UI’s Rice Shows Heart, Pumps In 27

College women

Idaho’s Mindy Rice needed the heart of a lion Thursday night, simply because she’s had a thorn stuck in her left foot for sometime now.

Suffering from plantar fascitis, a strain of the band of muscle beneath the arch, Rice pumped in 27 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead a second-half Vandals rally as Idaho beat Eastern Washington 72-61 in Big Sky Conference action in Memorial Gym at Moscow, Idaho.

“I’ve had it since the summer,” said Rice, who scored 20 points in the second half. “But it’s only been within the past month that it has really started to hurt. Lately though, I’ve just been getting used to it.”

More common among track and cross country athletes, the only cure for plantar fascitis is rest. The worst cases have been known to sideline athletes anywhere from eight months to a year.

“Mindy just sucks it up,” Idaho coach Julie Holt said. “She’s got some guts in her most people don’t know about.”

Trailing 41-30 early in the second half, Idaho increased its defensive pressure and got hot from the floor and ran away from EWU.

Rice tied the game at 44-44 with her second 3-pointer of the year, teammate Jennifer Stone followed with a basket, and Idaho led for the rest of the game.

Rice’s spirited effort, and hot hand, rapidly became infectious. Stone played one of her best games of the year and finished with 11 points, and Jill Ortner hit circus shot after circus shot in the stretch run to help the Vandals pull away.

“Jo-Jo (Ortner) was tough tonight,” Holt said. “She just played her little heart out.”

Eastern’s 64 percent shooting in the first half dissipated in the second. The Eagles shot just 35 percent after the intermission.

And with EWU’s Kristy Missall, Jennifer Sutter and Kelly Bartleson all getting their fourth personal fouls before the halfway point of the second half, the Eagles’ end was quickly in sight.

Before eventually fouling out, Missall put in 20 points on 10-for-14 shooting from the floor.

Idaho’s win was all the more impressive given the fact that the Vandals played without reserve center Natalie Hawks, who strained ligaments in her knee.

Hawks is questionable for duty in tonight’s home non-conference game against Southern Utah. Rice will be given the night off.

Eastern will host Southern Utah Saturday night at 7.

Idaho 72, EWU 61

Eastern Washington (4-10, 2-1) - Bartleson 4-8 0-0 8, Watterson 1-4 0-0 2, Sutter 1-3 0-0 2, Smith 4-10 1-2 11, Missall 10-14 0-1 20, Ray 3-9 0-2 7, King 2-6 2-2 7, Sloan 2-2 0-0 4. Totals 27-56 3-7 61.

Idaho (5-9, 2-1) - Johnson 2-6 4-5 9, Skorpik 0-2 0-1 0, McDaniel 3-7 7-8 13, Rice 9-13 8-9 27, Greenwood 4-5 0-1 8, Stone 3-7 5-8 11, Ortner 2-6 0-0 4, Morris 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 23-46 24-32 72.

Halftime: Eastern Washington 37, Idaho 27. 3-point goals: EWU 4-16 (Smith 2-6); Idaho 2-10 (Johnson 1-4, Rice 1-2). Rebounds: EWU 29 (King, Missall 5); Idaho 32 (Rice 10). Assists: EWU 18 ( Sutter 7); Idaho 12 (Ortner 5). Fouled out: Bartleson, Missall. A: 614.

San Diego 78, Gonzaga 55

Michelle Brovelli scored five of her 21 points during a 10-0 first-half spurt and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead the Toreros (9-6, 3-0 WCC) over the Bulldogs (3-12, 1-2).

Joy Pauley led all scorers with 25 for Gonzaga, which committed 21 turnovers and shot only 8-for-24 in the first half.

Nailah Thompson and Laura King scored 14 apiece for San Digeo, which won its eighth straight game.

Chelsea Herman added 12 for the Bulldogs.

Gonzaga (3-12, 1-2) - Ledgerwood 1-5 0-2 2, Phillips 2-4 0-0 4, Andrews 1-5 0-2 2, Pauley 10-17 2-2 25, Gere 2-3 1-2 5, McCliment 0-1 0-0 0, McCullough 2-3 1-2 5, Sherfey 1-4 1-1 3, Herman 5-9 2-2 12, Steward 0-0 0-0 0.Team 23-52 6-11 55.

San Diego (9-6, 3-0) - Ambrose 5-6 1-2 13, King 4-10 5-6 14, Brovelli 9-13 3-4 21, Andagan 3-4 0-0 6, Thompson 6-17 2-2 14, McGlennan 0-0 0-0 0, Sencion 0-1 0-0 0, Ambrose 2-3 2-2 6, Murray 1-4 0-1 2, Toothman 0-0 0-0 0, Tuhakaraina 1-1 0-0 2, Dixon 0-6 0-0 0. Team 31-65 13-17 78.

Halftime - San Diego 35, Gonzaga 20. 3-point goals - GU 3-13 (Pauley 3-6, Andrews 0-2, Sherfey 0-2, Herman 0-3), USD 3-10 (Ambrose 2-3, King 1-5, Brovelli 0-1, Sencion 0-1). Total fouls - GU 17, USD 18. Fouled out - none. Technical fouls - none. Rebounds - GU 31 (Pauley 6), USD 38 (Brovelli 10). Assists - GU 14 (Gere 5), USD 23 (Thompson, Brovelli, King 4). Att - 436.

, DataTimes