Dec. 2, 2005
Box Score
Pocatello, ID--Natalie Doma scored a season-high 23 points with 11 rebounds for her first double-double of the season and Jeni Boesel added 16 points as Idaho State defeated border-rival Utah State 96-73 Friday night at Reed Gym. The win evens ISU's record at 3-3, while Utah State remains winless at 0-4.
"We did a lot of good things tonight," said ISU head coach Jon Newlee. "Our team continues to get better with every game we play. A lot of our players are getting more and more comfortable with the offense."
Tied 24-24 with seven minutes remaining in the first half, Idaho State went on a 19-4 run to take a 43-28 lead. ISU extended its lead by as many as 24 points in the second half, and never let Utah State get within 19 points to secure the victory.
Idaho State, which threw up 29 three-point field goals against Saint Martin's in their previous game, didn't take a shot from beyond the arc until Boesel connected on a three at the 9:28 mark. The Bengals connected on 8-of-14 shots from thee-point range in the game.
"We wanted to try and get buckets close to the basket," Newlee said. "Our 37 free throws shows me that we did a good job of doing that. Once we proved ourselves in the post, our outside shooting began to flow."
Doma netted her 23 points on 8-of-20 shots, including a perfect 6-of-6 from the charity stripe. The sophomore center also collected 11 rebounds and two steals.
Boesel continued her sharp shooting from outside, connecting on 4-of-9 shots from the field, including a perfect 2-of-2 from three and 6-of-6 from the free throw line. Dating back to the St. Martin's game, Boesel has now connected on a perfect 6-of-6 threes and 9-of-9 free throws.
Joanna Hixon helped ISU with a career-high 15 points with six rebounds. Hixon was 3-of-7 from the field and 9-of-11 from the free throw line. Chelsey Chambers was also in double-figures with 14 points as was Jenna Brown, who came of the bench to score 12.
As a team, Idaho State shot 45.8 percent from the field. The Bengals also shot a season-high 57.1 (8-of-14) from beyond the arc and a season high 91.9 percent (34-of-37) from the free throw line.
Idaho State out-rebouned the Aggies 40-21. The Bengals forced Utah State into 19 turnovers, and converted on those turnovers for 26 points.
"We were a lot more feisty tonight," Newlee said. "We are really going after the ball and fighting for it. That kind of effort is turning into a much higher rebound total for us."
Ali Marchant led Utah State with a 23-point, nine-rebound effort. Utah State shot an impressive 53.7 percent from the field on the game.
The Bengals now head south to Cedar City, Utah where the team will take on Southern Utah on Dec. 6. Tip-off is set for 7:05 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on 91.1 FM KISU radio. The broadcast is also available on the Idaho State athletics website (www.isubengals.com).
