The Vandals kicked off the last road trip of the weekend on a high note.
Idaho (17-9, BSC 13-4) defeated Portland State 81-68 Thursday on the first half of a two-leg road trip.
The Vandals started strong, as has been their trademark during their recent winning streak. Idaho raced out to a 12-0 lead in the first quarter while holding the Vikings (20-6, 12-5 BSC) scoreless through nearly five minutes. Portland State promptly flipped the script to close the quarter within two points.
Much of Idaho’s success in the first half ran through junior post Lizzy Klinker. Klinker had six of her 12 points in the first quarter alone and she went on to add eight rebounds to share the team lead with her sister, sophomore Natalie Klinker.
After going into the half down by eight, the Vikings clawed back into the game, eventually securing a two-point lead halfway through the third quarter. Sidney Rielly scored two of her 12 points to put Portland State up 47-45, but that proved to be the spark Idaho needed to get back in control.
From the 5:03 mark in the third quarter, Idaho outscored Portland State 36-23 thanks to contributions from all corners of the roster. Senior guard Taylor Pierce led the team with 22 points on 6-17 shooting from 3-point range and she also hit all four of her free throws. Freshman guard Gina Marxen followed her up with 17 points on 5-9 shooting from behind the arc.
Even with a relatively quiet scoring night, senior Mikayla Ferenz once again made Big Sky history Thursday night. With 12 points on the night, she ventured out to the free throw line with 2:55 left in the third quarter and sank both attempts. She needed 13 points in the game to take the all-time Big Sky record for career points and she is now officially the most prolific scorer in Big Sky basketball history, men’s and women’s.
After the momentum switch in the third quarter, the Vikings never came closer than seven points down in the fourth. Marxen scored eight of her points in the final frame, allowing Pierce and Ferenz to take breathers.
Up next, Idaho will travel to play Sacramento State at 2:05 p.m. Saturday.
Jonah Baker can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @jonahpbaker