Dec. 2, 2006
Box Score
Pocatello, ID--Despite a season-high 27 points from Andrea Lightfoot and a career-high 20 points from Michelle Grohs, Idaho State dropped an 89-82 overtime decision to Utah Valley State Saturday afternoon at Reed Gym. The loss drops the Bengals to 0-6 overall this season while Utah Valley improves to 7-1.
Idaho State held an eight point lead with just 54 seconds remaining in regulation, but three Bengal turnovers resulted into eight unanswered Utah Valley points. Devin Diehl then missed a shot from beyond the arc as time expired resulting in an extra period of play.
"The game was in our hands and we gave it away," said ISU head coach Jon Newlee. "With an eight point lead and under a minute to go, we handed the game over to them. Three of our 12 turnovers took place in the last 54 seconds of regulation. It's tough to lose a game like that. Besides the last 54 seconds of regulation, we played well and improved in a lot of areas. We played with a lot more enthusiasm. If we continue to play with that type of enthusiasm for 40 minutes, we'll end up winning a lot of games this year."
The Bengals took a five point lead, 82-77, in overtime with 3:16 remaining, but Utah Valley then put together a 12-0 run to close out the overtime period to secure the victory. The win marks just the second-ever road victory over a Division I opponent for the Wolverines.
Lightfoot scored her game-high 27 points on 7-of-19 shots from the field, including a 5-of-11 clip from beyond the arc. The junior guard also connected on 8-of-8 free throws. Lightfoot added 11 rebounds for her first double-double of the season. Grohs hit the 20-point mark for the first time in her career, hitting on 8-of-13 shots from the field with a pair of shots from long range. The sophomore forward also pulled down 12 rebounds for her first career double-double.
"I thought Andrea (Lightfoot) was back to her old self today," Newlee said. "She wasn't passing up shots and she was confident in the shots she took. Michelle (Grohs) also had a great game and had a very solid effort for us."
Kaylynn Fager came off the bench to score a career-high 14 points on 4-of-9 shooting. Fager also connected on three shots from beyond the arc and dished out a pair of assists. Early foul trouble plagued Natalie Doma, who finished with 11 points and five rebounds in 28 minutes of play. Jeni Boesel helped the Bengal offense, matching a career high with eight assists.
"Our bench play really improved today," Newlee said. "It's really nice to see that kind of effort. (Kaylynn) Fager gave us a nice spark today. I see a lot of positives from this game. Sure, it hurts to lose, but we're getting better. We're learning a lot and it will pay off for us when conference play rolls around. We're a good team and we have some great players. Our goal is to be ready to win the Big Sky and that goal is still in place."
As a team, Idaho State launched a school-record 42 three-point field goals. The Bengals connected on 10 of those attempts for a 23.8 clip. ISU shot 29.7 percent from the field, knocking down 22 of its 74 shots. Utah Valley shot 40.5 percent from the field on 30-of-74 shots, and hit 12 shots from three. Utah Valley outrebounded Idaho State 57-47. ISU committed just 12 turnovers while forcing the Wolverines into 22.
Five different Utah Valley players scored in double figures led by Julie McMurray's 20 points. Robyn Fairbanks and Sandy Marvin helped with 19 points each while Asumi Nakayama added 12.
Idaho State now heads back out on the road next week for a pair of games at the Gene Hackerman Invitational on the campus of Rice University of Houston, Texas. The Bengals will open the Invitational against Kent State on Dec. 8 at 4:30 p.m. ISU next returns home on Dec. 16 to host Montana Tech.
