The Vandals avenged their most recent loss with a convincing win Thursday night.
Idaho (13-8, 9-2 BSC) defeated Montana 76-68, extending a five-game winning streak that started after a loss to the Griz on Jan. 19.
“Our defense changed a lot to get this result today” Idaho guard Taylor Pierce said. “We really got after it these last few days in practice and it thankfully showed tonight.”
Idaho raced out to a quick start and rarely let up. A 10-2 run in the opening minutes resulted in a 22-18 lead at the end of the first quarter, led largely by senior guard Taylor Pierce.
Pierce started the game with 13 points in the first quarter including 3-3 3-point shooting and she finished with 23 points on 7-15 shooting.
The second quarter was where Idaho began to separate from the Griz. After pulling within one point, Idaho fired off nine points on three possessions thanks to two 3-pointers from Ferenz and an and-1 from junior post Lizzy Klinker to make the score 33-23. The Vandals bounced in and out of a double-digit lead for the rest of the half, thanks in large part to Klinker.
The junior finished with her first double-double of the season with 11 points and 14 rebounds. She led all players on the glass and contributed to Idaho’s 13-5 advantage in offensive rebounds.
“The post defense was the difference tonight,” Newlee said. “We did a much better job getting around and out-scoring them. We made concerted efforts to contain them and our post guys accepted the challenge and battled with their talent in the post.”
In what was mostly a team effort though, Ferenz shined above the rest. Upon reaching 20 points in the third quarter, she became the highest-scoring player in Idaho basketball history. She finished with 23 points and three assists on 8-21 shooting.
“I wasn’t keeping track to know when I broke the record, but I knew I had it when my teammates freaked out and (Pierce) ran down screaming at me,” Ferenz said. “I figured that was a pretty good sign that I had my spot in the record books.”
Ferenz is now third in the Big Sky’s all-time points leaderboard with nine regular season games left and a likely berth in the postseason tournament.
Partway through the second quarter, Idaho fans caught a glimpse of a familiar face returning to the court. Sophomore guard Allison Kirby returned to action after a stress fracture forced her out in the beginning of December.
“It’s been a long journey for her, very slow to heal,” Newlee said. “It was great to get her practice and game action coming back. We’re gonna need that veteran presence down the stretch.”
Up next, the Vandals will take on Montana State 2 p.m. Saturday in the Cowan Spectrum.
Jonah Baker can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @jonahpbaker