The Idaho women’s basketball team looked to rebound off their worst offensive performance of the season on Saturday. The Vandals had their hands full as they hosted Northern Arizona 19-8 (11-3). After a late surge, the Lumberjacks won 60-55, dropping the Vandals to 13-14 (6-9).
After Idaho was held to a season-low 38 points in their last game, it wanted to come out fast. The Vandals jumped out to a 15-6 lead early in the first quarter before NAU responded. NAU outscored Idaho 13-5 over the rest of the first quarter and chipped the Vandals’ lead to 20-19, a score they took into the second quarter.
The second quarter was more back and forth. That was until the Vandals went on a 6-2 run and ended the half leading 37-30. Both teams had moments in the first half and shot the ball a lot.
Idaho finished the half 14-for-30 from the field, 3-for-9 from beyond the arc and 4-for-6 from the free-throw line. Northern Arizona finished 10-for-27 from the field, 3-for-7 from the three-point line and 7-for-8 from the free-throw line.
Idaho returned to its old ways and struggled in the third quarter, turning the ball over six times and getting outscored 13-6 to bring a 43-43 tie score into the fourth quarter. The teams went back and forth again, and it was a tightly contested fourth quarter.
With 31 seconds left and the Vandals trailing by five, graduate guard Sarah Schmitt did her signature drive. However, the ball rimmed out, and NAU went on behind a strong fourth quarter by senior guard Grace Beasley to defeat the Vandals and return to winning ways.
Head Coach Carrie Eighmey was pleased with the team’s effort despite the loss.
“I thought from start to finish… we competed,” she said. “I liked the way we defended. I thought down the stretch, they made some tough shots. That was the difference because I felt like we got high-quality shots and open looks that didn’t go, and they got some hard shots to go in.”
The Vandals were led by junior forward Kennedy Johnson, who finished the game with 18 points and seven rebounds. Schmitt helped Johnson with 11 points of her own and three assists. NAU was led by junior guard Nyah Moran, who finished with 14 points, seven of which came from the free-throw line.
Beasley brought the game home for NAU with 12 points, putting up 10 in the fourth quarter, including two clutch free throws with 11 seconds remaining to extend NAU’s lead.
Turnovers have hurt Idaho in consecutive games, and five in the third quarter really put the nail in the coffin for the Vandals.
“I think that’s kind of what started their run was our turnovers,” Schmitt said. “We were able to get good shots, and they’re good in transition, so those turnovers lead to some easy baskets for them.”
Schmitt also talked about her miss in the final minute.
“Carrie just wanted me to be aggressive the whole game and try to get to the basket, and I saw an opening, and I just tried to take it,” she said.
Idaho will head on the road this upcoming week to Montana for their final road trip of the season before Boise. Idaho will head to Bozeman to face the Montana State Bobcats 15-13 (9-6) on Thursday, Feb 29. They will tip off at 6 p.m.
Idaho will then travel to Missoula to face the Montana Grizzlies 20-8 (11-4) on March 1 at 1 p.m. Johnson is excited to play on the road again.
“We just love being away, we seem to play better away,” she said. “I don’t know what it is, (but) being away, we have a better chance of getting these last two dubs. We love the environment, the atmosphere and the feeling of being an underdog, so it will be two good games.”
Jayden Barfuss can be reached at [email protected] or on X @JaydenBarfuss10