Freshman guard Mikayla Ferenz sprinted down the court, trailing teammate Christina Salvatore, who was leading the fast break offense for the Vandals.
As several Northern Arizona defenders met Salvatore, the senior swiveled and passed the ball back to Ferenz. The freshman caught the ball and immediately set her feet for the deep-range shot in a fluid motion – eerily reminiscent of Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry.
The shot found the net and gave the Vandals a 49-40 lead in the third quarter of Saturday’s game. The 3-pointer prompted the Idaho bench to jump up in celebration, with many of Ferenz’s teammates holding outstretched arms, hands forming the “three” symbol.
While the 5-foot-10-inch guard from Walla Walla may not look like the reigning NBA MVP, Ferenz was hitting shots like the superstar Saturday afternoon at the Cowan Spectrum.
The Vandal freshman posted a career-high 25 points and went 9-16 from the field to lead Idaho to a 76-59 win over Northern Arizona.
“It felt really good,” Ferenz said. “But all the credit to my coaches and my teammates, they found me open.”
Ferenz converted on 50 percent of her 3-point attempts and collected five rebounds to spark the Vandal offense in the matchup.
Throughout the season, Ferenz has solidified her role as one of the leading reserve players for the Vandals. The guard averages 7.6 points per game and has contributed a total of 174 points this season for Idaho.
Senior forward Ali Forde said that Ferenz made an immediate impact for the Vandals during her first practices with the team.
“Man, I love watching this girl play,” Forde said. “She’s always on balance when she catches the ball.”
Forde said one of the reasons why Ferenz has so much success at the collegiate level is because of her moves on the perimeter.
“The shot fake, one-step and dribble to the side,” Forde said. “And she drains those 3-pointers. It’s awesome to watch, especially with her as a freshman.”
With the Vandals poised to make a run at the top seed in the Big Sky Conference tournament next month, the presence of Ferenz on the court will play a key role in the team’s success during the final stretch of the season.
In Idaho’s previous three games, the team averaged 93.6 points per game.
But at the start of Saturday’s matchup, the team struggled to find the net. The Vandals trailed 17-9 at one point in the first quarter.
While the Vandal starters were slow to find the hoop, Ferenz stepped up and sparked the Idaho offense with seven points in the first 10 minutes of play.
The offensive presence of reserve players will play a key role for the Vandals as the team prepares for the postseason tournament in March. If offensive production on the court is low, the depth of the Idaho bench will allow the Vandals to compete down the stretch.
Josh Grissom can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @GoshJrissom