Idaho State NCAA Tournament Guide and Notes

March 14, 2007

Complete Idaho State NCAA Tournament Guide and Notes in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader

Quickly
Idaho State (17-13) claimed the Big Sky Conference Tournament crown last week, defeating Northern Arizona 84-78 in the championship game. The Bengals received the Big Sky's automatic bid into the 2007 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament and will face fifth-ranked Stanford in the first round. ISU's NCAA Tournament game is scheduled for March 17 at Maples Pavilion in Stanford, Calif. Tip-off is set for 2:30 p.m. (MT)

Broadcast Information
Television - ESPN (Play-by-play: Beth Mowins; Analyst: Jimmy Dykes; Reporter: Allen Hopkins)
On the Radio - Saturday's NCAA Tournament game will be broadcast live at 91.1 FM KISU radio. (Play-by-play: Jerry Miller; Color: Jason Erickson)
Radio Webcast - A live audio stream will be available at http://www.kisu.org/stream.ram.

Idaho State
Idaho State heads to its second-ever NCAA Tournament and its first since the 2001 season. ISU received its automatic bid into the field of 64 after capturing the Big Sky Conference Tournament crown. The Bengals defeated Northern Arizona 84-78 in the championship game. Idaho State, winners of six straight and 10 of its last 11 games, enter tournament play with a 17-13 overall record. The Bengals defeated Weber State (72-63) in the Big Sky Tournament semifinals and Northern Arizona (84-78) in the championship game to capture the conference crown. Idaho State features the third-highest scoring offense in the nation (behind North Carolina and Maryland), averaging 80.2 points a game. The Bengals are also one of the top three-point shooting teams in the nation, averaging 8.4 threes per game, which ranks third in the country. ISU holds the second-best team free throw percentage in the nation with a 79.6 percent mark. The Bengals shoot well from anywhere on the floor, connecting on 44.2 percent of their shots. Junior center Natalie Doma leads the team in scoring (21.8 ppg.), field goal percentage (51.3), and rebounding (12.2 rpg.). Andrea Lightfoot and Jeni Boesel also average double figures at 17.6 and 13.6 points per game, respectively.

Last Time Out: ISU Claims Big Sky Crown, Defeats Northern Arizona 84-78 in Title Game
Natalie Doma recorded a 24-point, 16-rebound double-double effort to lead Idaho State to an 84-78 victory over Northern Arizona in the championship game of the 2007 Chinook Wireless Big Sky Conference Tournament Saturday in Missoula, Mont. The win marks the second-ever tournament title for Idaho State, who last went to the NCAA Tournament in 2001. Leading 72-65 win 3:28 to play, Northern Arizona's Megan Porter hit a pair of free throws, followed by an Alyssa Wahl three to cut the ISU lead to just two points, 72-70, with 2:37 remaining. Doma answered with a short jumper and NAU decided to foul four straight times to send Idaho State into the bonus. The Bengals went 10-of-10 from the foul line over the final 54 seconds to secure the championship. After connecting on just one three-point field goal in the first half, Idaho State caught fire from long range, hitting seven treys in the second half. The Bengals had a stretch of four made threes on four straight possessions. Andrea Lightfoot scored 21 points, 13 of which came in the final nine minutes of the contest. The junior guard connected on 6-of-13 shots from the field, and was a perfect 8-of-8 from the free throw line. Doma hit 8-of-22 shots and was also perfect from the charity stripe, making 7-of-7. The junior center also pulled down 16 rebounds for her 24th double-double of the season. Doma grabbed 34 rebounds over ISU's two tournament games--the second-most in Big Sky Tournament history. Doma was named the tournament's MVP for her two tournament performances. Devin Diehl helped with 12 points and Michelle Grohs added 11. Grohs hit three treys in the second half for ISU. Kaylynn Fager came off the bench to score eight points, including a 2-of-2 mark from long range. Jeni Boesel added six points with five assists and a steal. Wahl led Northern Arizona with 30 points and Porter added 15 points with 14 rebounds. Sade Cunningham registered 12 points with 10 assists for the Lumberjacks. Idaho State improved to 17-13 with the win, while Northern Arizona ended its season with a 20-12 record.

