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Women’s basketball roundup: Vandals hold off Montana

Staff ,wire reports

Taylor Pierce and Mikayla Ferenz scored 23 points apiece on Thursday night as Idaho held off Montana 76-68 in a Big Sky contest in Moscow.

Pierce hit 5 of 10 shots from 3-point range, while Ferenz was 4 of 13 behind the arc. Lizzy Klinker added 11 points and a game-high 11 rebounds for the Vandals (12-8, 9-2), who scored 22 points in each of the first three quarters and led 66-50 entering the fourth. Idaho scored 19 points off 15 Griz turnovers.

McKenzie Johnson and Gabi Harrington each scored 21 points for Montana (10-10, 5-6). The Vandals host Montana State on Saturday at 2.

Montana State 61, Eastern Washington 47: Martha Kuderer scored 16 points, Oliana Squires added 13 and the Bobcats outscored the Eagles 17-8 in the fourth quarter to break open a tight Big Sky game in Cheney.

Blaire Braxton grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds for Montana State (12-10, 7-5). Violet Kapri Morrow led Eastern (5-15, 4-7) with 18 points and 10 rebounds and moved into 10th place on the Eagles’ all-time scoring list with 1,116 points. EWU, which hit just 4 of 26 from the field in the second half, 1 of 15 from 3-point range, hosts Montana on Saturday at 2:05.

Arizona State 61, Washington State 46: Kianna Ibis scored 22 points and the No. 20 Sun Devils took over in the second half to defeat the Cougars in Pullman.

Robbi Ryan added 13 points for Arizona State (16-6, 7-4 Pac-12), which trailed 28-27 at halftime before rolling to their third straight win.

After shooting 34 percent in the first half, Arizona State hit four straight shots and 7 of 8 and outscored the Cougars, who missed their first eight shots, 21-9 in the third quarter. Ryan, who went 3 for 3 from distance, had two 3s and Ibis two jumpers as Arizona State scored the first 10 points of the second half. After two free throws by WSU, the Sun Devils scored seven straight and led 44-30. Alexys Swedlund scored the Cougars’ first basket at the 3:11 mark.

ASU wrapped it up by outscoring WSU 11-2 to open the fourth quarter.

Borislava Hristova scored 11 points for the Cougars (7-16, 2-10), who have lost seven straight. Arizona State shot 64 percent, WSU 17 percent in the second half.

Arizona 69, Washington 59: Aarion McDonald scored nine of her 24 points in the fourth quarter and the Wildcats pulled away late to beat the Huskies in Seattle.

Upset-minded Washington hung with Arizona (15-7, 5-6 Pac-12) for three quarters. Hannah Johnson buried a 3-pointer to pull the Huskies even at 44 with 55 seconds remaining in the third quarter before McDonald answered with a jumper for a 46-44 lead heading to the final period.

But the Huskies (8-16, 1-11) went cold, making just 3 of 13 shots while sending Arizona to the foul line. McDonald was the main beneficiary, sinking 7 of 10 foul shots to help the Wildcats pull away. Amber Melgoza scored in the paint and Hannah Johnson added two free throws to give Washington a 51-48 lead with 6:35 left to play, but Lucia Alonso hit a 3, Sam Thomas scored down low and McDonald added two free throws in a 7-0 run and Arizona never trailed again.

Thomas finished with 15 points and Dominique McBryde scored 10. McDonald added seven rebounds and four assists. Melgoza topped the Huskies with 24 points, while Darcy Rees scored 13.