Jan. 20, 2005
Box Score
Cheney, WA--Despite outscoring its opponent 37-24 in the second half, Idaho State fell 65-52 Thursday night to Eastern Washington in Big Sky Conference play in Cheney, Washington. The Bengals now head to Portland to take on Portland State Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m.
With the loss, Idaho State falls to 6-10 overall, 1-2 in Big Sky play. Eastern Washington improves to 10-5 overall, 2-0 in league play.
Idaho State struggled in the first half, connecting on just 6-of-26 shots from field compared to Eastern Washington's 18-of-25 shooting for 73 percent. EWU's hot shooting, coupled with its tenacious defense, sent ISU into half time facing a 41-15 deficit.
"We didn't come out and play with any heart or desire," said ISU head coach Jon Newlee. "We had a lack of focus. It was an unbelievable bad start to the game. We played soft, and if that's our reputation, we lived up to it tonight."
Molly Hays led the Bengals with 16 points on 5-of-12 shooting. Hays also connected on two three-point field goals. Hays also tallied eight rebounds and one steal in the effort. Senior forward Christa Brossman was the only other Bengal in double figures with 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting.
As a team, Idaho State shot 35 percent from the floor. The Bengals connected on 7-of-18 shots from beyond the arc. ISU committed 20 turnovers. Eastern Washington shot 49 percent from the field and 42 percent from beyond the arc.
Joanna Chad led the Eagles with a game-high 19 points, while Felice Moore added 18. Eastern's Ashley Knight scored 10.
"We have to get past this now," Newlee said. "We now face Portland State, which has now turned into an even more important game for us to win. We have to change our attitudes and come out and play basketball Saturday."
Idaho State faces Portland State Saturday at 3:05 p.m. mountain time in Portland. The game will be broadcast live on KISU 91.1 FM radio. The broadcast is also available on the web at www.isubengals.com.
