With the Idaho Vandals in control and up big on the Weber State Wildcats on Jan. 30, the attention turned to graduate guard Olivia Nelson and her quest for her career high. Nelson, sitting on 27 points, crossed to her right across the paint and passed to graduate forward Jennifer Aadland.
Aadland gave the ball back to Nelson on the left wing and Nelson launched a three-pointer.
The ball whistled through the air and hit nothing but the net, electrifying the ICCU Arena crowd. Nelson scored a career-high 30 points, helping the Vandals close out the Wildcats and get a 77-62 victory to move them to 15-5 (7-2).
"I made that three, I looked up and saw I was at 30," Nelson said. "It was cool. I was put in great positions to score; the posts had great screens for me that allowed me to get downhill."
Idaho was looking to shake off their loss at Northern Arizona last Saturday as they came out on a mission and jumped on the Wildcats. Back-to-back three pointers by sophomore guard Hope Hassmann and Aadland stretched the Vandal lead to 12-5 and the Vandals never looked back. With the Vandals up 21-12 and the shot clock off, Nelson made a play only justified for a magician.
Nelson dribbled to her right then crossed over to her left and, in one motion, spun back to the right, breaking the defenders' ankles in the process. Nelson then calmly made a finger roll layup as the buzzer sounded, giving the Vandals a 23-12 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The Vandals carried the momentum into the second quarter and began the quarter on a 7-2 run before the Wildcats clawed back. The Wildcats got the deficit down to as low as eight, but behind eight points from Nelson and a second consecutive buzzer beater, the Vandals held a 40-29 lead. Nelson had 14 points heading into halftime.
The Vandals and Wildcats cooled off. In the third quarter, the Wildcats outscored the Vandals 12-11, cutting the Vandals' lead to 51-41 going into the final quarter. Idaho found their offensive groove again early in the fourth.
They opened the quarter on a 7-2 run and pushed their lead to 58-44. Nelson had her best quarter of the night, including back-to-back three-pointers. She finished with 10 in the quarter and helped the Vandals outscore the Wildcats 26-21, getting the Vandals back in the win column.
Following their worst defensive performance of the season last Saturday, the Vandals were determined to make a significant improvement. Their outstanding defense, holding Weber State to 29% shooting, was a key factor in their victory, a stat that Head Coach Arthur Moreira was particularly pleased with.
"I thought we did a good job communicating and switching," Moreira said. "We changed the game plan a bit and did some new things that we haven't done yet. I thought for the most part we were good."
Nelson finished the game with 30 points on 14/21 shooting, including going 2/4 from beyond the arc. Aadland and Hassmann were key contributors to the Vandals. Aadland finished with 14 points and nine rebounds, and Hassmann finished with 11 points and eight assists. Both were huge on the defensive end of the floor as well.
The Vandals, now back in the win column, will welcome their in-state rival, the Idaho State Bengals, into the ICCU Arena in the battle for King Spud. This will be a true rivalry game and a big test for this Idaho team.
"Whenever it's a rivalry, everybody gets excited. I think it's unique," Nelson said. "This being our first year that we get to experience all these teams for the first time, and I think we're just excited to see the community come out."
First-year Head Coach Moreira will line up opposite a 20-year veteran in Seton Sobolewski even though the Bengals are 7-12 (2-6) on the season. Saturday will be about the team that wants it the most and the team that can keep its emotions in check.
"It's going to be all about toughness," Moreira said. "I've said this multiple times: Coach Seton is one of the best coaches not only in the Big Sky but also in the country."
"Every rivalry game doesn't matter if one team has a better year than the other. We struggled at home last year and were shocked by their physicality. This time we have to be ready," Moreira said.
The Vandals and Bengals will tip off from ICCU Arena on Feb. 1 at 2 p.m., with the Vandals looking to gain an early advantage in the battle for King Spud.