The Idaho Vandals women’s basketball team went in with a mission and sent their four seniors out the right way with a 60-44 dominant win over Portland State to clinch the sixth seed in the Big Sky tournament.
A pair of buzzer-beaters and a tremendous third quarter enabled the Vandals to pull away from the Vikings.
Before the game, the Vandals honored their four seniors, Amalie Langer, Hope Butera, Jenna Kilty and Sarah Schmitt. With Butera and Langer out due to injury, only Kilty and Schmitt were able to appear on their senior day.
Senior day can bring out a lot of emotions, and Schmitt talked about her last home game as a Vandal.
“I’m feeling pretty good about it. I was worried that before the game would be a little emotional, but it wasn’t too bad,” she said. “And I’m just happy that we can come out with a win on senior night and (my) last game here.”
Both teams came out firing on offense and went back and forth. Junior forward Skylar Bea gave the Vandals separation at the end of the quarter. Junior guard Ashlyn Wallace drove to the baseline and then passed to the elbow, where Bea was set waiting for the shot. As the buzzer sounded, Bea did not flinch, knocking it down and giving the Vandals an 18-12 lead heading into the second quarter.
The two teams cooled off offensively in the second quarter. The Vandals, behind a late three pointer by junior forward Sarah Brans and a layup by sophomore Asha Phillips, took a 32-25 lead into the locker room. Idaho finished the first half shooting 12-for-29 from the field, 4-for-14 from beyond the arc and a perfect 4-for-4 from the free-throw line.
The PSU Vikings finished 10-for-27 from the field, 2-for-8 from three, and 3-for-3 from the free-throw line. The Vandals’ ball movement was also on full display as they dished out nine assists to only five turnovers in the first half.
Idaho used a solid third quarter to bust the game wide open. Idaho outscored the Vikings 19-9 in the quarter, and on the back of a buzzer-beater by junior forward Kennedy Johnson, Idaho took a commanding 51-34 lead into the fourth and final quarter.
In the last ten minutes in the ICCU arena for the season, the Vandals closed out the Vikings. They gave the 1,218 fans in attendance a chance to roar as the clock started to tick down with smiles on the players’ faces. The final horn blew, and the Vandals ended the 2023-2024 regular season on a high note.
Head Coach Carrie Eighmey, with a smile on her face, spoke about the big win.
“I think it was super important, with senior day, we wanted to make sure that we sent our seniors out with a win,” she said. “So, it was important for that, but also, you want to have momentum going into the tournament, and this was a game where we built a little momentum. And we can go in feeling good about where we’re at.”
Eighmey spoke about the seniors’ impact on the team on and off the court.
“All four of them are incredible people, they are leaders, not only in our program but also in the community. They’re great students and as good as it gets in so many ways. We’re super proud, and I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to coach them.”
Johnson stole the show for the Vandals, putting up 19 points and 10 rebounds. Brans added 13 points herself including three 3-pointers to help put the game out of reach. The Vandals were firing on all cylinders, especially on the defensive end, all game.
Wallace held PSU junior guard Esmeralda Morales to six points and showed their ferocious perimeter defense, making it tough on Morales all night.
With the win and an Idaho State loss, the Vandals clinched a first-round bye in the Big Sky Tournament, where they will be taking on the third-seeded Montana Griz, who have beaten the Vandals twice this season.
Johnson talked about the upcoming matchup with the Griz.
“I think for us, we need to start the game fast,” she said. “The first time we played them, we started slow, and we were down by 20 at halftime,” she said.
“So starting the game with the same pace and energy as them but also eliminating second-chance possessions and offensive rebounds was something we struggled with. I think taking that away is big. And we just need to play smart basketball.”
The Vandals and Griz will tip off Monday, March 11, at 1:30 p.m. at Idaho Central Arena as both teams look to advance to the semi-finals and bring home some hardware.
Jayden Barfuss can be reached at [email protected] or on X @JaydenBarfuss10