Stacey Barr — women’s basketball
Stacey Barr
The Vandals had three games during Thanksgiving break, and senior guard Stacey Barr led Idaho to a solid 2-1 record during the break. Nov. 22, Barr put up a team-high 22 points and 13 rebounds in the 52-58 loss to San Diego. Her double-double came with an outstanding performance from the line, hitting nine of her 10 free throws. Following the game, the Vandals headed to Laramie to take on the Wyoming Cowgirls, who they beat 77-66. Barr again led the team in points with 23, and tied with junior guard Christina Salvatore for a team leading nine rebounds. Saturday, Idaho played former-WAC foe Seattle U in the Emerald City, who they soundly beat 65-50 behind Barr’s 13 points, eight rebounds and three assists.
Christina Salvatore — women’s basketball
Christina Salvatore
Junior guard Christina Salvatore was a big part of Idaho’s 2-1 mark over Thanksgiving break, with solid performances in all three games. Against San Diego, the junior from Anaheim, California, had 12 points and three rebounds against the Toreros. She hit a hot streak against the Wyoming Cowgirls, with 18 points and nine rebounds — just short of a double-double. Rounding out the break against the Seattle U Redhawks, she led the team with 15 points, along with a solid five rebounds and four assists in the Idaho win. Next up for the Vandals is a Thursday stop in Corvallis, Oregon, to take on the No. 19 Oregon State Beavers before returning to the Cowan Spectrum on Dec. 7 against Multnomah.
Mike Scott — men’s basketball
Mike Scott
Senior point guard Mike Scott had a good Thanksgiving break for Idaho, with two solid performances against Northern Illinois and Boise State. Against the Huskies of Northern Illinois, Scott had 17 points, four assists, three steals and two rebounds for the Vandals in a losing effort, falling 67-78 against the MAC team. A few days later against rival Boise State, the senior from Los Angeles, California, had a team-high 31 points to tie Derrick Marks of Boise State for a game high. He connected on six 3-pointers against the Broncos. Scott also added five assists and a rebound. In the final game of the break against Northern Kentucky, Scott cooled down from his hot streak with only four points, but passed the ball well, totaling eight assists with only one turnover.
Bira Seck — men’s basketball
Bira Seck
Senior forward Bira Seck had a good Thanksgiving break for Idaho along with Scott. In the loss to Northern Illinois, the senior had 11 rebounds on the night with four points and one assist. He had a double-double against Boise State at Century Link Arena with the second highest point total on the team scoring 16 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. The native of Dakar, Senegal, had another double-double against Northern Kentucky with 12 points and a whopping 14 rebounds. He led the team in field goal percentage, going 6-of-8 from the floor. The Vandals are back in action Wednesday against Washington State in Pullman and return home Saturday against UC Davis in the opener at the Cowan Spectrum.
Elijhaa Penny — football
Elijhaa Penny
The football season came to a close for Idaho over break, with one final game in Boone, North Carolina, against the Appalachian State Mountaineers. Despite the 28-45 loss for the Vandals, running back Elijhaa Penny put up impressive numbers in the season finale. The junior from Lakewood, California, led the Idaho rushing attack with 95 yards on 23 carries and scored two touchdowns on the ground. That wasn’t it for Penny though, who also caught three passes from quarterback Matt Linehan for 25 yards, including Linehan’s only touchdown pass on the day which Penny caught for eight yards with just under one minute left in the game. The Vandals finished the year 1-10, but Penny is expected to lead the Idaho rushing attack next fall.