Box Score Media Book: UTEP 77 - Idaho State 66
Final Stats
EL PASO, Texas – Sophomore guard
Kaela Oakes led the Bengals with a career-high 20 points in Idaho State's 77-66 loss to UTEP at the first round of the Thanksgiving Tournament Friday afternoon.
UTEP's hot shooting from beyond the arc distanced the Miners from the Bengals by ten points late in the first half.
UTEP hit 7-of-12 in the first half alone and was 11-of-19 for the game for a season-high 57.9 percent.
“They shot the ball exceptionally well in the first half. They had one player who was 4-for-4 from the three in the first half,” said Head Coach Seton Sobolewski.
UTEP's freshman guard Kelli Willingham was 4-for-4 from the three in the first half. She hit 5-of-6 from beyond the arc for the game taking just two shots inside the line that fell short. She also posted 8-of-10 from the line. Willingham notched a career-high 23 points.
Oakes was similarly on point hitting 5-of-6 from the arc as well in 35 minutes. She hit 6-of-8 from field goal range and 3-of-4 from the line. Oakes also recorded three rebounds and an assist.
Senior guard Chelsea Pickering recorded 13 points with a 4-of-12 effort from the field. She also recorded six rebounds, three assists and a game-high four steals. Pickering posted her fifth straight game with double-figure scoring.
Senior guard Andrea Blodgett chipped in 11 points. She was 5-of-16 from the field and a career-high six rebounds. Sophomore forward Ashleigh Vella was one rebound shy of a double-double with her 11 points.
The Bengals were out-rebounded in its fourth straight game, falling behind 45-39. Idaho State was out-rebounded by seven, 12-5, on offensive boards in the first half. The Bengals allowed just four UTEP o-boards in the second half while collecting 11 themselves. UTEP capitalized on the errors gaining 17 points off second chances.
“Offensive rebounding really hurt us again. We haven't really had time to practice it much. We're a little bit undersized and small with Chelsea (Pickering) playing in the four, but we don't want to give ourselves any excuses. We have to try and get it done,” said Sobolewski.
In the first half, three-point shooting successively gave the Miners a larger lead when the Bengals would cut UTEP's effort with jump shots. UTEP posted an 11-3 run with two treys to take a 14 point lead in the first half with 1:45 remaining before Oakes sank a three-pointer to cut the score to 36-25 in UTEP's favor at the break.
Oakes finished the first half with 14 points in 17 minutes of play. The 5-5 guard was perfect on the floor, hitting 4-of-4 from the field and 3-of-3 from the arc.
In the second half, Idaho State cut the UTEP lead to eight points, 37-29, when Vella hit her two attempts at the line 1:02 into play. Vella shined in the second half scoring 10 of her 11 points. She hit 3-of-6 from the field and 4-of-5 from= the line while pulling down six rebounds. Both Pickering and Blodgett recorded nine of their points in the second half.
“I appreciate our players' effort in the second half. In the first half I felt like we didn't give enough, that we didn't play hard enough. In the second half they really responded,” said Sobolewski. “UTEP's coach was very complimentary after the game. She said, 'make sure you tell your kids in the locker room I have a great respect for them and how hard they played.' It's tough to play UTEP at home. We got in the hole early and it's tough to come back.”
UTEP posted its largest lead of the game with 19 points at the 7:48 and the 5:45 mark of the second half. The Bengals went on a 13-3 run with UTEP held to free throws, to reduce the lead to seven, 67-60. The Bengals battled back, but the hole that was dug was too much for the Bengals to bounce back from.
UTEP improved to 4-1 while Idaho State fell to 3-4 for the season. UTEP's season record is the same as its home effort as the Miners have not played a single road game this season. UTEP looks to defend its Thanksgiving Tournament title.
Idaho State closes out its Texas trip, five games in seven days, when they play either High Point or Arkansas at 4:35 p.m. MT in the consolation game of the Thanksgiving Tournament hosted by UTEP at the Don Haskins Center.
Notes: Idaho State had a season-high three players foul out with Lindsey Reed, Kara Jenkins and Vella … It is ISU's second game of three that a Bengals has posted a career-high in scoring.
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