Black Friday proved to be a bleak day for Idaho’s women’s basketball team.
The Vandals lost 76-74 to Northern Iowa during the Grand Canyon Thanksgiving Classic.
The Panthers won the tipoff and struck first on a three-point shot by forward Hannah Schonhardt. Another layup by forward Taylor Hagen put Northern Iowa up 5-0.
Idaho made the board with a shot from sophomore guard Taylor Peirce. The ball floated into the basket and put Idaho within three.
The Vandals found themselves in hole after the Panthers went on an 8-0 run and took a 13-4 lead.
Junior post Geraldine McCorkell, senior point guard Karlee Wilson and sophomore guard Mikayla Ferenz put Idaho within five.
Northern Iowa guard Mikaela Morgan fouled Ferenz on her next attempted shot. Ferenz nailed two free throws.
Senior guard Agueda Trujillo tied the game 15-15 near the end of the first quarter with Idaho’s first 3-pointer of the game.
The Vandals took the lead nine seconds into the second quarter when McCorkell laid in another basket.
Northern Iowa kept pace with Idaho.
A three-pointer by guard Abby Gerrits and a short basket by guard Madison Weekly helped the Panthers reclaim the lead.
A jumper by freshman guard Cherita Daugherty locked the score at 23-23. Another lead by the Vandals was cut short by a pair of free throws courtesy of Weekly.
Northern Iowa kept Idaho to two points after tying the game 27-27 and went into halftime with a 34-29 lead.
The Panthers continued to play a strong defense in the third quarter.
Things began to change midway through the quarter, when Ferenz and Wilson combined for 10 of Idaho’s next 20 points.
Wilson’s lone free throw tied the game 48-48. Her next basket put the Vandals up by two.
Hagen responded for the Panthers with a two-point play of her own, bringing the score to 50 each.
With 37 seconds before the end of the third quarter, McCorkell made a layup up to put Idaho up by four.
Defense took over the fourth quarter, as neither team scored for a full minute.
Idaho was kept from scoring by offensive fouls, blocks and defensive rebounds.
Northern Iowa battled its way back from a 15-point deficit. Down by one, Morgan put the Bobcats in front with a long-range three-pointer.
Idaho answered with a Pierce layup to tie the game 74- 74 with 24 seconds left.
With time expiring, forward Megan Maahs drove down the court and laid in the game winner.
Wilson led the Vandals with 15 points. She was 5-8 from the field with seven rebounds.
For Northern Iowa, Weekly gathered 15 points, going 5-16.
Idaho finished with a 57 percent shooting average. The Panthers, who took more shots than the Vandals, managed 41 percent.
Three-pointers made the difference for Northern Iowa, who shot 12-37 from outside. Idaho attempted six three-pointers and made two.
The Vandals tipoff against Grand Canyon University 2 p.m. Saturday to continue the Thanksgiving Classic.
Brandon Hill can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @brandonmtnhill