Dec. 20, 2005
Box Score
Pocatello, ID--Andrea Lightfoot scored a game-high 24 points and Natalie Doma added 15 with seven rebounds as Idaho State defeated NAIA foe Montana-Western 90-70 Tuesday evening at Reed Gym.
The Bengals improve to 5-5 on the season. Montana-Western stays at 13-1 overall as the game does not count against its record.
The NAIA fifth-ranked team in the nation held its own against the Bengals, taking an early 13-4 lead. The Bulldogs held their last lead at the 12:31 mark in the first half, leading 19-18 before ISU went on a 10-0 run. The Bengals used the run to take a 44-34 halftime lead.
"They (Montana-Western) are a great team," said ISU head coach Jon Newlee. "They were 13-1 coming into this game and that says a lot about the quality of team they are. They are well-coached and were ready to play. They got up early on us before we got out of man and went into a zone defense. We then started to push the ball and got better shots in transition, which helped us get the lead back."
Leading 56-48 in the second half, Idaho State went on a 13-2 run to extend its lead to 69-50 with 9:05 remaining in the game. Idaho State held on to the lead to take the 20-point victory.
Idaho State, ranked second in the nation in threes per game, connected on 9-of-25 shots from beyond the arc. Lightfoot led the Bengals from outside, recording a 4-of-6 clip, helping her to 12 of her 24 points. The sophomore guard also pulled down five boards, while collecting three assists and three steals.
"Andrea had a nice game," Newlee said. "She shot the ball well. She's the type of player that can take over a game and she showed great leadership tonight."
Doma recorded her 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting. Chelsey Chambers and Jenna Brown each tallied 14 points, while Jeni Boesel added nine. Michelle Grohs gave the Bengals a nice effort off the bench with eight points and seven rebounds.
"Everyone came in and contributed tonight," Newlee said. "We got into a nice flow in this game. It's nice to see everyone get involved."
Helping the Bengals to the win was a perfect 11-of-11 mark from the charity stripe. ISU was impressive from the field, connecting on 50 percent of its shots--the second-best mark of the season for the team.
Former Weber State standout Becky O'Neil paced UMW with 15 points and 11 rebounds. O'Neil also collected six assists in the effort.
Idaho State now takes off for the holiday break before traveling to Wyoming for a Dec. 29 matchup. The game against the Cowgirls will be broadcast live on 91.1 KISU radio. ISU next returns home on Jan. 2 when the team hosts South Dakota State.
