The Sacramento State women’s basketball team lost their first game of the season to the University of Idaho 97-73.

The Vandals took a lead early in the game but the Hornets came back taking a slim lead during the midpoint of the first quarter thanks to three 3-pointers in a row.

The lead was quickly diminished by Vandals free throws and layups ending the first quarter 28-18, after which the Hornets were unable to recover.

During the first quarter the Hornets committed six personal fouls to the Vandals’ one. This allowed the Vandals nine free throw attempts, of which they made six.

The second quarter started with a back and forth between the two teams. The Hornets struggled to make shots until Tiana Johnson hit a 3-pointer three minutes in.

The Hornets narrowed the gap at one point in the second quarter to eight points, 39-31.

This back and forth continued until the end of the first half, with the Vandals holding a comfortable lead, 47-35.

Going into halftime, the Hornets had shot 31% from the field compared to the Vandals 43%. Johnson, a redshirt junior, led in scoring at the break with nine points.

The Hornets fought back in the third quarter, cutting the Vandals lead to eight points but that’s as close as they would get.

The Hornets had 3-point shots in their game plan, taking 12 attempts from beyond the arch but ultimately only making 33% of those shots. The Hornets found themselves down 20 points at the end of the third quarter. 

The Hornets’ junior guard Emily Enochs led the game with 18 points in the game, going six for 10 from the field and shooting 50% from three.

During the fourth quarter, the Hornets struggled on the offensive end of the court, only managing 16 combined attempts to the Vandals’ 29 attempts, and trailing by as much as 32 points.

The Vandals’ lead proved to be too substantial, ending the game with a staggering 97-73 loss for the Hornets.

Junior guard Summer Menke and junior point guard Milee Enger grabbed the most rebounds for the Hornets with 11 and 9 respectively, and Menke added two steals.

The Vandals dominated the boards, out rebounding the Hornets 60-43.

The Hornets will have another shot at the Vandals tomorrow night at 7 p.m.