6-1), second in the Big Sky, come in on a four-game winning streak and are riding the momentum. The Bears (15-6, 6-2), third in the Big Sky, also come in hot, having won six of their last eight games. The two losses came to defending Big Sky champions, the Montana State Bobcats, just like the Vandals.
Northern Colorado, after being picked seventh in the Big Sky preseason poll, has been a huge surprise, now in third place. They come in averaging 71 points per game and have one of the better defenses in the country, allowing 60.4 per game.
The Bears are led by sophomore guard tandem Neenah George and Heather Baymon. George leads the team with 13.6 points and 3.0 rebounds per game. Baymon is close behind at 12.9 PPG and 2.9 rebounds per game.
Northern Colorado have four players that average in double figures and will be a test to the inconsistent Vandal defense, which allows 68.2 points per game.
This will be the Vandals’ second big road game in the Big Sky. That game in Bozeman was the first test for the Vandals this season, and they failed in every category, losing in every statistical measure. Most importantly, they lost on effort. This fact did not sit right with head coach Arthur Moreira.
“I was the unhappiest person in that gym in Bozeman,” Moreira said postgame versus Weber State. “It could have been a good thing for us if we learn from it. If we approach every single week like we did this week, this team is going to be really good. Moving forward, we’ve got to be ready to go, we’ve got to be tough, and you’ve got to grind those games out.”
As the team made their trip back to Moscow after the crushing loss, they responded the only way they knew how: getting back in the gym. Since then, Idaho has rattled off four wins in a row with victories over Idaho State, Weber State, Sacramento State and Portland State, three of those by double digits.
Hassmann, alongside senior guard Kyra Gardner, has formed a lethal backcourt duo at the core of Idaho’s Big Sky leading offense.
As a team, the Vandals average 79.9 points per game. Their fast tempo and ability to score at all three levels have given opponents nightmares all season.
Gardner leads the Vandals with 13.9 points and seven rebounds per game, shooting 42% from the field with a team-high 41 three-pointers. Hassmann is just behind at 13.4 points per game, adding 3.7 rebounds and 4.2 assists. Hassmann’s aggressive, rim-attacking style has made her one of the conference’s best passers with 84 assists in 20 games.
Alongside the backcourt duo has been the surprising emergence of sophomore guard Ana Pinheiro. Pinheiro has emerged as a scorer, averaging 10.7 points and 5.5 rebounds. She has been a key figure on both sides of the ball.
The Vandals also command two of the best frontcourt players in San Francisco transfers, redshirt seniors Lorena Barbosa and Debora dos Santos. Barbosa averages 12 points and 4.8 rebounds, while dos Santos adds 10.4 points and 7.5 rebounds off the bench.
Idaho will be tested by Northern Colorado behind a balanced on offense and a stingy defense in a tough road environment.
Championship teams need to win in all sorts of environments and under pressure. The Vandals have a spectacular 7-1 record at Idaho Central Credit Union Arena, but can the Vandals get that signature win on the road and show they can win against the top teams in the Big Sky? Thursday, the talking stops and the basketball will decide what team the Vandals really are.