Tournament hopes dwindling

Idaho loses at Montana State, final two games this week in Moscow

It was the type of game you would expect between two teams fighting for a Big Sky Conference Tournament berth.

The Idaho women’s basketball team entered Saturday afternoon’s game against Montana State in ninth place in the Big Sky while Montana State held the eighth and final spot for the Big Sky Tournament. The game was within single digits throughout, but the Bobcats fought off the Vandals to win 71-62 in Bozeman, Montana.

Idaho (12-15, 6-10 Big Sky) needs to win its final two games of the season and the Vandals need some help within the conference in order to make the Big Sky Tournament. Both games are in the Cowan Spectrum starting with Weber State at 6 p.m. Thursday and Idaho State at 2 p.m. Saturday.

“We got to finish the home stand strong for our seniors and for ourselves,” Idaho coach Jon Newlee said. “You got to play with pride and passion at this level, and that has to happen every night, whether it’s the first game of the year or the last game of the year.”

Idaho beat Weber State (11-16 overall, 6-10 Big Sky) 67-60 Jan. 3 in Ogden, Utah, but the Vandals lost to Idaho State (13-14 overall, 8-8 Big Sky) 71-50 Jan. 1 in Pocatello.

Idaho led 32-30 at halftime against Montana State, but neither team took control of the game until Montana State went on a 10-0 run in the second half to put the Bobcats up 52-43.

Nine points was the largest lead of the game for Montana State. Idaho led by as many as five.

Newlee said it seems like there is always an opposing Big Sky player who has a low scoring average coming into the game, but who is able to step up and make a big scoring impact when she plays Idaho. He said Kalli Durham averages six points a game, but she scored 20 points Saturday.

“We let her get started, and that’s what you cannot do and that’s the problem right there,” Newlee said. “But you have a six-point-a-gamer get 20. You get a one-point-a-gamer (Ausha Cole) get her points and it seems like the theme of this conference season for us is the nobodies are killing us.”

Up until Montana State’s big second-half run, the teams were trading baskets as neither team gained much momentum.

Newlee said missed layups have been a problem all season long for the Vandals, and Idaho missed some Saturday. He said there was a long stretch when it was a two-point game, but he said his team didn’t score while it was stopping Montana State on the defensive end.

“That was the time to take this game by the throat, and for some reason we just don’t have same kind of killer instinct it seems like this year,” Newlee said.

Idaho shot 36.4 percent from the field and 28.0 percent from the 3-point line, while Montana State shot 44.8 percent from the floor and 35.3 percent from behind the arc.

The Vandals cut the deficit to 59-57, but it was the closest they would get.

Newlee said he’s looking for someone to step up and make important shots at the end of games besides senior guard Stacey Barr.

Montana State sealed the game with free throws. The Bobcats shot 13-of-17 from the free-throw line and the Vandals sank 7-of-9.

Barr led the way for the Vandals with 23 points, including 5-of-5 from the free-throw line. She also added six rebounds and three steals.

Junior guard Christina Salvatore scored 13 points and sophomore post Brooke Reilly had 10 points and 11 rebounds for a double-double. Junior post Ali Forde filled the stat sheet with eight points, eight rebounds and three blocks.

Garrett Cabeza can be reached at [email protected]