Jan. 20, 2007
Box Score
Pocatello, ID--Despite a 29-point, 17-rebound effort from Natalie Doma and three other Bengals reaching double figure scoring, Idaho State dropped a 91-80 decision to Montana State Saturday afternoon at Reed Gym. The loss drops the Bengals to 6-10 overall, 2-2 in Big Sky Conference play. MSU improves to 7-10 overall, 2-3 in league play.
"It's very disappointing," said ISU head coach Jon Newlee. "I think our players took Montana State too lightly and you can't do that with any team in our conference. I think the loss against Montana took a lot out of our team and they weren't ready to play today."
After playing to a 36-36 halftime tie, both teams battled through ties and six lead changes through the first 10 minutes of the second half. MSU took a 69-67 with 5:09 remaining, and then used an 8-0 run to take a 77-67 lead with just 3:44 to play. Idaho State cut the lead to four points at the 2:41 mark, but couldn't get any closer as MSU knocked down 14-of-16 free throws through the final two minutes to secure the win.
Doma scored her game-high 29 points on 11-of-21 shooting, including a 7-of-8 clip from the free throw line. She also dished out three assists and tied a career high with four blocks.
"I thought they (Montana State) came out more fired up than we did," Doma said. "We went back-and-forth with them today, but could never establish a lead. We made some bad decisions with the basketball and it didn't work out for us. Losing at home is just unacceptable. I feel bad that our fans had to watch that today because that just isn't the way we play. We are a much better team than we showed out on the floor today."
Three other Bengals reached double digit scoring, including Jeni Boesel (15), Andrea Lightfoot (14), and Michelle Grohs (13).
Idaho State won the battle of the boards 44-38, but were forced into 18 turnovers compared to MSU's 11.
The Bengals, who average nine three-point field goals per game, connected on just four treys on the game. The Bobcats connected on an impressive 8-of-14 threes (57.1 percent). ISU shot 25 percent from beyond the arc on 4-of-16 shooting.
"Playing on the road will be nothing new to us," Newlee said. "We are used to it and I expect our team to battle back. We'll bounce back."
Idaho State now heads out on the road to play four straight, starting with Weber State on Jan. 24. ISU next returns home on Feb. 8 when the team hosts Northern Colorado.