About Stanford
Stanford makes its 21st appearance and 20th straight showing at the NCAA Tournament this week. The Cardinal has made it the Elite Eight in each of the last three seasons. The team has two national titles to its name and has advanced to six Final Fours. Stanford currently ranks fifth in both national polls. The Cardinal cruised through Pac-10 play this season, going 17-1 to win the regular season title. Stanford holds a 28-4 overall mark this season with only two losses at home. The team then captured the Pac-10 Tournament championship, defeating Arizona State 62-55. Stanford has won nine straight and has claimed victory in 25 of its last 26 games. The Cardinal are led by Candice Wiggins, who averages 16.9 points per game. The junior guard has also knocked down a team-best 75 threes. As a team, Stanford averages 70.9 points per game while limiting opponents to a 56.8 average.

Idaho State - Stanford All-Time Series Info
Idaho State and Stanford hit the hardwood for the first time against one another.

ISU vs. the Pac-10
The Bengals hold an all-time 2-18 record against teams from the Pac-10 Conference. Idaho State's only wins over the Pac-10 both came against Washington State. ISU defeated WSU 60-58 in double-overtime during the 1979-80 season and 73-69 in overtime during the 1984-85 season. The Bengals are 0-7 against Oregon, 0-5 against Oregon State, 0-3 versus Washington, 0-1 against Arizona State, and 2-2 against Washington State.

30 Years to the Exact Date
The Idaho State women's basketball team will take on Stanford in the first round of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament on March 17, 2007, exactly 30 years to the date of Idaho State's biggest win in ISU athletic history. March Madness hit the town of Pocatello straight between the eyes in 1977, when the Idaho State men's basketball team marched its way to the West Region finals of the NCAA Tournament, knocking off mighty UCLA on March 17, 1977 and coming within one win of the school's first-ever Final Four berth. With the Bengals sitting at 3-3 on the young season, head coach Jim Killingsworth started his team on a magical ride. The team, taking on powerful competition such as California, Brigham Young, and Wyoming, eventually went on a tear of 22 wins in their next 23 games, including a road sweep of both Montana and Montana State, a bizarre 31-11 game against Montana State at home, and two Big Sky Conference Tournament wins, including a 61-55 championship game win over Weber State. In advancing to the West Subregional, held in Pocatello, the Bengals took out Long Beach 83-72 before facing #2 UCLA in Provo, Utah. The Bengals followed their leader Steve Hayes, who scored 27 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, to hold a 72-69 lead with 51 seconds left. Keeping UCLA at bay was freshman Ernie Wheeler, who hit both ends of two one-and-ones in the final 37 seconds to seal the win. A major key in the game was rebounding, as Idaho State, down 25-18 in rebounding at the half, outrebounded UCLA 34-22, and that helped trim UCLA's 38-32 halftime lead. While ISU would go on and lose in the Regional Finals to the UNLV Runnin' Rebels 107-90, 1976-77 was certainly a magical year for the Bengals, and their fans.

Idaho State at the NCAA Tournament
Idaho State makes its second appearance at the NCAA Tournament. The Bengals won the Big Sky Conference Tournament championship last week to earn the league's automatic bid. The Bengals last made it to the NCAA Tournament in 2001 and dropped an 83-57 decision to Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tenn. The team makes its fourth trip to a national postseason tournament over the past seven years. The team was invited to play in the WNIT in 2004 and 2006.

Newlee No Stranger to NCAA Tournament Idaho State makes its third trip to a postseason national tournament under head coach Jon Newlee. This year marks his first trip to an NCAA Tournament as a head coach. The fifth-year coach made five NCAA Tournament appearances as an assistant at SMU. This year marks Newlee's 12th postseason national tournament appearances as an assistant and head coach. It marks his sixth overall appearance at the NCAA Women's Tournament as an assistant and head coach. Newlee is already a two-time Big Sky Coach of the Year in just five seasons with ISU.

