Jan. 6, 2007
Box Score
Orem, UT--Natalie Doma scored a career-high 35 points with a season high 19 rebounds and Andrea Lightfoot added 19 points as Idaho State avenged an earlier loss at home to Utah Valley State with an 85-74 win over the Wolverines Saturday afternoon at the Shurian Family Activity Center.
The Bengals wrap up non-conference play with a 4-8 overall record while Utah Valley falls to 10-6 on the season. The win marks the first road win of the season for Idaho State.
"This was a huge momentum booster for us heading into Big Sky Conference play next week," said ISU head coach Jon Newlee. "We show more toughness today than I even knew we had. I'm proud of the way we play defensively and the way we executed under the pressure in the second half."
After taking a 38-19 advantage into halftime, Utah Valley came back to cut the lead to just six points, 70-64, with 6:03 remaining in the game. ISU was able to withstand the pressure, taking the lead back up to 12 points, 79-67, with three minutes to go.
The Bengals then survived one last UV run, which cut the score to just six points again, 80-74 with 43 seconds to play. Idaho State then held the Wolverines scoreless the rest of the game to hang on to the victory.
"We were in the exact same position we were in when we lost to Utah Valley in Pocatello earlier this season," Newlee said. "We erased those demons and made great decisions down the stretch."
Doma recorded her career high 35 points on 13-of-24 shooting, including a 2-of-2 mark from long range. The junior center connected on 7-of-10 shots from the free throw line. She also pulled down a season high 19 rebounds, just two shy of a career high. The effort marks her seventh double-double of the season.
Lightfoot held offensively with 19 points, connecting on 3-of-7 shots from the floor and 12-of-14 from the charity stripe. Jeni Boesel tallied her first double-double of the season with 11 points and a career high 11 rebounds. Boesel also dished out a game-high five assists. Freshman Devin Diehl also reached double digits with 10 points.
As a team, Idaho State connected on 46.2 percent (24-of-52) of its shots from the floor and shot a 43.8 percent clip (7-of-16) from long range. ISU hit 30-of-40 shots at the charity stripe.
The Bengals held the nation's leading scorer, Robyn Fairbanks (26.3 ppg.) to 16 points on 7-of-23 shooting. Sandy Marvin led Utah Valley State with 21 points.
ISU will open league play at Eastern Washington on Jan. 11. Tip-off is set for 8:05 p.m. The Bengals next return home on Jan. 18 when the team hosts rival Montana.
"This was great practice for us heading into Eastern Washington next week," Newlee said. "We saw a physical full court press, which is something we will see at Eastern."
