“Idaho is a good team and they’re much improved over last year,” said head coach Joan Bonvicini. “They forced some key turnovers down the stretch and they deserved to win.”
Seattle U earned the opening tip but Alyssa Charlston put the Vandals ahead on an early layup, 2-0. Wilma Afunugo (Plano, Texas) tied the game with a pair of free throws and, despite another two point lead for Idaho, it would be their last lead of the half.
Kacie Sowell (Ventura, Calif.) tied the game at four and the Redhawks would lead by as many as eight, 12-4, by the first media timeout on back-to-back three’s by Alexis Montgomery (Beaverton, Ore.) and Sylvia Shephard (Alta Loma, Calif.).
Ali Forde and Charlston brought Idaho within four, but Seattle U would increase their lead to six two times over the next three minutes. Back-to-back three’s by Christina Salvatore and Connie Ballestero retied the game at 16 near the 12-minute mark before nearly two scoreless minutes by either team.
SU regained a five-point lead on a three-point play by Ashley Ward (Irvine, Calif.) and a layup by fellow senior Sowell. Idaho continued to fight with another pair of three’s to tie the game at 22, but Montgomery and Shephard hit another pair of three’s to lead by seven, 31-24, at 2:07.
Salvatore scored the final points of the half on a three-pointer at 1:53, but the Redhawks remained on top by four, 31-27, at halftime.
Forde drove in back-to-back layups to tie the game at 31 and a 3-pointer by Salvatore tied it again at 34 before the Vandals took their first lead since the 17:52 mark of the first half, 37-36, on a three-pointer by Charlston at 14:53.
Layups by Afunugo and Sowell tied the game two more times over the next three minutes, with Idaho leading by no more than three. Seattle U regained the one-point advantage, 48-47, at 7:44 on a jumper by Renee Dillard-Brown (Seattle, Wash.) and Shephard extended the lead to three with a layup.
SU would keep a lead or would maintain a tie until the 1:48 mark when Forde drove in a layup to put the Vandals ahead, 56-54, but Montgomery would regain the lead on a three-point play just 30 seconds later.
With 34 seconds remaining, Barr’s own three-point play would seal the Idaho advantage for good as Salvatore hit a three throw with 19 seconds remaining to ice the victory.
Montgomery led all players with a career-high 16 points, while Shephard also recorded double figures (10 pts) for the Redhawks. Sowell recorded her 11th double-double of the season with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
From the field, Seattle U held Idaho to 31.8 percent but shot just 37.9 percent themselves. SU led from behind the three-point arc (45.5 percent to 29.0 percent), but the Vandals narrowly led from the line (69.2 percent to 66.7 percent).
Seattle U returns home for their final weekend of the regular season to face Kansas City on Mar. 6 and Chicago State on Mar. 8. This year’s senior class – Sowell, Ward, and Shephard – will also be honored prior to the Mar. 8 contest.