Believe it or not, this Idaho team is almost right where they want to be.The Vandals (7-8, 4-2 BSC) survived their traditionally difficult pre-conference schedule, which included match- ups at Stanford, Texas Tech and Gonzaga. Since starting with a 3-6 non-conference record, Idaho began Big Sky Conference play with a 4-2 stretch, including three road wins.
“I loved the way we started in the preseason,” head coach Jon Newlee said. “Even in the loss against Stanford, we had great contributions from our freshmen. We were one of Texas Tech’s two losses so you’ve always got to be happy about beating a Big 12 team. I schedule tough teams to get us ready for the Big Sky and hopefully a spot in the NCAA Tournament.”
Both the Coaches’ and Media Polls released in the pre-season pegged Idaho as the conference favorite and the team’s statistics up to this point make it easy to see why such faith was placed in this squad.
The Vandals once again lead the conference in offense, putting up 74.7 points per game. Most of that output comes from a three-friendly approach on offense, which is once again one of the most dangerous in the Big Sky. Idaho leads the conference in 3-pointers made and 3-point field goal percentage with a .356 clip halfway through the season.
Senior guard Taylor Pierce tries a lay-up against California State University in Memorial Gym.
Senior guards Mikayla Ferenz and Taylor Pierce are again leading the charge for the Vandals. The “Splash Sisters” are still just as dominant as they were in the 2017-18 season, ranking first and fifth in the conference for points per game, respectively.
Pierce’s eight 3-pointers in a game against Montana nearly set a program record, while Ferenz recorded her fifth career double-double in the same game.
With Idaho’s best hitting their stride, it is only a matter of time before opportunities open up for the rest of the roster.
“Working in a new post rotation has been difficult because our new guys are so skilled,” Newlee said. “I just need them to play as hard as they can and not worry about making mistakes. We’ve played enough games that they’re not really freshmen now and I think we’ll keep figuring it out as the season goes along.”
Idaho does not put an emphasis on forcing turnovers, but it does an excellent job of taking care of the ball on its own end. The Vandals have committed 50 fewer turnovers than the next closest team in the Big Sky, and that commitment to ball control should only get better as the team continues to gel.
Another meaningful advantage for the Vandals will be a favorable schedule down the stretch. Idaho will play eight of their last 14 games at the Cowan Spectrum after starting with only four home games in their first 15. The Vandals have not finished a season with a losing record at home since the 2011-12 season and this team’s talent figures to be more than enough to extend that streak.
With two home games on deck, the Vandals will have a chance to bounce back from a road loss to Montana. Sacramento State and Portland State are on markedly different trajectories early in conference play, but both will offer stiff challenges.
Sacramento State (6-8, 2-4 BSC) plays an almost mirrored version of basketball to Idaho, coming in just behind the Vandals in scoring offense and defense. The big difference is it takes the Hornets longer to get their offense firing.
Sacramento State has actually taken 30 more threes than Idaho in fewer games, but the Hornets rank dead last in the Big Sky in 3-point percentage at .262. It is possible more of those shots fall when the Hornets come to the Cowan Spec- trum, but it seems unlikely Idaho will pass up a prime op- portunity for a bounce-back game.
Portland State (13-2, 5-1 BSC) leads the Big Sky, thanks to the conference’s best point differential at +3.83 in conference play and +15 overall. The Vikings pace the conference in nine different categories, but most important is their dominance in spreading the ball around and forcing turnovers.
With a +2.33 turnover margin and nearly 20 assists per game, it is difficult to point to one way to stop the Vikings. Idaho will need contributions beyond the usual excellence of Ferenz and Pierce to remain competitive with the conference’s leaders.
“The road does wear you down, so being back home makes a big difference. We’ve got to take advantage of this home stretch and I hope the students come out and support us through it,” Newlee said.
Idaho will play Sacramento State at 6 p.m. Thursday and Portland State at 12 p.m. Saturday.
Jonah Baker can be reached at [email protected]