It’s the halfway point in the conference season and Idaho has itself in solid position to take the top spot in the rankings with a road test this week.
Women’s basketball will hit the road to face off against the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks and the Southern Utah Thunderbirds. Despite both teams being ranked in the bottom-three of the conference, no game is a freebie in the Big Sky.
The Vandals have a conference record of 6-2 after a sweeping their homestand last week and are now tied for third place in the Big Sky rankings.
Idaho will first travel to Flagstaff, Arizona, to take on the Lumberjacks. Northern Arizona had a rough start to the conference schedule, going 2-7.
Despite the lackluster record, when NAU gets things clicking, they are a hard team to stop. They are led by senior Kaleigh Paplow, a forward who is leading the team in points, assists and rebounds, while playing almost 40 minutes every game. She will be a key player the Vandals will have to keep in check to come away with their third straight win.
The Lumberjacks are coming off a win against Southern Utah, committing a season-low eight turnovers and shooting an impressive 47 percent from the field, while also dropping 38 points in the paint.
This will be the first meeting between the schools this season. The last time they faced off was Feb. 28, where Idaho won 93-83. Senior guards Taylor Pierce and Mikayla Ferenz combined 47 points, over half of the team’s points.
The Vandals will then head down to Cedar City, Utah, for a meeting with the Thunderbirds.
With a 2-7 record, Southern Utah has had a rough go and are currently in the middle of a four-game losing streak.
But as in the case of the Lumberjacks, the record may not tell the whole story.While there have been consistency issues, the Thunderbirds have had moments of high offensive and defensive performances.
Sophomore guard Jessica Chatman is a transfer from BYU playing her first season at SUU and has put on some impressive performances.
When playing Sacramento State, Chatman had her first career double-double, scoring 22 points and 10 rebounds.
But leading the charge are junior guards Rebecca Cardenas and Hansen Harley, who have consis- tently helped put-up double-digit scoring, 10 and 12 points per game respectively. Cardenas also has had solid numbers on the boards and assisting the ball, leading the team in both categories.
Idaho should come away with the weekend sweep, but only if the Vandals stick to their game plan and execute like they have all season.
Idaho plays Northern Arizona 5:30 p.m. Thursday in Flagstaff, Arizona, and Southern Utah at 1 p.m. Saturday in Cedar City, Utah.
Zack Kellogg can be reached at [email protected]