Coming off its first WAC loss of the season, the Idaho women’s basketball team rebounded with a win over Utah Valley Saturday in the Cowan Spectrum — but it wasn’t easy for a team that has struggled playing at home.
Philip Vukelich | Argonaut
Sophomore post Ali Forde attempts a layup during the second half of the Vandals’ 69-61 win against Utah Valley Saturday in the Cowan Spectrum.
The Vandals won 69-61, but the Wolverines kept it close in the second half. Utah Valley, a team with only one WAC win, had the lead with 5:17 remaining in the game and was within two points of Idaho at the 2:24 mark.
The win wasn’t pretty, which may be surprising considering the Vandals beat the Wolverines by 41 points on the road earlier in the season.
The Vandals didn’t secure the Saturday victory until a long cross-court inbounds pass from Connie Ballestero to Addie Schivo gave Idaho the seven-point lead on an old-fashioned three-point play. Schivo’s free throw was the last score of a game Idaho had to battle to win.
“I think it’s good to get this win out of the way,” Ballestero said. “We had a talk after the Bakersfield game about trusting each other more, and I think after that talk, we really came together as a team and showed that tonight.”
The Vandals, who have been dominating most WAC opponents by double-digit blowouts, struggled inside against the Wolverines. UVU outrebounded Idaho 43-36, grabbing more offensive and defensive boards. Starting Vandal posts Ali Forde and Alyssa Charlston combined for only 12 points and 12 rebounds.
One bright spot inside was freshman post Brooke Reilly. Coming off the bench, Reilly had 10 points in only 17 minutes of play.
“I thought Brooke played extremely well, she really got after it. She played really well the last time we played these guys too,” Idaho coach Jon Newlee said. “I thought Brooke came in, gave us a huge lift. She plays with a lot of energy and she’s gotten better and better as the season goes along.”
Idaho also got a boost from its shooters. Guards Christina Salvatore and Stacey Barr scored game highs of 17 points apiece to lead the Vandals. Most of Salvatore’s points came from 3-point land where she shot 50 percent, sinking five 3s.
Idaho got the win but it is no secret that the team has been playing better on the road than it has at home. Some of the home WAC games include this seven-point win over UVU, the 19-point loss to Bakersfield and a four-point win over Grand Canyon. Idaho’s road wins include a 50-point victory over Chicago State, the 41-point victory over UVU and a 27-point win over Bakersfield.
“We play better on the road, there’s no question about that,” Newlee said. “We talked about being looser tonight. I think we were looser tonight but I think we can be looser.”
Idaho played 17 of its first 24 games on the road before entering this last home stretch. Before Saturday’s win, the Vandals had only played back-to-back home games one time all season.
“It’s been so scattered just to play here it’s almost weird coming in and having a stretch like we’re having,” Newlee said.
The Vandals don’t have to worry about their home woes this weekend. Their next game is their last game on the road. They play at Grand Canyon on Saturday — a road game nestled between five home games to end the regular season.
Idaho could also clench the WAC regular season crown this weekend with a win and a Bakersfield loss.
Stephan Wiebe can be reached at [email protected]