First Time for Everyone Except Gensler
Each player on Idaho State's roster is making her first appearance to an NCAA Tournament except for one. ISU forward Lyndsay Gensler led the Idaho State soccer team to a Big Sky Tournament title and a NCAA Tournament appearance this past season.

2001 Idaho State Tournament Team Idaho State earned its first-ever bid to an NCAA Tournament in 2001 after claiming the Big Sky Conference crown. The Bengals earned a 14th seed in the midwest region and faced off against No. 3 seed Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tenn. The Bengals entered the game as one of the top scoring and field goal percentage defensive teams in the country, but were no match for VU, the top shooting team in the nation that year at 55 percent. The Commodores shot 63 percent from the floor (29-of-46) and ended the Bengal's national-leading 21 game winning streak with an 83-57 victory. In her final game as a Bengal, Chris Urbanski led ISU with 20 points, including six threes. Sarah Nelson scored 11 points while 2001 Big Sky Player of the Year and Tournament MVP Mandi Carver added eight points. Jillian Danker led VU with 25 points and tied an NCAA Tournament record with seven made threes. The 2001 ISU team was coached by Ardie McInelly (1996-01), who along with Ted Anderson (1987-95), holds the all-time ISU record for wins at 77.

The Big Sky Conference at the NCAA Women's Tournament
The Big Sky Conference makes its 19th appearance at the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament. Teams from the Big Sky hold an all-time 4-19 record at the tournament. Montana has advanced to the second round on four occasions (1989, 1992, 1994, and 1995).

Doma Named Big Sky Tournament MVP, Lightfoot on All-Tourney
Natalie Doma was named the Big Sky Tournament Most Valuable Player after leading the Bengals to a pair of wins at the 2007 Big Sky Tournament. The junior center led ISU with 45 points and 34 rebounds over the two games, helping ISU to its second-ever Big Sky Tournament title. Doma's 34 rebounds ranks as the second-most in Big Sky Tournament history. Along with Doma, Andrea Lightfoot was also named to the All-Tournament team. Lightfoot scored 28 points over the two games.

Doma and Lightfoot Named to Region 7 Team, Candidates for Kodak/WBCA All-America Team
Idaho State's Natalie Doma and Andrea Lightfoot were named to the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Region 7 Team and finalists for the 2007 Kodak/WBCA All-America Team. Region 7 includes schools from the Mountain West Conference, Big Sky Conference, and Western Athletic Conference, along with independent Utah Valley State. Doma and Lightfoot join five other finalists from Region 7, including Mandy Morales (Montana), Adrianne Ross (TCU), and Hanna Zavecz (Wyoming), and Robyn Fairbanks (Utah Valley State). The WBCA, in cooperation with Eastman Kodak Company, announced the finalists today for the 2007 Kodak/WBCA All-America Basketball Team for National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I. The 52 finalists, who are voted upon by WBCA-member coaches in each of the eight WBCA geographical regions, are now in the running for selection to the 10-member Kodak/WBCA All-America Team.

Three Bengals Named to All-Conference Team
Idaho State's Natalie Doma and Andrea Lightfoot were named to the Big Sky Women's Basketball All-Conference First Team, while Jeni Boesel received Second Team honors, the league office announced on March 5. The awards were decided following a vote by the league's nine head coaches. Doma and Montana guard Mandy Morales were the only unanimous selections to the team, marking the second-straight season that Doma has been named to the team as a unanimous pick. Idaho State was the only team in the conference to list two players on the All-Conference First Team. Doma, a junior center, was a five-time Big Sky Player of the Week honoree this season, and lead the league in scoring (21.8 ppg.) and rebounding (12.2 rpg.), both of which rank top-10 nationally. Doma also leads the Big Sky this season with 24 double-doubles. She also broke the Big Sky Conference single-season rebound record of 354 set by Weber State's Cindy Stumph during the 1982-83 season. Doma currently has 365 rebounds. The Victoria, British Columbia native has broken numerous ISU single season records this past year, including points (653), points per game (21.8), and field goals made (248). Lightfoot was also named to the team for a second-straight season. The junior guard ranks fourth in the Big Sky in scoring at 17.6 points per game, second in free throw percentage with an 86.2 percent clip, and first in minutes played at 35.76 per game. She also ranks fourth in the league with 60 made threes. Boesel earns All-Conference Big Sky honors for the first time after being named to this year's second team. The Brewster, Washington native has enjoyed her most successful season as a Bengal, averaging 13.6 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. She ranks third in the Big Sky in assists, averaging 4.7 per game, which also ranks nationally.

