Jan. 22, 2009
Final Stats
Complete Northern Arizona Box Score 
Pocatello, ID--The Bengals struggled on offensive boards as NAU pulled down six in the final minutes to hold their lead, handing Idaho State a 66-60 loss on Thursday night at Reed Gym. Idaho State was out-rebounded on offensive boards 5-16 for the night, posting three in the second half alone. Senior Michelle Grohs posted her third double-double of the season with 16 points and 11 rebounds.
Grohs was 6-of-16 from the field sinking three treys. All of Grohs' 11 rebounds came on the defensive end. Oana Iacovita chipped in 16 points as well, hitting 7-of-13 from the field, and recording three rebounds. Senior Jenna Brown also hit double figures as she recorded 11. Brown was unselfish dishing out six assists and hit the boards hard posting seven rebounds, the second most for the Bengals.
"If you're scrappy, those are the people that win the fifty-fifty ball," said Brown the 5-3 senior. "I think we all want it, but it's giving that extra effort."
The Bengals who fell to 5-14 overall and 2-4 in Big Sky play kept it close for the first 14 minutes of play exchanging the lead six times. ISU first tied it up at 9-9 off a fall-away jumper from Iacovita. The score would switch back and forth until freshman Sheila Adams would tie it up at 24-24 off a three-point shot from the left wing assisted by Devin Diehl. Diehl had four assists throughout the night and chipped in five points and five rebounds. NAU would go on a 15-5 run in the final six minutes of play, this time hitting the inside, to head to the locker room with a 10 point lead at 39-29.
The arc was hot for the Lumberjacks in the first period as they were 7-of-18, hitting five of their treys in the first ten minutes of play. NAU would go on to tie their own record for the season for most three-pointers made in a game with nine which they did against Montana State.
Lumberjack Janelle Matthews was a major force from three point territory as she knocked down four in the first half, six over the course of the game. Matthews amazingly enough only put down one jumper out of seven of her attempts, but went 6-for-10 from the arc. Matthews tied her career-high of 23 points which she set last season. NAU improves to 6-13 for the season and 3-3 in conference play.
After the first half in which the Bengals played zone they switched to man closing the gap to three points when ISU held the Lumberjacks to six points. In that time ISU recorded 10 points as the Bengals shared the floor in shots made and successful assists. Junior Iacovita hit the jumper to hold NAU to a three-point lead that led to strong defensive efforts for both teams resulting in 4:40 filled with four steals and a blocked shot by Lauren Hoisington who had 11 points in the game.
Senior Grohs would tie the score up off a trey from the right wing at 58-58 with 3:19 left, but offensive rebounds kept the victory out of the Bengals paws. Even with forced fouls to slow down the clock and obtain a rebound the Bengals could not covert giving NAU seven points off of second chances in the second half, 13 over the game. However, Idaho State's defensive efforts in the second half were apparent as they held the Lumberjacks to 27 points while recording 31 for the team.
Notes: Sophomore Verity Peets had her first collegiate start, she posed four points and three rebounds ... ISU's largest lead was by three at the 8:06 mark in the first period.
