Idaho women’s basketball got revenge against Sacramento State to prove to the rest of the Big Sky that Idaho is back in business.
The last time these two teams matched up, the game ended in a Sacramento State victory but this time around it was an all Vandal blowout.
Idaho got out to an early six-point lead to start the game, getting up and down the court in a hurry which was something that the Vandals could not accomplish the last time these two teams met.
Eventually the lead jumped from six to ten then by the end of the first half the Vandals were up to a 20-point lead backed by Idaho junior guard Taylor Pierce who had 18 points in the first half, all from behind the arc. Pierce passed Vandal great Stacey Barr to move to second all-time in made threes for the Vandals to have 269 three pointers in her career. Pierce finished the game with 19 points.
Pierce wasn’t the only one making records, Idaho senior post Geraldine McCorkell finished the game with 17 points and a career high 15 rebounds, five of them off the offensive glass. That is McCorkell’s fifth double-double of the season.
Idaho junior guard Mikayla Ferenz, the last member of Idaho’s big three, had a terrific night as well. Ferenz was on triple-double watch again, but finished the game with 23 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists. Ferenz only played for three quarters of the game.
The big three combined for 44 points in the first half, and 59 for the entire game, and with the Vandals being up by as many as 30 points in the second half, all three were able to get rest something that hasn’t happened a lot for the Vandals.
When asked in the press conference who was most dominant, Pierce and Ferenz gave all the praise to Geraldine McCorkell.
“It’s great having Gerry (McCorkell) there behind you,” Pierce said. “It’s no surprise when she (McCorkell) goes out there and gets double-doubles because that is exactly how she should be playing.”
With a buzzer-beater like play at the end of the game to break the 100-point barrier, there was an eruption across the Cowan Spectrum in realizing that Idaho had just dominated Sacramento State.
Idaho is now second place in the Big Sky Conference, and are rolling into a possible collision course with number one Weber State. Before they get there, they have a matchup with Eastern Washington, the last team to beat the Vandals.
Every member of the Vandal squad is in sync, during a time of the season where sharp play is a must. The Vandals have taken a complete 180 turn from the beginning of the season and are on a fast track to a potential conference championship and NCAA tournament berth. The question now is can this squad be stopped?
With a six-game winning streak on the line, the Idaho Vandals will take on the Eastern Washington Eagles at 5 p.m. on Friday inside Cowan Spectrum.
Chris Deremer can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @Cderemer_VN