Feb. 16, 2006
Stats
Portland, OR--Joanna Hixon scored a game-high 20 points with 10 rebounds and Natalie Doma added 16 points with a career-high 21 rebounds as Idaho State defeated Portland State 80-68 Thursday night at the Stott Center. The win moves the Bengals all alone into second place in the Big Sky standings.
With the win, Idaho State ups its record to 13-11 overall, 7-3 in Big Sky play. ISU also improves to 4-2 on the road in conference play--the best road mark in the league. PSU falls to 9-13 overall, 3-6 in the conference.
"It's always nice to win on the road," said ISU head coach Jon Newlee. "Our players play tough on the road. They know how hard it is to come out here and win, and they continue to battle."
Tied at 37 with 15:36 remaining in the game, Idaho State went on a 19-2 run to take 56-41 lead with 10 minutes to go. Portland State cut the Bengal lead to single digits, 74-67 a at the two minute mark, and got as close as six points with a minute left, but six straight Doma points secured the victory for ISU.
Doma, who sat most of the first half with foul trouble, finished with 16 points and 21 rebounds in just 26 minutes of play. The 21 rebounds is a career high for the sophomore center, and is just five shy of the all-time ISU single-game record of 26, set by former Bengal Charly Bond during the 1977 season.
Hixon recorded her fourth double-double of the season with 20 points and 10 rebounds. The junior forward connected on 7-of-13 shots from the field, and was a perfect 6-of-6 from the charity stripe.
"Joanna (Hixon) did a great job for us tonight," Newlee said. "She did a lot offensivley for us, but more importantly she played tremendous defense. She always has a tough defensive assignment, and continues to come through for us."
Danica Boyce helped the Bengals with 17 points and Andrea Lightfoot added 16. Jeni Boesel recorded eight points, while Sandra Dziurdzia came off the bench for three.
ISU connected on 41 percent of its shots from the field and 40 percent from beyond the arc. The Bengals connected on six shots from long range and limited PSU to a 2-of-9 mark from three. Idaho State was impressive from the free-throw line, connecting on 22-of-27 for an 81.5 percent mark.
The Bengals out-rebounded Portland State 51-42, including a 39-26 edge on the defensive boards.
Kelsey Kahle and Brianna Thompson combined for 34 points and 17 rebounds to lead the Vikings.
Idaho State will continue road play on Saturday when the team travels to take on Eastern Washington (10-12, 4-5). Tip-off is set for 3:05 p.m. (MST). The game will be broadcast live on 91.1 FM KISU radio.
