Jan. 31, 2004
Stats
Pocatello, ID--Heidi Gifford came off the bench to score a team-high 17 points with 11 rebounds for her second double-double of the season and Annie Anderson added 16 points and 11 rebounds for her second consecutive double-double of the as Idaho State won its fifth straight, defeating Portland State 77-67 Saturday afternoon in Reed Gymnasium.
The win improves ISU's record to 13-5 overall, 5-1 in Big Sky play. Portland State falls to 3-16 overall, 0-5 in league play.
Molly Hays helped the Bengals with 16 points, 13 of which she scored in the first half. She also tallied six rebounds, four steals, two blocks and two assists in the effort. Christa Brossman also reached double figures for the Bengals, scoring 10 points. ISU had four players reach double-figure scoring for the ninth time this season.
After taking a commanding 44-28 lead into halftime, the Vikings battled back in the second half, getting to within three points at the 10 minute mark. ISU then went on a 9-3 run to extend its lead up to nine, but Portland State got to within five with 3:16 remaining, but couldn't get any closer as the Bengals went on a 9-2 run to extend its lead to 12 with under a minute to play.
"Hey, it wasn't pretty, but any win in a conference game is big," said head coach Joe Newlee. "It doesn't matter how ugly or beautiful it is, a win is a win and we will take it."
Portland State's Sarah Hedgepeth scored a game-high 18 points with 13 rebounds. Heidi Stuart added 14 points in the Viking effort.
As a team, ISU shot 42 percent from the field, 27 percent from beyond the arc, and 61 percent from the free throw line. The Bengals won the battle of the boards 49-30 and outscored Portland State 63-24 in the paint.
"Our post players had a great first half," Newlee said. "I thought our perimeter players did a great job of getting the ball inside. We didn't do that as much in the second half, but still rebounded the ball well."
The Bengals play just one game next week, staying at home to host Weber State on Saturday at 7:05 p.m.
"We need to stay focused now," Newlee said. "Having most of the week off when you are on a roll can hurt, but we will have some hard practices and start preparing for Weber on Saturday. We will be ready for them."
