It was a matchup that possessed all the necessary ingredients for a potential Big Sky playoff preview.
On one side of the court, the Idaho women’s basketball team needed a victory to keep its dreams of a first-round tournament bye alive. On the other, North Dakota hoped to extend a seven-game win streak and stay atop the conference standings.
When the dust finally settled Saturday at the Cowan Spectrum, the Vandals walked away with a 74-61 win to remain in contention for a top seed in the Big Sky tournament next month.
“Those guys are so hard to guard,” Idaho head coach Jon Newlee said.