For the first time in her college career, freshman guard Taylor Pierce was part of the starting lineup for Idaho.
Pierce’s 14 points led Idaho to a 72-51 win against Northern Arizona on Thursday in Flagstaff.
The freshman replaced senior guard Connie Ballestero.
Sophomore post Geraldine McCorkell followed Pierce’s with 13 points of her own.
Junior point guard Karlee Wilson added 12 points and senior guard Christina Salvatore provided another 11 for the Vandals.
Wilson made all six shots she attempted, which included three free throws and three 3-pointers.
Salvatore, Wilson and McCorkell each collected nine rebounds.
The matchup marks the fourth time that the two programs have met. Idaho won the previous matchup 78-43.
Due to illness and suspension, Northern Arizona had only nine players dressed for play.
The team’s leading scorer, freshman center Alyssa Rader, was one of the notable absentees during the game. Rader is the leading rebounder in the Big Sky Conference.
The Vandals opened the game with a 7-0 lead, taking advantage of Northern Arizona’s slower pace.
After a timeout, Northern Arizona exploded offensively, ending the first quarter with a 14-13 lead.
Ballestero came off the bench in the second quarter to jump start the Idaho offense with three points.
Another six points from freshman guard Mikayla Ferenz helped Idaho push ahead 22-19.
Wilson ended the second quarter with a wide-open 3-pointer to help the Vandals enter halftime with a 32-27 lead.
Pierce began the third period with three points to stretch the Vandal lead to 8.
Junior point guard Karlee Wilson added another 3-pointer while Ali Forde added a layup to put the Vandals up 40-30.
Idaho pulled away from Northern Arizona late in the third quarter, as baskets from both Forde and McCorkell gave the Vandals a 52-38 lead.
Meanwhile, the Lumberjacks experienced a four minute scoring drought to end the third quarter.
A two-point jumper ended the Lumberjacks scoring drought and cut the lead to 12 heading into the fourth quarter.
Pierce scored the first points of the fourth period on a deep shot from beyond the arc.
A collision between players midway through the fourth quarter sent McCorkell to the free throw line. McCorkell converted both attempts to give Idaho a 57-45 lead.
The lack of substitutes for the Lumberjacks hurt the team late in the game. Northern Arizona guard Taylor Leyva was forced to play for 40 minutes, the most time on the court for either team.
Kaleigh Paplow led the Lumberjacks with 13 points and seven rebounds, while Leyva scored 11.
Idaho claimed the Big Sky victory with 12 late free throws to clinch a 72-51 win.
The Vandals outrebounded the Lumberjacks, collecting 51 rebounds to Northern Arizona’s 33.
The Vandals are scheduled to face Southern Utah at 6 p.m. Saturday in Cedar City, Utah.
Tess Fox can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @tesstakesphotos