Boesel's Big Day
Prior to tip-off of Idaho State's game against Sacramento State March 3 at Reed Gym, Jeni Boesel was honored as the team's lone senior. Boesel had a record-setting final game at Reed Gym, scoring 20 points on 7-of-17 shooting. The senior guard drained a career-high six threes in the game. Boesel connected on her final three on a drawn-up play out of a timeout, hitting the trey just moments before she left the floor for the final time.

Boesel Bash!
Senior guard Jeni Boesel stepped up in Big Sky Conference play. After averaging 9.8 points a game in non-conference play, Boesel averaged 16.8 points a contest over ISU's 16 league games. She has now upped her overall games average to 13.9 points per game this season. She put in a career-high 25 points at Northern Arizona on Feb. 1. Boesel scored 21 of her 25 points in the second half of that game. She also reached the 20-point mark at Montana State on Feb. 16, and again on March 3 against Sacramento State. In back-to-back games against Northern Arizona (2/10) and Montana State (2/16), Boesel caught fire, connecting on 6-of-6 three-point field goals and 8-of-8 free throws. Over those two games, Boesel averaged 16.0 points, 8.5 assists, 4.5 rebounds, 1.0 steals, and .5 blocks per game. She has connected on at least one three-point field goal in 24 of ISU's 30 games this season.

Charity Never Faileth
Natalie Doma made 33 consecutive free throws over a seven-game span, (2/1-2/22) breaking the ISU all-time consecutive free throws mark of 22 set by Theresa Mallak during the 1996-97 season. During the stretch, Doma also tied the all-time single-game mark for best free throw percentage, hitting 10-of-10 at Sacramento State on Feb. 3. Janae Griffin also connected on 10-of-10 free throws against Montana State on Jan. 20, 2001. As a team, ISU is on its way to breaking the all-time single season record for free throw percentage. The team currently holds a 79.6 percent mark from the charity stripe, well above the single season record of 76.4 set last season. Andrea Lightfoot also caught fire at the free throw line, connecting on 25 straight free throws over six games (2/16-3/3). As a team, Idaho State knocked down 15-of-15 free throws against Montana-Western on Dec. 20, which ties 10 other teams in the country that have been perfect from the line when attempting 15 or more free throws.

Doma Seeing Double, Ranks 9th in the Nation in Scoring, Fifth in Rebounding
Natalie Doma is the Big Sky leader in double-doubles with 24 this season. The 6-3 center had recorded a double-double in 13 straight games before coming up just short of one at Montana State on Feb. 16. Doma ranks in the top-10 nationally in both scoring (21.8) and rebounding (12.2). She averaged 22.6 points and 13.4 rebounds in conference games this season.

Conference Season Wrap
Through conference play this season, Idaho State averaged 84.0 points per game while limiting opponents to a 74.0 mark. Over those 16 games, ISU went 11-5 and had three players averaging more than 16 points per game. The team connected on 44.3 percent of its shots from the field and 36.9 percent from beyond the arc. ISU averaged 8.9 three-point field goals a game.

Nationally Consistent
Over the past four seasons, Idaho State has ranked 17th or higher in the nation in free throw shooting. This season, ISU currently ranks second in the nation at the charity stripe with a 79.6 percent mark. Last season, ISU finished the year ranked sixth in the country (76.4). The Bengals ranked second in the country with a 78.5 percentage during the 2004-05 season, and 17th during the 2003-04 season (75.4). The team has also been consistent from beyond the arc. This season, ISU currently ranks third in the nation, averaging 8.4 threes per game. In the 2005-06 season, ISU ranked eighth (7.4), and during the 2004-05 campaign the team ranked seventh (7.6), and in the 2003-04 season, ISU ranked seventh (7.5).

