The basketball skittered toward the sideline, mere inches from going out of bounds for the Idaho Vandals women’s basketball team. Junior guard Hope Hassmann saved the ball from going out of bounds and created some magic. Hassmann crossed over to her left hand, got in the lane, spun the defender around and knocked down the layup to cap the Vandals’ 20-2 run to start the game versus the Montana Grizzlies.
The Vandals led wire-to-wire and took home an 89-65 win over the Grizzlies to improve to (19-5, 10-1) and extend their win streak to eight games.
“Coming into Saturday games, especially after an overtime win on Thursday, legs can be tired, but I feel like we really jumped on them from the get-go,” Hassmann said. “We got up early, and I feel like that stops their confidence, and we never really let them come back. I feel like we always had a foot on the pedal, and it was great.”
Hassmann dazzled with 19 points, seven assists and three rebounds and was a huge decider in the victory.
After the Vandals’ 73-70 overtime thrilling win over Montana State on Thursday, the message in the locker room was to start fast, and they executed that game plan perfectly.
The Griz responded and behind junior guard Kennedy Gillette’s two three-pointers, Montana clawed back, but Idaho still held a 26-16 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Montana used the momentum and behind senior guard Mack Konig, who finished with a game-high 28 points going 8-13 from the field, 4-5 from beyond the arc and a perfect 8-8 from the free throw line, she started to find her rhythm and began to dictate the Grizzlies’ offense.
Every time the Grizzlies punched, the Vandals punched right back and took a 44-35 lead into halftime.
Idaho couldn’t get a three-pointer to fall in the all game and were 0-5 heading into the second quarter but finally broke through when Hassmann drilled one. The Vandals finished the game 3-16 from three, and on a night where nothing was falling outside, they went to the paint and won the points-in-the-paint battle 60-16.
After a 7-0 run by redshirt senior Debora dos Santos to start the third quarter, Idaho never looked back. Behind an all-around team performance and dominating the paint while grabbing 47 rebounds, Idaho got their eighth win in a row and remains in first place in the Big Sky Conference.
Dos Santos led the way for Idaho in the paint, finishing with 16 points and six rebounds. Senior guard Kyra Gardner helped Hassmann on the perimeter with 13 points and five rebounds.
The dynamic duo of sophomore guards Ella Uriarte and Ana Pinheiro combined for 21 points, Uriarte finishing with 11, Pinheiro 10.
Uriarte and Pinheiro’s biggest role was on the defensive end, holding sophomore Avery Waddington to four points on 2-10 shooting and helping hold Montana to 35% from the field.
Idaho has shown all season that they can win in many ways, and tonight was another example of that.
“We are good at so many different things,” head coach Arthur Moreira said. “That’s what I’m most proud of this group. They keep getting better in different areas. That’s what championship teams need, because people are going to scout when you get in the postseason, they’re going to take things away, so you have to go to option five, six and seven. And I think we are good enough to do that.”
To be a top team in the Big Sky, you have to play great at home, and the Vandals are 10-1 inside ICCU Arena. With five of their last seven at home, it makes that home court advantage that much more important.
“Our crowds have been amazing ever since the Montana State game,” Hassmann said. “I feel like our crowds are just growing. Us players do feel that energy on the floor. It’s such a blessing to end here at home and hopefully end on a high note.”
With championship aspirations and a target on their back, Idaho heads out on another road trip. The Vandals will go for win no. 20 when they face the (7-18, 1-11) Weber State Wildcats on Thursday, Feb. 12, at 5 p.m.
“On the road, we always say, our coaches always say toughness and rebounding is going to win games. So, I feel like really bringing that energy to these next couple road games and just being the tougher team,” Hassmann said. “It’s always hard on the road, but if we stick to our principles, I think we’ll be just fine.”