MOSCOW, Idaho — Junior Benthe Versteeg finished with a team-high 13 points while senior Jaydia Martin reached double figures for the ninth consecutive game, but a lengthy second-quarter run by host Idaho that covered the final six-plus minutes erased a four-point deficit and powered the Vandals to a 63-48 win over Sacramento State on Thursday night at ICCU Arena.
The Hornets moved to 8-7 overall and 1-1 in Big Sky Conference play with the defeat, while Idaho improved to 10-4 overall and 2-1 in league.
Versteeg added five rebounds and four assists to her final stat line, but was hampered by early foul trouble that kept her out for most of the first half. Martin finished 5-of-12 from the field en route to her 11 points, finishing with five rebounds and three steals, but was also sidelined with fouls in the first two quarters.
Sophomore Lina Falk gave Sacramento State three in double figures with her 10 points, adding five rebounds and playing all 40 minutes. Senior Katie Peneueta tied a career high with 11 rebounds and blocked three shots, finishing with six points from the field.
Thursday night saw both teams trade early runs in a back-and-forth first quarter as the Hornets scored nine of the first 11 points to jump out to an early lead only to have Idaho answer with an 11-3 run of its own to take its first lead of the night with 3:44 to go in the first.
A Falk basket inside sparked Sacramento State once again and she capped an 8-0 run with a three-pointer following a three-point play by Versteeg for a 20-13 advantage.
The Vandals opened with the first five points of the second quarter before a basket by Martin had the Hornets up four with 6:17 to play, but that's when things went sideways for Sacramento State. Idaho closed the half on a 19-0 run and limited the Hornets to just 1-of-10 from the field in the period to build a 37-22 lead at the break and the Vandals never looked back.
Sacramento State regained its footing and won the third quarter, 17-11, thanks to a 13-4 burst that trimmed a 17-point deficit down to just eight with 1:16 to play in the period, but that's as close as the Hornets would come.
Idaho opened the fourth with seven straight points and never let Sacramento State get any closer than 11 points en route to the win.
Sacramento State shot just 34 percent from the field, but limited the Vandals to just 35 percent overall, including a 24 percent clip in the third quarter. The Hornets also out-rebounded Idaho, 44-43.
The weekend roadtrip comes to a close on Saturday (Jan. 11) at 2 p.m., as Sacramento State takes on Eastern Washington in Cheney, Wash., to end a stretch of five-straight games away from home.
