Jan. 14, 2006
Box Score
Flagstaff, AZ--Joanna Hixon recorded her second double-double of the season with 18 points and 10 rebounds and Andrea Lightfoot added 18 points, but it wasn't enough as Idaho State dropped a 74-64 decision to Northern Arizona Saturday night at the Walkup Skydome.
The loss drops the Bengals to 7-9 overall, 1-1 in Big Sky play. Northern Arizona improves to 15-5 overall, 2-0 in league play.
"It's not fun to lose, but I'm happy with how we played," Newlee said. "We controlled a lot of the game and we dominated the first half. NAU is the top-ranked team in the league, and to come on the road and play this well against them is a good thing. I'm happy with coming out of this road trip with a split."
Idaho State controlled most the first half, taking a five point lead, 24-19, with 6:52 left in the half. NAU then went on an 8-0 run, which included a pair of threes from Kandis Brown to take a 38-31 lead into the break.
"We just broke down mentally in the final minute of the first half," Newlee said. "The last minute carried over into the second and we just couldn't catch up. We gave up too many offensive boards and we didn't shoot well from the free throw line, and those two things were the keys to the game."
NAU then never relinquished its lead in the second half to secure the win. After trailing by as many as 13 points, Idaho State battled back to cut the lead to just two points, 55-53, with 7:09 left to play. Northern Arizona then scored 10 unanswered points to take back control of the game.
Hixon collected her 18 points on 8-of-13 shots from the field in 32 minutes. The junior forward collected 10 boards, six offensive. Hixon has now tallied 10 or more rebounds in five games this season.
Lightfoot recorded 13 of her 18 points in the second half. Lightfoot, the Big Sky's leading scorer, connected on 6-of-14 shots from the field, and was 2-of-3 from long range. She also notched five rebounds, three assists, and three steals.
ISU, which averages 8.4 three-point field goals a game, was held to just 4-of-16 shooting from beyond the arc. NAU, which averages just 3.1 threes a game, connected on a season-high 10 shots from the perimeter.
The Bengals shot 39.1 percent from the field, 25 percent from the arc, and 55.6 percent from the charity stripe. NAU shot 45 percent from the field.
Idaho State, which relies so much on its outside shooting, outscored NAU 38-24 in the paint. Northern Arizona won the battled of the boards 41-39.
ISU will continue conference play at home on Thursday against Eastern Washington. Tip-off is set for 7:05 p.m.
