NAMPA, Idaho – Two local rivals played for the first time since February 3, 2021 when the College of Idaho women's basketball team faced Northwest Nazarene University on Friday night. The host Nighthawks were able to pull away with a 70-54 win in the matchup. For NNU, the contest was an exhibition game, whereas for the Yotes it counts towards the regular season. As a result, College of Idaho falls to 0-4 on the season.
College of Idaho was led by a career-high 24 points from
Mia Austin, who hit four 3-pointers in the loss. She was joined in double figures by
Brooke Beresford, who added 10 to go along with a team-high seven rebounds.
NNU had balanced scoring in the win with four players – Madeline Gebers (14), Hilary James (13), Kendall Clark (13) and Kate Clark (12). Beaux Brugeman added six points and a game-high nine rebounds for the Nighthawks.
A
Jada Reed 3-pointer put the host Yotes ahead to start the contest. The two teams would go back and forth as they were tied at three, five, eight and 10 before a 3-pointer by Siona Sauvao sparked a 10-2 run that put the Nighthawks ahead front for the rest of the contest. College of Idaho managed to cut the deficit to two, 20-18 with 8:51 left in the second quarter as they scored the first four points of the quarter.
In the second quarter, College of Idaho shot 50% from the field as Austin and Beresford each scored seven points for the Yotes. Beaux Brugeman and Kate Clark each scored six and the Nighthawks shot 47.4% from the field. With a 43-33 lead at half, the lead remained at double digits for the rest of the contest.
The stretch of three games in five days will conclude when College of Idaho will face Boise State on Monday at 6:30 p.m. at the Extra Mile Arena.
