Coming off a hard-fought 60-54 Battle of the Domes victory over Idaho State, Idaho looked to keep its win streak going against Weber State. The Vandals were able to handle business 77-52 and send graduate student guard/forward Tiana Johnson out with a win in her last home game of her Vandal career.
The game did not start according to plan, however, as the Vandals started 0/4 from the field. Weber finally got the scoring going with back-to-back buckets, pushing their lead to 4-0. Redshirt freshman forward Brooke Malone cut the deficit at the free-throw line, making three out of four and cutting the Wildcats’ lead to one.
Senior forward/center Beyonce Bea got the Vandals their first field goal with a layup to put the Vandals up 5-4. Both teams started to make shots and traded buckets until the Vandals closed on an 8-0 run to go up 18-8 at the end of the first quarter.
Weber struggled shooting the ball in the quarter as they went 5/18 from the field and 0/2 from three. The Vandals, despite the slow start, shot 6/13 from the field, 3/7 from beyond the arc and 3/4 from the free-throw line. Bea led the Vandals with four points in the quarter.
In the second quarter, Idaho continued their rhythm with Bea completing a three-point play. Bea scored two more free throws to push the Vandals lead to 25-17. Graduate forward Tiana Johnson followed with back-to-back baskets to extend the lead to 30-17. The Wildcats were able to cut the deficit to 30-21, but that was the closest they would get for the rest of the game. The Vandals controlled the second quarter, taking a commanding 42-28 lead into the break.
The Vandals had another efficient quarter shooting as they went 8/14 from the field, 1/6 from three and 7/8 from the line. Bea and Johnson combined for 17 of the Vandals 24 points, Bea having 10 and Johnson adding seven. Weber was not as good shooting as they went 5/14 from the field, 2/3 from three and a perfect 6/6 from the free-throw line. Senior guard/forward Lauren Taylor led the Wildcats with six points in the quarter and eight in the first half.
The third quarter began with Bea making a jumper for the Vandals, but Taylor answered right back with a three of her own. Freshman guard Rosa Smith and Bea followed up by knocking down a couple jumpers each. The effort from the freshman-senior duo pushed the Vandals out to 53-31 lead right before the under-six media timeout. The Wildcats went on a run after the timeout, outscoring the Vandals 10-4 to end the quarter, cutting the Vandals’ lead to 57-41 going into the fourth quarter.
The Vandals went 6/14 from the field, 1/5 from three and 2/4 from the free-throw line. Bea led the Vandals in the quarter with 10 points to push her total to 24 heading into the fourth. Weber was 5/13 from the field, 3/6 from beyond the arc and 0/1 from the line.
The fourth quarter began with Bea scoring five straight points and ending her night with 29 points, pushing the Vandals lead to 62-41. With 2:40 left in the game, head coach Jon Newlee took Johnson out to let her hear ICCU give her a standing ovation to close out her outstanding Vandal Career. Even with two experienced starters out near the end, the Vandals coasted to a 77-52 victory, securing their thirteenth win of the season and their fifth win in the last seven.
Both teams struggled shooting in the fourth, with Weber going 4/16 from the field, 0/3 from three and 3/6 from the line. The Wildcats shot 19/61 from the field, 5/14 from three and 9/13 from the line overall. The Vandals finished the game shooting 7/17 from the field, 2/8 from three and 4/7 from the free-throw line. The Vandals had a relatively efficient night shooting 27/58 from the field, 7/26 from three and 16/23 from the free throw line.
Weber was led by Taylor, who finished the game with 14 points and eight rebounds while shooting 4/8 overall, 2/3 from beyond the arc and a perfect 4/4 from the free-throw line. For the Vandals, Bea put on a show once again. She finished another spectacular performance with 29 points and nine rebounds, shooting 11/17 overall, 1/3 from three and 6/6 from the line.
Johnson, in her final home game as a Vandal, did not disappoint. She finished with 13 points and five rebounds, shooting 5/9 overall and 3/6 from beyond the arc. With one game left in the regular season, and one game guaranteed in the Big Sky Tournament, Johnson still has time to add to her already illustrious career. She’s scored 513 points in her two years at Idaho, and 1,315 total points in her five seasons as a college basketball player.
Johnson, reflecting on her last two years, said she was thankful to end her career as a Vandal.
“The last two years here at Idaho have just been the best two years of basketball that I’ve gotten to play,” Johnson said. “I’m just really thankful to finish my career as a Vandal.”
The Vandals will finish the regular season with a trip to Dahlberg Arena to face the surging Montana Grizzlies. Idaho and Montana’s spots in the tournament will depend heavily on this game.
“I think there’s stuff on the line,” Newlee said. “It’s going to be a ruckus; it’s going to be loud (and) it will be a fine tune-up for Boise.”
The Vandals will face the Grizzlies on Monday, Feb 27, at 6 p.m. Both teams are looking to close the season strong and build some momentum heading into the Big Sky tournament.
Jayden Barfuss can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @JaydenBarfuss10.