Area women’s basketball: Sacramento State builds huge early lead, dispatches Idaho

Hannah Friend led four players in double figures with 29 points Thursday and Sacramento State (3-10, 1-1) broke a four-game losing streak by defeating Idaho 79-64 in Big Sky Conference women’s basketball play in Sacramento, California.

Friend finished 12 for 21 from the floor, including 3 for 10 on 3-pointers. The Hornets shot 51 percent from the field, with a 9-for-20 effort from long range.

Mikayla Ferenz kept the Vandals (5-9, 1-2) in contention with a game-high 33 points. Ferenz finished 13 of 27 from the floor, including 5 of 16 on 3-pointers, and added a team-best six rebounds.

The rest of the Vandals shot 6 for 23 from long range. Taylor Pierce, who scored 13 points, finished 4 of 16 on 3-pointers.

The Hornets’ Kennedy Nicholas scored 12 points and had a game-high 11 rebounds.

Sacramento State jumped to a 22-3 lead, including two 3-pointers by Friend.

The Hornets led by as many as 26 points in the second quarter. Idaho cut the deficit to 12 late in the third quarter before Friend hit her final 3-pointer.

Ferenz and Pierce hit 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to cut the Hornets’ lead to eight, but Sacramento State followed with an 11-1 run.

Portland State 75, Eastern Washington 60: Sidney Rielly scored 19 points, hitting 9 of 16 from the floor, as the Vikings (8-5, 2-0) defeated the Eagles (6-9, 1-2) to improve to 5-0 at home and run their winning streak to five.

PSU’s Ashley Bolston added 15 points and joined Rielly and Pia Jurhar with a game-high eight rebounds.

Violet Kapri Morrow guided the Eagles with 25 points, shooting 4 of 10 on 3-pointers and 9 for 12 from the free-throw line. Delaney Hodgins added 16 points and six rebounds.

Morrow’s 3-pointer with 1:45 left in the first quarter gave EWU its final lead at 14-13. The Vikings closed the quarter with a 5-0 run.

Portland State took control with an 11-0 second-quarter run for a 31-16 advantage.

Eastern closed the deficit to eight early in the third quarter, but the Vikings led by double figures the rest of the way.