Its Raining Threes, HALLELUJAH!
As of March 12, ISU ranks third in the nation in three-point field goals per game at 8.4 per contest. The Bengals drained a season-high 15 threes in a win over Montana-Western on Dec. 20. The mark ranks second all-time in ISU single-game history, and is tied for the top mark in the nation this season. The top single game threes record is 17, set against Lewis-Clark State on Nov. 22, 2003. ISU recently knocked down 13 threes in a win at Montana State on Feb. 16. Andrea Lightfoot leads the team with 60 made shots each from long range this season. Jeni Boesel has tallied 56 threes and Kaylynn Fager 42 this season. ISU has connected on 251 of its 671 attempted three-point field goals this season, a 37.4 percent clip.

A Little History at the Three
As a team, Idaho State has connected on a three-point field goal in 157 straight games. The last time Idaho State was unable to connect on a single three-point field goal was on Jan. 11, 2002 at Sacramento State. The Bengals went 0-10 from beyond the arc in that game. The streak is the longest in the Big Sky Conference. Andrea Lightfoot has connected on at least one three-point field goal in 25 of ISU's 30 games this season.

Bengal Bench Improvement
Idaho State's bench has improved throughout the season. Kaylynn Fager has stepped up to average 5.9 points per game while shooting a league-best 46.7 percent from beyond the arc. Oana Iacovita has also helped with 3.0 points a contest, Aralee Smith 3.1, and Jenna Brown 2.6. After averaging 13.8 points a game through the first six games of the season, Idaho State's bench now averages 17.4 points per game this season.

Defense Counts
When holding opponents to under 70 points, Idaho State is a perfect 10-0. The Bengals have held Big Sky teams to 66 points or less seven times this season, including Eastern Washington, Northern Colorado twice, Sacramento State and Weber State three times. Four of the seven contests were road games for the Bengals. ISU has won 15 of its 17 games this season when holding opponents to less than 45 percent shooting from the field.

Lightfoot Becomes ISU's 11th 1,000-Point Scorer
A lot like her first season with the Bengals last season, Idaho State's Andrea Lightfoot has caught fire from long range. The junior guard leads the Bengals with 60 made three-point field goals this season, connecting on 40 percent of her shots from beyond the arc. Lightfoot has connected on four or more threes in a single game on six occasions this season. She ranks second all-time at ISU with 122 made threes over two seasons and ranks third all-time with a 40.4 clip from long range. Lightfoot is also the top free throw shooter of all time at ISU, averaging an 86.2 percent mark from the charity stripe. She also holds the all-time top career scoring average in ISU history at 18.1 points per game. Lightfoot became the 11th 1,000-points scorer in ISU history, recording her 1,000th point against Portland State on Feb. 24. She now has 1,083 career points, which ranks eighth all-time at ISU.

Doma Moves Into Second on Career Scoring List
Natalie Doma became just the 10th player in Idaho State history to reach the 1,000 points mark. Doma recorded her 1,000th point in the first half of ISU's game against Rice on Dec. 9. The junior center now has 1,522 points, which ranks second all-time at Idaho State. Doma is now just 16 points shy of tying the all-time career ISU scoring record. Doma will break the all-time scoring record of 1,538 points set by Mandi Carver (1998-02).

Single Season Individual Records Fall
Numerous single season records have already been broken this year, and many others are on the verge of being rewritten. Junior Natalie Doma has already scored more points this season than any other Bengal in the history of the program. Doma broke the record against Portland State on Feb. 24. Doma now has 653 points, 99 points ahead of the previous record of 554 set by fellow junior Andrea Lightfoot last season. Doma's 21.8 points per game ranks as the top points per game average in a single season, and her 248 field goals this season breaks the 25-year-old record of 210 set by Sue Hollaway during the 1980-82 season. Doma has also broken the single season marks for free throws with 149 and rebounds with 365. Andrea Lightfoot is also getting close to breaking the single season mark for made threes in a season. Lightfoot currently has 60 threes this season and is just eight shy of breaking Lindy Whitley's mark of 67 set during the 2003-04 season. Doma also broke the Big Sky Conference single season record for rebounds this year.

