In a roller coaster season, it was only fitting that one of Idaho’s best wins of the season would include every possible peak and valley.
The Vandals defeated the University of Denver 88-66 Sunday to advance to the third round of the Women’s National Invite Tournament.
In front of a packed Memorial Gym, the Vandals struggled early but kept within striking distance as the Pioneers led for all but 1:28 of the first half.
Denver looked the part of the Summit League’s most prolific offense through the first half. The Pioneers came into Sunday’s matchup averaging 80.7 points per game, best in the conference and eighth in the nation. Eight different players recorded a made field goal in the first half, including 11 from senior guard Samantha Romanowski and 10 from junior forward Madison Nelson.
“We had to talk at the half about our effort and how we allowed them to really get whatever they wanted in the paint,” head coach Jon Newlee said. “We weren’t doing a very good job on their drives and we didn’t really get to run and spread them out in transition like we wanted to.”
Much of the difference on offense came from Denver’s dominance in the paint in the first half. The Pioneers played a 3-2 zone defense for much of the second quarter that forced the Vandals into tough shots on the outside, including an 0-6 stretch from beyond the arc after freshman Gina Marxen hit a three in the opening seconds of the game. Also being unable to apply pressure against Denver’s bigs, the Vandals managed only 14 points in the paint to Denver’s 28.
As dire as things seemed for the Vandals at the half, the team managed to address every possible concern coming out of the half. In one of the most prolific showings in Vandal basketball history, Idaho outscored the Pioneers 36-9 in the third quarter, thanks in large part to an 8-12 showing from beyond the arc.
“Everything started with our defense, and the third quarter has really been our quarter all season,” senior guard Mikayla Ferenz said. “We came out of the locker room and were able to get stops and run in transition and allowed us to play our game.”
Included in Idaho’s outburst was 23 points from the Splash Sisters and five rebounds from Ferenz. After climbing back from a nine-point deficit to start the half, the Vandals went on an 11-0 run that included threes from Ferenz, Taylor Pierce and Gina Marxen to retake the lead for the first time since the 8:32 mark in the first quarter. Stellar defense on the defensive side of the floor opened up further scoring opportunities, as Idaho held Denver to a paltry 18.8 percent shooting from the floor in the quarter.
“(Newlee) really challenged us in the locker room to improve our effort on the boards and offensive rebounds really give you the looks to take advantage of,” Pierce said. “(Denver) is a really good team and we knew they were going to play a lot like us and our post players did a good job of getting boards, especially offensive rebounds, and we got to take advantage of those opportunities.”
Idaho continued to build the lead in spite of an off day from junior post Lizzy Klinker, who scored 24 and 21 points in the Vandals’ last two games. Klinker committed her third foul with 7:33 left in the third quarter, forcing Newlee to rely on freshman guard Hailey Christopher to fill the void. Christopher shined with seven points and seven rebounds in 24 minutes on the floor to keep Idaho’s attack on schedule.
“The plays she made, the offensive rebounds she got were huge because they turned into the kind of hustle plays that get the crowd going,” Newlee said. “As a freshman she plays with no fear and knows what it’s like to play the game with no fear and she just goes out there and plays the game like she should.”
Throughout the final frame, the Vandals kept just enough pressure on to ensure that the team would survive and advance. After the final buzzer sounded and the team rushed onto the court, Newlee addressed the crowd and thanked them for their raucous support in what could be the Splash Sisters’ final game in Moscow.
“I haven’t seen anything like (the crowd) during my time in Moscow. I was getting goosebumps before the game when we came out and all these people were yelling,” Newlee said.
Idaho will play the winner of the University of Arizona-University of the Pacific matchup in the third round of the WNIT. The Vandals will either host Pacific at Memorial Gym or travel to Tucson for their next game. The exact date and time will be announced shortly.
Jonah Baker can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @jonahpbaker