Vandals clip Eagles’ wings in 67-57 victory

Olivia Nelson ties career high of 29 points on Jan. 18 against Eastern Washington University

Anja Bukvic fights off defender | John Keegan | Argonaut

The Idaho Vandals had a seven-point lead over Eastern Washington University with 45 seconds left in the first half. With the ball out of bounds and wanting to extend their lead, sophomore guard Hope Hassmann patiently waited for graduate guard Olivia Nelson to fight through and get around the defender before whipping the ball to Nelson in stride.  

Nelson rose up and swished the three-pointer to give the Vandals a ten-point lead and Nelson 17 first-half points. Behind Nelson’s 29 points, the Vandals closed out the Eagles in the second half and got a 67-57 victory to move their record to 12-4 (4-1).  

Nelson’s 29 points tied her career high. She credited the team and the coaching staff with her success. 

“Our execution was really good today and the coaches instilled a lot of confidence in us,” Nelson said. “I don’t think I’ve made a floater all year, and then today I had four. [The coaching staff] always tell us to always be aggressive, to look for your shot, which gives us confidence to make big plays.” 

The Vandals and Nelson began the game by going back and forth with Eastern, and after the first quarter, the Vandals held a 17-15 lead.  

The second quarter began with a 4-0 run by the Eagles to pull ahead 19-17 on the Vandals before the Vandals took over. The Vandals went on a 9-0 run, starting with a top-of-the-key three-pointer by forward Rosie Schweizer and capped by Nelson hitting two free throws. The Vandals continued their hot streak and outscored the Eagles 18-10 in the second quarter, pushing them to a 35-25 lead.  

The Vandals came out of the locker room riding the wave of momentum and continued to pull away from the Eagles. With a 46-31 lead and looking to continue their hot streak, they turned to their leading scorer, Hassmann, who had a quiet game up to that point.  

Off an inbound pass, Hassmann rolled around the screen, pulled up, and knocked down a jumper to get her first field goal of the game and stretch the Vandals’ lead to 48-31.  

The Eagles fought back, but the Vandals held a 50-38 lead going into the fourth quarter. The Eagles, who found their offensive groove in the third quarter, went on a strong 9-0 run to cut the Vandals’ lead to 54-47. The Vandals used clutch free-throw shooting from Nelson and Hassmann down the stretch to seal the victory and extend their four-game winning streak.  

Head coach Arthur Moreira was pleased with his team and how they finished the game.  

“You just can’t teach the experience and ability to close games,” Moreira said. “You can work on situations in practice, but the game is different. It’s a different atmosphere.”  

In addition to Nelson, Schweizer also had a strong performance, adding 14 points and being a strong spark to the Vandals.   

The Vandals will be back at ICCU Arena on Monday, Jan. 20, at 2 p.m., as they expect a different University of Montana team than the one they played in Missoula earlier this season.  

“Nate [Harris] is a great coach. He’s been behind their offense ever since he got to Montana,” Moreira said. “We beat them in their home court. They are going to come pissed off. We can expect a way better Montana team than the one we faced in Missoula.” 

Jayden Barfuss can be reached at arg-sports@uidaho.edu.

About the Author

Jayden Barfuss Junior at the University of Idaho, majoring in Journalism. I am a sports writer for the 2024-2025 academic year.

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