“We need to have better discipline, individually and as a team,” said head coach Joan Bonvicini. “I think we really, really need to be a team, which means everyone is working together all the time and right now, we’re not doing that.”
Stacey Barr hit a jumper for the Vandals a minute in before Makenna Clark (Lake Tapps, Wash.) tied the score nearly three minutes later.
Back-to-back three’s by Christina Salvatore and Brooke Reilly hit back-to-back three’s to give the Vandals a six-point lead at 15:24 and two full scoreless minutes ensued following.
A pair of layups by Taelor Ross (Vancouver, Wash.) and Wilma Afunugo (Plano, Texas) brought the Redhawks within one, 10-9, halfway through the first half and a Crystal Allen (Fort Worth, Texas) three would tie it, 12-12, at 6:31.
Allen retied the game at 14 with just under six minutes until half before Idaho opened up a 13-5 run to finish the half to lead by eight, 27-19. Barr and Connie Ballestero combined for seven of Idaho’s 13 points during the run.
The Redhawks would come within seven, 28-21, two and a half minutes into the second half on a jumper by Alexis Montgomery (Beaverton, Ore.) after Reilly went 1-for-2 from the line for the Vandals.
Back-to-back layups by Ali Forde and Reilly would build the Vandals’ lead to double digits, a deficit from which the Redhawks would ultimately not able to overcome. Idaho led by as many as 19, 42-23, at the 13:34 mark of the second half following a pair of free throws by Reilly.
A foul-plagued Idaho team would put the Redhawks on the line three times in a one minute period as SU went 5-for-6 to come within 14, 47-33, at 9:36 but the Vandals built their lead back up to 19 two different times in the final six minutes of the game.
Metoyer’s three at 2:22 would bring SU within 13, 61-48, but a layup by Barr and a pair of free throws by Karlee Wilson gave Idaho a 15-point lead, 65-50, to finish.
Salvatore led the Vandals and all players on the court with 15 points while Afunugo and Metoyer led the Redhawks with nine points apiece.
The Redhawks led at the line, shooting 80 percent (16-for-20) to Idaho’s 47.6 percent (10-for-21), but shot just 25 percent (14-for-56) from the field and 22.2 percent (6-for-27) from behind the arc.
Claire Metoyer (Desoto, Texas) earned her first career start in today’s contest.
Seattle U will host their annual game at KeyArena vs. Washington on Thursday, Dec. 4 at 7 pm. This year’s matchup will be the first annual “Women in Leadership” game in which five female leaders from the Seattle area will be honored as part of the evening’s festivities. Karen Bryant, Fe Lopez, Michele Murray, Kathleen O’Toole, and Anne Farrell will be the evening’s honorees.
Stay tuned to GoSeattleU.com as well as Facebook (Seattle U Athletics; Seattle University Women’s Basketball), Twitter (@su_athletics; @su_wbb), and Instagram (su_redhawks; su_wbb) for all the latest updates on the team throughout their 2014-15 campaign.