Feb. 22, 2007
Box Score
Pocatello, ID--Andrea Lightfoot scored a season-high 29 points and Jeni Boesel added 19 as Idaho State erased a 13-point first half deficit to defeat Eastern Washington 83-80 Thursday night at Reed Gym. With the win, ISU improves to 12-13 overall, 8-5 in Big Sky play. The Eagles fall to 8-18 overall, 3-10 in league play.
"We didn't come out with a lot of energy tonight," said ISU head coach Jon Newlee. "We broke down offensively in the first half and had way too many turnovers. We also didn't do much defensively in the first half. We were lucky to only be down by 10 points at halftime. I don't think we were mentally there."
After falling behind 40-30 at halftime, Idaho State went on a 20-6 run to open the second half to take a 51-46 lead with 14:04 to play. The Bengals then extended their lead to as many as 14 points in the second half.
Idaho State led by 10 points, 81-71, with 27 seconds to play, but EWU made final push to cut the lead to just three points with three seconds remaining. An ISU missed shot then gave the Eagles the ball back with 1.9 seconds, but EWU committed a turnover on the inbounds play to secure the Bengal win.
Lightfoot put in a game-high 29 points on 9-of-17 shooting, including five threes. The junior guard also went a perfect 6-of-6 from the charity stripe. She also pulled down seven rebounds with three assists and three steals.
Boesel scored her 19 points on 5-of-10 shooting, including three treys. Boesel dished out a game-high six assists in 40 minutes of play. Natalie Doma recorded her 19th double-double of the season with 15 points and 13 rebounds. Michelle Grohs added eight points with six points.
"I thought Boesel and Lightfoot did a great job of keeping in the game," Newlee said. "They kept everyone positive and did a lot of good things out there."
Idaho State connected on 10-of-21 shots from beyond the arc, a 47.6 percent mark. ISU pulled down 42 rebounds to EWU's 43.
Phynique Allen and Brittney Osborn led Eastern Washington with 18 points each. Jessica Huntington also recorded double figures with 10 points.
Idaho State continues play on Saturday, hosting Portland State at Reed Gym. Tip-off is set for 2:05 p.m.
