March 4, 2006
Box Score
Pocatello, ID--Andrea Lightfoot scored a game-high 20 points and Joanna Hixon added 19 as Idaho State clinched the regular season Big Sky Conference Championship with a 77-75 win over Montana State Saturday afternoon at Reed Gym. The win also gives ISU the rights to host the Big Sky Tournament March 9-11 at Reed Gym.
"This feels great," said ISU head coach Jon Newlee. "I'm proud of our team and the way they have battled all season. It was great to clinch the title at home, and in front of our own fans."
The game also marked senior day for the three Idaho State seniors on this year's team. Chelsey Chambers, Ali Gorny, and Dana Beechie were all honored in a pregame ceremony. Chambers started the game for ISU, playing on a torn ligament in her knee.
"It was great to just get out on the floor even if it was for just a couple of minutes," Chambers said of starting the game. "It's amazing to be a part of all of this. I'm so proud of our team. This title means a lot to us."
The win pushes Idaho State's record to 17-11 overall, 11-3 in Big Sky play. The Bobcats fall to 3-23 overall, 2-12 in league play.
In a see-saw battle that featured 17 lead changes and 15 ties, Idaho State secured the victory in the final seconds.
Trailing by two points with two minutes left to play, Hixon connected on a driving layup as she was field to tie the game at 73-73. Hixon connected on the free throw to give ISU the 74-73 lead with 1:43 to play.
MSU junior Alyssa Nelson then missed on lay-up and Natalie Doma connected on the other end, giving Idaho State a 76-73 lead with under a minute to go. MSU then hit a pair of free throws to cut the Bengal lead to just one, 76-75, and stopped ISU on the other end, setting up an opportunity to win the game with eight seconds to play.
Montana State forward Jenny Heringer then missed a jumper with five seconds remaining and ISU forward Danica Boyce pulled down the rebound as she was fouled, sending her to the line, where she connected on 1-of-2. MSU was unable to get a shot off in the final second as ISU secured the win.
Lightfoot recorded her fourth straight game with at least 20 or more points, connecting on 6-of-14 shots from the field. She was also 7-of-9 from the charity stripe. Lightfoot also collected four rebounds, two assists, five steals, and a block in the effort.
Hixon fell just one rebound shy of a double-double with 19 points and nine rebounds. The junior post went 8-of-15 from the field, and 1-of-2 from beyond the arc in 40 minutes of play. Doma put 18 points on the scoreboard with 11 rebounds for her ninth double-double of the season.
Jeni Boesel netted nine points, while Michelle Grohs came off the bench to add 10.
Grohs also pulled down five rebounds.
Idaho State, which is one of the top three-point shooting teams in the nation, connected on just 4-of-20 on the day, just a 20 percent clip. ISU did shoot 40 percent from the field, and 80 percent from the free throw line.
In a ceremony after the game, Idaho State players and coaches each took turns cutting down the nets.
"It was a fun moment for us," said Newlee. "We wanted to give them something for accomplishing our first goal. It was a great atmosphere, and I'm glad all of our fans were there to share it with us. We set out to win the regular season title, and we accomplished that today. Now, we are preparing for that next step. We knew teams will want to take it to us at the tournament. Well, we want to take it to them too."
Idaho State will host lowest remaining seed from Thursday's Big Sky Tournament quarterfinal games on Friday, March 10 at 7:35 p.m. at Reed Gym. Ticket information is available on the Idaho State athletics website.
