Career Games Spark Vandals Past Fullerton

Kelli Johnson tied her career high with 26 points and Jennifer Stone scored a career-best 19 to lead Idaho’s 86-77 women’s Big West Conference basketball win over Cal State Fullerton Friday in Memorial Gym before 830.

Fullerton (5-9, 2-1 Big West) cut Idaho’s lead to 67-63 on a Justine McMahan 3-pointer with 6:30 remaining. However, the Vandals (6-10, 2-1) retaliated with an 8-0 run, highlighted by a Johnson 3-pointer and four free throws to give them a 75-63 lead with 5:20 left.

The Titans could get no closer than seven points the rest of the way.

“We played a lot better in the second half and didn’t get outhustled,” Idaho coach Julie Holt said. “There were times in the first half I thought we were outhustled.”

Johnson hit 8 of 17 from the field, 3 of 7 from 3-point range and 7 of 8 from the line as well as collecting five steals. Stone scored 13 of her points in the first half and finished the game 9 of 11 from the field.

Susan Woolf and Kathryn Gussett, who each had five assists, also scored in double-figures. Woolf, a 5-foot-5 sophomore point guard, had 15 points. Gussett added 12.

The Titans held Idaho’s leading scorer, Alli Nieman, to eight points, which snapped her streak of six straight games scoring in double digits. Nieman was in foul trouble most of the game, picking up her third foul with a little more than 8 minutes to play before halftime.

Erin Whiteside, who hit her first nine field goals, led the Titans with 26 points and 11 rebounds. She shot 10 of 12 from the field and 7 of 8 from the line.

Andrea Thieme added 18 points.

Idaho 86, Cal State 77

Cal State (5-9, 2-1) - Cleveland 3-8 2-2 9, McMahan 3-4 1-1 9, Whiteside 10-12 0-0 26, Thieme 6-15 0-1 18, Sigg 3-9 0-0 8, Castro 0-0 0-0 0, Shaw 2-2 1-3 5, Anderson 1-3 0-0 2. Totals 28-53 19-27 77.

Idaho (6-10, 2-1) - Gussett 3-4 6-12 12, Nieman 4-9 0-0 8, Stone 9-11 1-3 19, Johnson 8-17 7-8 26, Woolf 4-11 6-8 15, Newman 1-2 0-0 2, McDaniel 2-5 0-0 4, Purcell 0-0 0-0 0, Rico 0-1 0-0 0, Bloom 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 31-62 20-31 86.

Halftime - Cal State 42, Idaho 48. 3-point goals - Cal State 2-5 (Cleveland 1-3, McMahan 1-1), Idaho 4-14 (Johnson 3-7, Woolf 1-6). Fouled out - McMahan, Thieme, Nieman. Rebounds - Cal State 41 (Whiteside 11), Idaho 26(Nieman, McDaniel 5). Assists - Cal State 10 (Sigg 5), Idaho 14 (Gussett, Woolf 5). Total fouls - Cal State 24, Idaho 23. Technicals - None. A - 830.

, DataTimes