Weber State basketball: Idaho humbles WSU women in senior-day battle for 3rd place
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- Weber State guard Kennedy Eskelson, center, probes the paint against Idaho’s Ana Beatriz Passos Alves da Silva (23) on Saturday, March 1, 2025, at the Dee Events Center in Ogden.
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- Weber State guard Kendra Parra, right, tries to drive against an Idaho defender on Saturday, March 1, 2025, at the Dee Events Center in Ogden.
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- Weber State forward Antoniette Emma-Nnopu (7) attempts a shot against the defense of Idaho’s Rosie Schwiezer (8) on Saturday, March 1, 2025, at the Dee Events Center in Ogden.
OGDEN — In a marked one-year rise after six straight seasons finishing no better than ninth place, Weber State women’s basketball hosted Idaho in a game to break a tie for third place Saturday afternoon at the Dee Events Center.
The Vandals were the aggressors on both ends to start, spinning Weber’s defense into open 3-pointers and stifling the Wildcats on the other end, building a 15-point halftime lead on the way to a 73-58 win.
“They played well. Their pace is really good,” second-year WSU head coach Jenteal Jackson said. “If you’re not down, ready to defend, locked in every single second they’re going to expose you.”
That locks Idaho (18-10, 10-7) into third place. Weber State (12-15, 9-8) is one game ahead of Idaho State and Montana for fourth place and is locked into the 4-versus-5 tournament game (WSU cannot fall below Idaho State with a season sweep over the Bengals in its pocket).
Idaho made seven of its nine 3-pointers in the first half (WSU totaled five 3s for the game) and also outscored Weber 38-28 in the paint. Many 3-pointers came on open looks from perimeter screen and switch actions. Hope Hassman led the Vandals with 21 points and seven assists.
“I thought we did some things we don’t normally do,” Jackson said. “We overstepped toward the ball so it allowed that pop to be open instead of us being in that gap and being able to recover air time on the catch.”
Rose Bubakar led Weber with 12 points and seven rebounds. Taylor Smith returned from concussion protocol and totaled 11 points, eight rebounds, four assists and three blocks. Lanae Billy scored 11 points on 3-of-6 shooting from distance, and Antoniette Emma-Nnopu added 10 points. Kendra Parra had seven points and five assists.
The Wildcats hope they learn lessons from the big loss and take them into one road game Monday at Northern Colorado and into the Big Sky Tournament.
“We just have to do better communicating and following the game plan,” senior guard Kennedy Eskelson said. “We just need to lock in and be ready for the next game.”
Jackson said the loss can be motivating.
“Another great opportunity for us to change and to be better … I think this group’s done a really good job of that,” Jackson said. “Let’s learn from these experiences and you know, if this allows us to win a game we wouldn’t have won in the tournament then great. Let’s allow it to do that.”
FOUR SENIORS RECOGNIZED
The Wildcats recognized four seniors before Saturday’s game.
One was Eskelson, a native of Smithfield, Utah, who came to Weber State for Jackson’s first teams after three years at the College of Southern Idaho.
“I’m really glad to be a part of it and play for Jax, it’s been really fun,” Eskelson said. “It’s fun to be at home, see family and friends that can come to the games. It’s awesome.”
Jackson said her seniors were “a huge part of our shift here” and were rewarded for leading the program, especially after losing two players to season-ending injuries and one more who left the team.
ROSE BUBAKAR: A native of Maryland, Bubakar finished her career this season at WSU after transferring from BYU. The 6-footer has averaged career-highs with 8.8 points and 4.2 rebounds per game.
Her single-game highs this season are two 18-point games and one 10-rebound performance.
Jackson: “She’s a dynamic player. She definitely had a ton of offers going into the portal … coming here was nice to be able to elevate us in that three-spot. She can defend, she can score.”
KENNEDY ESKELSON: Eskelson has averaged 3.7 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists this season, which included 19 starts. Her single-game highs are 12 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.
Jackson: “She’s a tough kid, hard-nosed defender, hard-nosed competitor … you know what you’re going to get every single night, how she’s going to show up to practice … never somebody who steps on and gives 95% effort, even. It’s always max effort.”
KENDRA PARRA: Parra played two years at WSU after transferring from Metro State-Denver and soared this season even after moving to a less-natural point guard spot. She’s averaged 12.4 points and 3.7 assists this season and shot 34.8% from the 3-point line. She’s also 14th nationally at 89.4% from the foul line.
She totaled a career-high 30 points in a January win over Sacramento State and has two 10-assist performances in the last three games. Against Big Sky opponents, Parra has averaged 14.4 points, 4.9 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game
Jackson: “Kendra’s had a big year in ways people probably didn’t expect. She’s savvy scorer, someone who is just crafty. Not the fastest kid on the court ever, but she is really good at getting defenses in the wrong positions.”
RITA SATINI: After three seasons at Southern Utah, Satini played one under Jackson at Westminster College. She followed Jackson to Weber State and sat out the 2023-24 season, got her chance to be WSU’s point guard, then suffered a season-ending knee injury in the seventh game.
Her single-game WSU highs were 11 points, five assists and five steals. She could likely get a season of eligibility back through a medical hardship waiver but, after six years in college and wrapping up a master’s degree this semester, Jackson said Satini will call it a career.
Jackson: “I think everyone got a glimpse of what she’s capable of and what she was starting to do … she was really starting to get in a nice groove and the team felt that, saw that every day in practice. It was a tough loss to have her go down, for sure. I think she would’ve given the Big Sky some fits … grateful for Rita in following me here.”
