Vandal women put hammer down on Eagles

Feb. 12—Idaho women's basketball coach Jon Newlee challenged his team to get multiple players in double figures ahead of its matchup Saturday against Big Sky foe Eastern Washington at Idaho Central Credit Union Arena.

Three Vandals finished in in double digits as they reached their third-highest point total of the season in an 88-64 win against the Eagles before 2,033 fans, the largest crowd of the season.

"We came out ready to play," Newlee said. "We executed the plan, unlike last week. We were really clicking on offense."

Here's what we learned:

Benefit from circumstances

Eastern Washington (14-9, 7-6) was without scoring and rebounding leaders Jacinta Buckley and Jaydia Martin. The Vandals (10-14, 6-7) took advantage of that, outscoring the Eagles 36-24 in the paint.

"This is the Vandals team that no one wants to play," Newlee said. "We were able to do things in practice that were able to speed up possessions, and they were able to put that on display tonight."

Beyonce Bea benefited the most from their absences. She matched up with Jaleesa Lawrence and Milly Knowles for most of the contest. Bea had a major size advantage against the two, and she used it to notch a game-high 27 points. The advantage also helped Idaho on the boards, as it outrebounded Eastern Washington 40-32.

"They looked good tonight, and their effort was fantastic," Newlee said.

An overall onslaught

Idaho was about as efficient on the offensive end as it's been all season, going 30-for-58 (51.7%) overall, also able to find its stroke from deep, finishing 11-of-23 (47.8%).

Tiana Johnson hit four from distance and Clarkston native Ashlyn Wallace went 3-for-4 from outside to tally nine points.

But the Vandals made hay at the free-throw line, making 17-of-18.

Johnson's coming out party

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Newlee labeled the performance of Johnson, a sixth-year senior, as the best of her career.

Johnson was just three points shy of a career-high, notching 18 points on 7-of-14 shooting. She also added six rebounds and three steals in 29 minutes of action.

"She was diving on the floor and making plays," Newlee said. "I was more impressed with what she did on defense. She had a rough game when we played these guys in Cheney, so this was a great revenge game for her."

Johnson has only reached double figures in nine out of the Vandals' 24 games this season and said she finally was able to settle her nerves and let it fly in this one.

"I was just tense during the beginning of the season," Johnson said. "I thought to myself, 'I'm a sixth-year; I should be playing lights out.' I was able to find my confidence, and my teammates showed a lot of confidence in me."

EASTERN WASHINGTON (14-9, 7-6)

Zylak 0-3 0-0 0, Loera 4-10 0-0 11, Knowles 1-4 0-0 2, Lawrence 7-13 3-3 21, Alexander 5-11 1-2 12, Pettis 2-6 1-3 5, Gallatin 0-2 3-4 3, McNeal 3-7 0-0 6, Jung 0-3 0-0 0, Jentzsch 1-4 2-2 4, Schuler 0-1 2-2 2. Totals 23-64 10-16 64.

IDAHO (10-14, 6-7)

Smith 5-9 4-4 14, Gandy 3-5 0-0 8, Johnson 7-14 0-0 18, Wallace 3-4 0-0 9, Bea 8-11 11-11 27, Kilty 2-2 0-0 6, Malone 1-4 0-0 2, Brans 0-5 0-0 0, Phillips 1-4 2-3 4. Totals 30-58 17-18 88.

Eastern Washington 13 15 20 16—64

Idaho 15 26 26 21—88

3-point goals — Eastern Washington 8-21 (Lawrence 4-7, Loera 3-5, Alexander 1-4, Zylak 0-1, Gallatin 0-1, Jung 0-3), Idaho 11-23 (Johnson 4-7, Wallace 3-4, Gandy 2-2, Kilty 2-2, Phillips 0-1, Smith 0-3, Brans 0-4). Fouled out — Gandy. Rebounds — Eastern Washington 32 (Jung 8), Idaho 40 (Johnson, Wallace, Malone 6). Assists — Eastern Washington 8 (Zylak 3), Idaho 18 (Bea 5). Total fouls — Eastern Washington 16, Idaho 15. A — 2,033.

Pixley may be contacted at (208) 848-2290, tpixley@lmtribune.com or on Twitter @TreebTalks.