Ali Forde
The freshman post player had a tough night shooting the ball, going 0 for 3 from the field with all four of her points coming from the charity stripe. While her offense wasn’t stellar, her defense was huge. Forde came up with five blocks and 12 rebounds — eight of which were defensive. She’s continuing to prove she’s a valuable player by finding ways to contribute, even when she’s not knocking down shots.
Alyssa Charlston
Charlston had another solid night with 11 points and six rebounds. The junior also added five blocks on the night in 35 minutes of play. While she wasn’t the explosive Alyssa Charlston fans are used to seeing, she played a vital role in the Vandal win and always draws defensive attention.
Christina Salvatore
The freshman continued her phenomenal season with another night in double figures. Her 13 points tied for the most for Idaho, going 5 of 11 from the arch. She also added seven boards, two assists and a block. Salvatore has been getting better and better as the season progresses and shows no sign of slowing down. Her 3-point shot is becoming a nightmare for opposing defenses, which is helping the Vandals stay in contention with the top WAC teams.
Stacey Barr
Barr has been quiet the past few games and that continued against UTSA. She only played 19 minutes and went 2 of 5 from the field for a total of seven points. Barr has shown she can be an explosive player, but it just hasn’t happened for few games, partly because she hasn’t needed to with the way the rest of the team is playing. There was nothing to complain about in Barr’s performance, but nothing to be excited about either.
Connie Ballestero: 4 stars
Connie is another freshman making an impact this year — a trend that continued against UTSA. She put up a team-high 13 points, shooting 50 percent on the night. She also added six rebounds and three assists. Ballestero has matured quickly as a player this season and has done a fine job running the Idaho offense. It says a lot that coach Jon Newlee continues to start this freshman, especially with how deep the Vandals are at guard this year.
Krissy Karr: 1.5 stars
Karr had a rough night shooting the ball, going 0 of 4 with no points on the night, despite playing 21 minutes. She did manage to get two assists, which is what she’s known for, and pulled in four rebounds. Karr has struggled at times this season. She has looked better in recent games and continues to fight to get back to the form she was in last year.
Addie Schivo: 2 stars
Schivo came off the bench for 15 minutes of play in this one, adding three points, two assists and a rebound for Idaho. She has been hot at times, but her minutes vary from game to game, so it’s never a sure thing how much floor time she’ll see.
Jessica Graham: 5 stars
The senior had a fantastic night off the bench. Graham had 13 points, going 4 of 5 from the field, including 3 of 4 from 3-point range. Graham had only hit two threes on the season going into the game, but made UTSA pay for not guarding her close from long range. She also added six rebounds and two blocks on the night to complete a solid, all-around performance.
Kevin Bingaman can be reached at [email protected]