Dec. 2, 2009
Final Stats
Utah Box Score 
Salt Lake City, UT - Freshman Kaela Oakes drove to the basket with .01 on the clock in regulation, her shot rimmed the basket and fell out to send Idaho State into overtime at 47-47 for ISU's first overtime against Utah in program history. The Utes would come on strong in the extra period outscoring the Bengals 19-3, including 10 free throws as ISU attempted to slow the clock, closing out the game 66-50 at the Huntsman Center Wednesday night. Utah improved to 4-3 while Idaho State fell to 1-6 for the season.
"That was what the difference was in this game and what gave us a chance to win," said Head Coach Seton Sobolewski to the Idaho State Journal of ISU's defensive efforts against Utah. "We played hard enough to win."
With the score tied at 45-45 with 1:22 remaining, ISU looked to capitalize taking back-to-back timeouts with Utah. The Bengals handed the ball off to senior Oana Iacovita at the elbow who hit the jumper giving ISU a two point lead with 1:11 remaining, but Utah's Halie Sawyer would answer back with a jump shot of her own. She was the only player to post a double-double with 12 points and 15 rebounds.
The Bengals would go 0-for-2 in the remaining seconds including the Oakes layup that rimmed out with .01 on the clock. The freshman guard was unable to draw the foul. Oakes posted six points in the contest as well as three assists.
The Bengals would hold All-American nominee Kalee Whipple to 9 points in the first half, but she would become the go-to player in overtime leading Utah with seven points hitting a trey to give the Utes an eight point lead to expand on. She took it away at the line hitting all four of her attempts which came in the overtime period. Whipple would score a game-high 18 points and pull down eight rebounds.
ISU held Taryn Wicijowski to eight points in regulation but she would earn her double-figures in overtime with a total of 14 points. She also pulled down seven rebounds, all on offense. Utah out-rebounded Idaho State 42-36 for the game.
Utah thought it would roll over the Bengals after a 6-0 run in the first 4:30 to start the contest, but the Bengals quickly regained ground when Chelsea Pickering hit her first three-point field goal to tie the game at 8-8, but that wouldn't be her last as she would hit 4-of-6 in the first half. Pickering led the Bengals with 14 points all of which came in the first half.
The Bengal's strong defensive effort against Utah held the Utes to 21 points in the first half for ISU's second time holding an opponent to 21 points in a half. Idaho State led Utah 25-21 for its first halftime lead since the team's victory over Montana Western at home. ISU would go on to hold Montana Western to 21 points in the second half of its home contest.
"I'm really happy about it," said Sobolewski of the Bengals defensive effort. "We've worked on it a little in practice. We've talked about individual accountability, and it's also been a team effort."
The Bengals shot 33.9 percent for the game, 36.4 percent from beyond the arc. Freshman Morgan Wohltman helped the Bengals from beyond the arc hitting her two in the second half. Wohltman would post 5-of-14 from the field to earn 12 points, her second double-figure point game this season. Both Pickering and Wohltman captured four rebounds. Freshman Ashleigh Vella led the Bengals with eight rebounds, a career-high.
Idaho State will head to Tempe, Ariz. to play in the Arizona State Classic, ISU's first tournament of the season, on Friday and Saturday at the Wells Fargo Arena. The Bengals will play tournament host Arizona State on December 4 at 6 p.m. then either Pepperdine or Utah State on December 5 at 1 p.m.
Notes: ISU outrebounded Utah in the first half 18-15 ... ISU saw the line five times in the contest and hit two ... ISU committed 11 turnovers, a season low.
