Vandal Queens Take on Eastern Washington Warriors

MOSCOW, Idaho – The Vandals are set to play again in their third of four back-to-back home games, entering a Saturday contest against Eastern Washington on a three-game winning streak. This season, the Vandals hold an 11-4 record, while the Eagles are 6-10 following a challenging non-conference slate. 

ABOUT IDAHO

Idaho overcame an off night to secure a 60-56 victory over Portland State, marking their third win in a row. Three Vandals average double digits in scoring, with Hope Hassmann leading at 12.5 PPG. Moreover, Jennifer Aadland stands out as one of the country’s premier rebounders with 10.7 rpg, including consecutive double-doubles. First-year head coach Arthur Moriera concluded non-conference play with eight victories, the second-highest total for any first-year coach in the mid-major realm, and has begun Big Sky play with a 3-1 record. The Vandals rank 22nd in DI in scoring defense and 8th in rebounds per game.

ABOUT EASTERN WASHINGTON

The Eagles encountered a challenging non-conference schedule but have opened Big Sky play with a 2-2 record, including two wins in succession. Peyton Howard leads EWU with an average of 14.38 PPG. Head coach Joddie Gleason is in her fourth year at EWU, holding a record of 63-48 in Cheney.

GRADUATE TRANSFERS

Three Vandals; Olivia Nelson, Rosie Schweizer, and Jennifer Aadland contribute vast experience for Idaho. Nelson has played as a starter in all her games during her four-year tenure at Central Missouri (117). Jennifer Aadland made 98 starts across 99 career appearances for Augustana (S.D.) The duo faced each other early last season, with Central Missouri emerging victorious. Aadland netted 16 points, while Nelson recorded a personal best of 29. 

Schweizer commenced the season with 93 games of experience, having made six starts for the West Coast Conference team Pacific.

ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM TRANSFERS

Kelbie Washington and Hope Hassmann both received All-Freshman Team accolades with their respective squads. Last season, Hassmann played and started in all 31 games for Fullerton, accumulating 302 points and providing 87 assists. 

Washington was recognized as an All-Big 12 player at Oklahoma and garnered National Freshman of the Week honors, having missed the last two seasons due to illness. 

INTERNATIONAL IMPACT

This year’s roster features five international players, including two hailing from Brazil, the homeland of head coach Arthur Moreira, and one from Portugal, sharing the Portuguese language with Brazil. 

Vitória Carvalho and Ana Beatriz Passos are from Brazil. Ana Pinheiro comes from Portugal. Anja Bukvic is from Belgrade, Serbia, and Rosie Schweizer is from Australia. 

ICCU ARENA

The Vandals are entering their fourth season at the remarkable ICCU Arena in Moscow. The $51 million facility accommodates just over 4,200 spectators and is equipped with the latest advancements for fan and student-athlete engagement. Historically, the Vandals have a 23-20 record in the Arena. Their Dec. 7 match against St. Thomas took place in Memorial Gym due to winter commencement. 

DEFENSIVE DOMINATION

The Vandals are positioned 12th in the NCAA for field goal percentage defense, limiting opponents to 34.3 percent from the field. They rank sixth in defensive rebounds, 22nd in scoring defense, and 67th in scoring margin. During Idaho’s seven-game winning streak, they restricted each opponent to 56 points or fewer. Only three opponents have hit the 60-point milestone this season. 

COACHING STAFF

First-Year Head Coach Arthur Moreira assembled a coaching staff comprising former colleagues, rivals, and reliable recruiters. 

His initial move was to retain and elevate Drew Muscatell. Muscatell was advanced to Associate Head Coach during the offseason and begins his seventh season with the Vandals, having worked under three different head coaches. 

Moreira brought on board former Montana Assistant Coach Lindsey Foster. Foster served one season at Montana and was previously the head coach at DII Academy of Art in San Francisco. 

Derek Saich was the Director of Operations and Assistant Coach at Moreira’s prior institution, San Francisco. The duo collaborated for two seasons at USF. 

The final assistant is Denise Rosario, a seasoned junior college mentor from South Plains Junior College in Texas, boasting extensive international recruiting connections, originating from Minas Gerais, Brazil. 

NET HISTORY

The Idaho women’s squad attained the highest net ranking in program history earlier this season, breaking into the top 80 for the first time ever, reaching as high as 78th. Currently, they are positioned at 116, despite winning three consecutive games. 

In the 2020-21 season, daily NET rankings for Division I women’s basketball were introduced. That season, the Vandals achieved their highest ranking of 126 on 3/11/21, finishing with an overall position of 133, improving by 86 spots from their initial ranking of 219.

In both 2021-22 and 2022-23, Idaho faced challenges in the rankings, failing to surpass the 200 mark. Their highest position in 2021-22 was 202 (2/5/22), while in 2022-23, it was 205 (3/5/23). 

For the 2023-24 season, Idaho started with its highest ranking at 167 and continued to ascend. As of 1/10/24, the Vandals sat at 125, setting a new program record.

REBOUND LEADERS

After competing against a couple of challenging, high-level power-five teams, one might expect Idaho to be outmatched on the boards, but the Vandals have out-rebounded 11 of their 12 competitors thus far this season, including a 52-36 lead against Washington State. The Vandals are first in the Big Sky for rebounding margin and rank seventh nationwide for defensive rebounds. Jennifer Aadland has spearheaded these efforts, averaging 10.7 rebounds per game, notably recording 18 rebounds against Washington State and Sacramento State.

 

PRESEASON BIG SKY POLLS

The Vandals were forecasted to finish eighth in the Big Sky Coaches Poll and seventh in the Big Sky Media Poll. No Idaho player was selected for the Big Sky Preseason All-Conference Team. Northern Arizona was chosen to win the league in both polls. 

Last season, Idaho was projected in the same spot and ultimately finished sixth in the conference. 

BIG SKY-SUMMIT CHALLENGE

Idaho triumphed over St. Thomas 76-54 as part of the Big Sky/Summit League Challenge. Both the Idaho men’s and women’s teams participated in the challenge, with each securing victories. 

NEWCOMER IMPACT 

All five starters this season are newcomers to the team. Out of Idaho’s 1003 points this season, 944 have originated from players who were not on the roster the previous year. Rosie Schweizer, Olivia Nelson, and Hope Hassman have all recorded multiple 20+ point games.

AADLAND ON THE BOARDS

Jennifer Aadland ranks 5th nationally in defensive rebounds and 12th in rebounds per game. She recorded a career-high of 18 rebounds against WSU and Sacramento State and has achieved double figures in rebounds in 12 of 15 games.

MORIERA AMONG FIRST-YEAR COACHES

Head coach Arthur Moriera has guided the Vandals to eight non-conference victories in his inaugural season. This marks the highest non-conference win total for the Vandals since 2015-16. Additionally, it represents the second-highest number of non-conference wins among mid-major first-year coaches, surpassed only by Air Force’s Stacy McIntyre, who ended non-conference play with 10 victories.