Unblemished

When you lead the Big Sky Conference in scoring and only 31 points separate you from breaking your school’s all-time points record, opposing teams are going to prepare for you.

That is the case for senior forward Kelsey Kahle, who routinely sees extra attention from the defense when she is on the floor. The Vikings matchup against Idaho State on Saturday was no exception, with Kahle getting smothered early in every time she touched the ball.

Luckily, she has teammates she can depend on.

“People double down on Kelsey,” said head coach Sherri Murrell. “It opens up players like Kelli [Valentine], and she can be a deadly weapon from the outside.”

Valentine, a sophomore forward, went three of three from beyond the three-point arc and 10 of 15 overall, dropping a season-high 23 points to help the Vikings defeat the Bengals, 70-61.

The victory extended the team’s winning streak to four and kept their conference record unblemished at 4-0 for the second time in as many years.

Freshman guard Eryn Jones also got in the mix, building on her recent solid play with a 13-point, four-assist, two-steal performance.

Since transitioning to starting backcourt alongside junior Claire Faucher, Jones has consistently given one strong performance after another, earning the nickname of “calm and steady” from her coaches and teammates.

“From watching [Eryn] in high school, I knew she was going to be incredible,” Murrell said. “It was only a matter of time before she broke out.”

Faucher suffered from a cold shooting night, going only 1-9 from the floor for three points. But the veteran team leader remained comfortable with the ball, controlling the pace of the offense and doling out a game-high seven assists.

With Valentine and others nailing their open looks, the Idaho State defense was forced to make adjustments, loosening up on Kahle enough for the senior forward to do some damage of her own.

The perennial all-conference honoree dished out four assists, grabbed seven rebounds and scored 16 points as she took a few steps closer to breaking the school’s all-time scoring record of 1,801 points, set by Laurie Northrup (1988–92).

On Saturday, Murrell called Kahle to let her know that there would most likely be a heavy amount of press around her in the coming week. Kahle, curled up with an Edgar Allen Poe collection, had a one-word, telltale response.

“She just said, ‘Why?’ I had to remind her of the record. She’s not a person who likes that sort of attention, but she knows that [the record] is a reflection of the overall success of the team,” Murrell said.

Though the team has vaulted out to their second 4-0 conference start in two seasons, they know they must continue to work hard and stay hungry, with their eyes fixed on the ultimate prize.

“Going to the [NCAA] tournament is all we’re after. That’s the goal,” Murrell said. “I tell them every game that they have to go through this team to get to the tournament.”

The Vikings continue their quest on Wednesday, when they play their final nonconference matchup against the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos.