BOISE, Idaho -- Ana Beatriz Passos Alves da Silva scored 12 points, Ana Pinheiro and Hope Hassmann each added 11, and top-seeded Idaho beat No. 2 seed Montana State 60-57 on Wednesday night to win the Big Sky tournament and clinch a berth in the NCAA tournament for the first time in a decade
Idaho (29-5) won its first regular-season conference title since 2019 and its first Big Sky tournament since 2016. Second-year coach Arthur Moreira -- the first Brazilian head coach in Division I history -- led the Vandals to a program record for single-season wins. Idaho won 28 games in the 1984-85 season.
Debora dos Santos grabbed 10 rebounds to go with nine points for the Vandals.
Taylee Chirrick made a layup, and Ella Johnson hit a 3-pointer -- her only points of the game to cut Montana State's deficit to a point with 54 seconds left, but the Bobcats didn't score again.
Hassmann made 2 of 6 from the free-throw line from there, and Lorena Barbosa blocked a potential tying 3-point shot by Johnson with about a second left.
Chirrick had 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting for the Bobcats (25-7), the 2025 Big Sky Conference tournament champion.
The Bobcats scored seven of the first nine second-half points to tie it 38-all, but dos Santos responded with a layup before Kyra Gardner and Ella Uriarte made 3s as the Vandals led the rest of the way.
Montana State beat the Vandals 99-66 at home Jan. 10 and lost 73-70 at Idaho on Feb. 5.