Eastern Washington did its best to disrupt the Idaho offense, but the Eagles’ physical style did next to nothing to stop sophomore guard Taylor Pierce and the rest of the Vandal squad from winning by 27.
Idaho, which finds new and creative ways to win in almost every game, zeroed in on Eastern Washington’s inability to disturb the Vandals’ tempo.
Pierce, who rattled off 23 points, was the core of this game plan. She could not miss, no matter how aggressively the Eagles defended her.
“The more shots you make, the more frustrated they get,” Pierce said. “You’ve just got to keep a level head and deal with the physicality, because the more physical it gets, the refs are going to be on your side for that.”
The referees did call out Eastern Washington’s physicality from the start of the game. Idaho went to the free throw line six times in the first half and scored five points off the fouls.
Meanwhile, head coach Jon Newlee’s team kept playing a clean game. The Eagles did not make it to the free throw line once during the first half.
Newlee said that was a lesson he learned from playing Eastern Washington earlier in the season.
“Up in Cheney, we had three starters with two fouls in the first quarter,” Newlee said. “We talked tonight about keeping our hands-off people, moving our feet and keeping them off of the foul line.”
The Vandals ended up scoring 17 points off Eastern Washington fouls, while the Eagles scored only six.
While Pierce and sophomore guard Mikayla Ferenz earned their title of the “Splash Sisters” by sinking buckets left and right, junior post Geraldine McCorkell continued her build on her reputation as an elite rebounder. McCorkell came away with 11 rebounds by the game’s end.
On multiple occasions, the Vandal offense received second or even third chances of scoring because of McCorkell’s nose for the ball.
A new face for the Vandals showed flashes of potential on the defensive end. Freshman guard Daylee Hanson proved that the Vandals were not just a team of long distance shooters. Three times during the second half, Hanson came away with a steal at the top of the arc.
Her first steal bounced out of bounds before she could reach the basket. Her second steal resulted in a basket, but an offensive foul took away the points before she finally scored on her third steal.
“She does have a knack for the ball. She’s very long, she has long arms and anticipates well,” Newlee said. “She has the freedom to go out there and get after the ball if she can, and I think that’s a big part of her game.”
Idaho slides into a tie for fourth in the Big Sky Conference. If the Vandals continue their diverse game plan and keep other teams off the foul line, Idaho could make a serious run into the spring post-season.
Brandon Hill can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @brandonmtnhill