Single Season Team Records Go Down
Idaho State currently holds a 79.6 percent free throw mark as a team this season, going 516-of-648 from the charity stripe. The current percentage ranks as the top mark in ISU single season history, well above last season's mark of 76.4 which is the top single season mark in school history. The Bengals have also broken the record for threes made in a single season. ISU currently has 251 treys, already ahead of the previous single season mark of 221 set last season.

Up in the Sky
As of March 12, ISU ranks third or higher in 10 different statistical categories in the Big Sky Conference. ISU ranks first in scoring offense (80.2), free throw percentage (79.6), threes per game (8.4), and defensive rebounds per game (28.2). The team ranks second in three-point field goal percentage (37.4), assists per game (15.6) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.07). The Bengals rank third in scoring margin (+5.1), attendance (966), and field goal percentage (44.2).

In the National Rankings...
As of March 12, Idaho State ranks in the nation's top-10 in three statistical categories. The team ranks third in three-point field goals per game (8.4), second in free throw percentage (79.6), and third in scoring offense (80.2). Individually, Natalie Doma ranks eighth in scoring (21.8) and fifth in rebounding (12.2).

Slow Starts, Strong Finishes
Idaho State opened the 1999-00 season with a 2-9 record, but battled back to finish with an 11-5 mark in Big Sky Conference play. The Bengals also opened the 2005-06 season with an 0-3 mark and eventually a 5-8 mark before taking off in Big Sky play, finishing league play with an 11-3 record to finish in first place. Idaho State has opened the season with an 0-6 mark on just two other occasions. The Bengals opened the 1993-94 season with an 0-7 record, and then started the 1994-95 campaign with an 0-11 record. ISU finished with a 7-19 overall record during the 1993-94 season and a 4-24 mark at the conclusion of the 1994-95 season. Last season, Idaho State opened conference play with a 4-3 record before winning seven straight to claim the regular season title. ISU went 11-5 in league play and has won eight of its final nine Big Sky regular season contests. Over the past two seasons, Idaho State is a combined 14-1 in the last half of the conference season. ISU went 0-6 this season before winning 10 of its last 11 games of the season to claim the Big Sky Tournament title.

Grohs Having Career Season, Puts Name on Big Sky Tournament Record Books
Michelle Grohs had a break out performance in a loss to Utah Valley State on Dec. 2. The sophomore forward scored a career-high 20 points and pulled down a career-high 12 rebounds. Grohs connected on 8-of-13 shots from the field, including a pair of makes from beyond the arc. Eight of Grohs' 12 rebounds came on the offensive end of the floor. She also collected two steals, an assist, and a block in the effort. The double-double performance is the first of her career. Grohs is averaging 7.8 points and 6.2 boards a game this season. Grohs played a huge role in ISU's tournament title. She scored 23 points, pulled down 18 rebounds, and recorded six blocks over the two games. Grohs' six blocks against Weber State in the semifinals of the tournament ranks second all-time in a single game in Big Sky Tournament history.

Road Warriors
The Bengals played their first four games of the season on the road and eventually six of its first eight, and finally 10 of its first 14 games. The team opened Big Sky play by playing six of its first eight games on the road. The Bengals have logged 18,610 miles heading into this Saturday's tournament game at Stanford. ISU is 6-9 overall in road games this season and went 5-3 in Big Sky play on the road. ISU holds a 3-0 record on a neutral floor this season.

Junior Whopper
Juniors Andrea Lightfoot and Natalie Doma are combining to average 39.4 points per game, while shooting a combined 47.4 percent from the field. Already two of the top scorers in Idaho State history, Doma and Lightfoot sit atop numerous single season and career record charts at ISU. Lightfoot and Doma are also combining for 17.9 rebounds per game. The two are also averaging over 34 minutes of play.