OGDEN, Utah – Sophomore forward Ashleigh Vella earned her first Big Sky Player of the Week honors for games played the week of December 6-12 by the conference offices. The award is Idaho State's third of the season as Chelsea Pickering and Kaela Oakes have been named previously.
Vella, a native of Melbourne, Australia, led the Bengals with a career-high 31 points and a game-high 11 rebounds in Idaho State's 71-68 overtime victory over Utah. Her effort ended Utah's 27-game win streak and helped Idaho State capture its first program victory over the Utes.
“What Ash really did for us in Utah was provide scoring for us in the low post. We were able to get her the ball and she made some great moves down there. She had a breakout game; she was very confident and rebounded the ball well,” said Head Coach Seton Sobolewski.
The 6-1 forward had an outstanding offensive night hitting 12-of-18 (66.7 percent) from the field, 2-of-3 (66.7 percent) from the arc and 5-of-5 (100 percent) from the line. She also pulled down 11 rebounds for Idaho State's first double-figure rebound performance of the season.
In the final seconds of the second half, Vella hit a turn-around jumper to tie the score at 63-63 to push the contest into overtime. In the extra period, she knocked down a three-pointer to give ISU a 70-68 lead with 53 seconds remaining. Vella was perfect offensively hitting 3-of-3 from the field and 1-of-1 from the arc scoring seven of ISU's eight points in overtime. She also pulled down two rebounds in overtime.
On Saturday against Utah State, Vella scored 10 points hitting 4-of-11 (36.3 percent) from the field and 2-of-2 (100 percent) from the line. She also pulled down two rebounds, made two assists and had two steals. Vella helped the Bengals extend their win-streak to four games where they now lead the Big Sky Conference with a 7-4 non-conference record.
The last time Idaho State had three different players earn conference player of the week awards was during the 2000-01 season when the Bengals finished the season with a 25-5 overall record and an undefeated 16-0 Big Sky record. During the 2000-01 season, Mandi Carver earned the award three times, Ashley Toner earned the award twice and Sarah Nelson was named once.
--www.isubengals.com--
