The Vandals will hit the road for conference play one last time as the season winds to a close. Wins mean more now than ever, with Big Sky Tournament seeding meaning every game down the stretch will count.
Idaho (16-9, BSC 13-3) currently holds the top spot in the Big Sky, with a half-game lead over Idaho State (18-8, BSC 13-4) and a one game lead over both Portland State and Northern Colorado (17-8, BSC 12-4).
After coming away with two more wins in convincing fashion at home against Southern Utah and Northern Arizona, head coach Jon Newlee said he knows the fate of seeding for postseason play is in their hands.
“You always want to be in control. You don’t want to depend on other people beating other people,” Newlee said. “You like to have things in your own hands. We have that and we’re going to have to take advantage of that situation and how it’s playing out these last four games.”
Senior guard Mikayla Ferenz is just 13 points away from becoming the all-time leading scorer in Big Sky history, which she is sure to reach this coming weekend.
Freshman guard Gina Marxen shoots a jumper in the Southern Utah game on Saturday in Memorial Gym.
This will be the second time a player under Newlee will hold the scoring record. Natalie Doma, a former Idaho State post player who played from 2004-2008, has held the record for more than a decade. Newlee said it is amazing he has been able to coach both players, who had different play styles and positions, and is happy he has been able to coach these amazing athletes.
But getting wins on the road is what’s most important to the team at this point in the season.
First, Idaho will hit the road and travel to Portland State for a rematch of one of the best games in the Big Sky this season.
The last time these two programs met was on Jan. 26 in Cowan Spectrum, with Idaho coming away with the 80-78 win thanks to some clutch free throws from freshman point guard Gina Marxen.
The Vikings have a solid all-around team with talented players and an unorthodox style of defense that has been working for them all season.
The main scoring threats that the Vandals will need to focus on are Sidney Rielly and Ashley Bolston, who are averaging 15 points and 13 points, respectively.
“We are going to need to keep Bolston off the foul line — and Rielly, we got to get a hand up,” Newlee said. “We were lazy with Rielly (at home) and there are definitely some things we can fine tune for this second game in Portland.”
The Vikings have a tall team that makes it easy to get rebounds, which leads to fast breaks and second-chance opportunities. Rebounding will be the key for Idaho to come away with the win on the road, according to Newlee, with most of the starting lineup being six feet or taller. The battle of the boards could be where the game is won or lost.
In running a 2-3 zone, the Vikings will essentially be baiting Idaho to try and take shots from behind the arc and find the small windows of opportunity in the mid-range game. If the Vandals can have an efficient night shooting, they should be able to come away with another win.
Next, it will be another flight, this time to Sacramento State (10-14, BSC 6-10).
Idaho completely dominated at home back in January, coming away with a 104-66 win. This was a conference-high for points in a single game.
Defensively, the Vandals had the perfect game plan, forcing the Hornets to shoot 34 percent from the field and 12 percent from beyond the arc.
Newlee said along with having to execute the same game plan, the Vandals will need to continue to take care of the basketball and limit turnovers, which will not allow the Hornets to get fast break points and wideopen looks from three.
The Hornets trademark is their five-in, five-out substitutions, ensuring they will always have fresh legs out on the floor to keep the defensive intensity high. The Vandals also have a deep bench and should be able to keep up with the pace of the game and pick up another win, although this contest might be a bit closer.
Idaho plays Portland State 7 p.m. Thursday in Portland, Oregon, and Sacramento State Saturday in Sacramento, California.
Zack Kellogg can be reached at [email protected] and on Twitter @kellogg_zack.