Senior Ali Forde exploded for a career-high 23 points to lead the Idaho women’s basketball team to a 107-60 victory over Sacramento State Saturday.
The commanding win over the Hornets keeps the Vandals locked in a battle with Eastern Washington for second place in the Big Sky conference standings.
“I thought we did a great job tonight against them,” Idaho head coach Jon Newlee. “It’s obviously the best we’ve done in the time that we’ve been in the Big Sky and had to play against that system.”
The Vandals began the game on a 20-4 run, sparked by consecutive baskets from senior Connie Ballestero and freshman Taylor Pierce.
The Vandals scored 38 points in the first quarter to take a 25-point lead over the Hornets early in the matchup.
Idaho held Sacramento State to 16 points in the second quarter, allowing the Vandals to enter halftime with a 59-29 lead over the Hornets.
Forde led Idaho in the first half with 16 points. The senior went 6-7 from the field and 4-5 from the free throw line.
“It was really cool to have one of my better games on senior night,” Forde said. “It’s nice to go out of the Cowan Spectrum like that. It feels kind of special.”
Senior Christina Salvatore finished the half with 12 points and eight rebounds for Idaho, while freshman Mikayla Ferenz scored 9 points in nine minutes of play.
Senior Adella Randle-El scored 9 points for Sacramento State in the first half on 3-10 shooting from the field. The guard also collected six rebounds during that span.
“I like to give our credit to our scout team,” Newlee said. “They really brought a lot of pressure on us on Monday and Tuesday of this week. I think speed-wise they really gave us a great look.”
The Vandals continued the offensive explosion with 29 points in the third quarter. Pierce connected on two 3-pointers while Forde collected three rebounds.
The Hornets attempted 54 treys throughout the course of the game, connecting on eight. Sacramento State finished the game shooting 23.7 percent from the field.
“I thought we did a great job of getting out on the 3-point line,” Newlee said. “I’m amazed at the number of 3’s they ended up getting with 54 attempts.”
Ali Forde finished as the game’s highest scorer with 23 points on 9-11 shooting.
“She’s big-bodied and strong, not a lot of people can body her up and guard her,” Salvatore said. “We kind of use her in the middle and if we’re in trouble, we throw it in and read off her. She does a good job of attacking off it or making the pass.”
Salvatore finished one rebound shy of a double-double, ending the night with 17 points and nine boards. Pierce went 4-6 from behind the arc to finish with 17 points.
Ferenz contributed 12 points for Idaho on 5-7 shooting, while Ballestero went 5-10 from the field to score 11 points.
Randle-El was the only Hornet to finish the night in double figures. The senior scored 14 points, collected four steals and tallied six rebounds.
The Vandals are scheduled to face Eastern Washington Saturday at 7 p.m. in a pivotal Big Sky matchup in Cheney.
“I know we will be playing with a lot of confidence,” Newlee said. “The road is tough in the Big Sky without a doubt. We need to keep our focus on what we are doing.”
Josh Grissom can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @GoshJrissom