Idaho managed to play its game on Thursday, and the results were encouraging to say the least.
The Vandals defeated Northern Colorado 79-71 by following their usual formula. The trio of junior guards Mikayla Ferenz and Taylor Pierce along with senior post Geraldine McCorkell got the job done with some timely help from the rest of the roster.
Idaho (9-10, BSC 5-3) started the game fast and established the tone in the first quarter. Ferenz gave Northern Colorado (13-6, BSC 5-3) fits and shot 4-6 in the first quarter for 11 points. The Vandals finished the first quarter up 19-17, and the strong start away from home would pay off in spades.
“Tonight was huge,” Idaho head coach Jon Newlee said. “We knew coming in that this building has not been kind to us. UNC plays so well at home, and they did manage to beat LSU here.”
The Vandals and Bears traded runs and single digit leads throughout the rest of the half.
Idaho managed to shoot over 80 percent in the third quarter, led by a strong shooting night from McCorkell. The senior put in 37 minutes and 22 points on perfect 9-9 shooting. It was Idaho’s first such game of the season with such good shooting on a minimum of at least five shots.
“I knew Geri (McCorkell) was going to have a monster game,” Newlee said. “There was no way the 5’9” girl is going to stop Geri McCorkell. She really took the challenge and had one of her best games of the year.”
The Vandals only led by three at the end of the third, but the defense and bench stepped up to close the door on Northern Colorado.
The Bears managed a bucket at the beginning of the quarter to pull even, but a three from freshman guard Haley Blankinship allowed Idaho to regain the lead for good. Idaho dominated on the glass to keep the game out of reach, out-rebounding Northern Colorado 16-10. McCorkell pulled down eight of her 10 rebounds in the fourth to get her 13th career double-double.
“We finally did a better job rebounding,” Newlee said. “We knew we couldn’t give a talented team like them those second shots. We did a better job of helping our posts out on their shooters without fouling and that really made a difference.”
Ferenz finished with 33 points to continue her torrid pace and she added six boards, five assists and three steals in a complete performance. Pierce only recorded six points on 3-10 shooting, but she played all 40 minutes and dished out six assists. She did not make a three pointer for the first time in nine games.
Freshman guard Allison Kirby provided some extra cushion. Kirby poured in 11 points in only 23 minutes.
The win stretched Idaho’s win streak to three. It is the first such streak for the team since late January and early February of last season.
Idaho will finish the short road trip with a matchup against North Dakota 12 p.m. Jan. 27 in Grand Forks.
Jonah Baker can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @jonahpbaker