Box Score Media Book | Final Stats | Photo Gallery
POCATELLO, Idaho – Idaho State keeps rolling in the victories capturing its fifth straight of the season and eight consecutive home game win in the Bengals 98-50 (+48) victory over Great Falls at Reed Gym Tuesday night. Idaho State's 48 point advantage at the conclusion of the contest marked the sixth best margin of victory in school history. Idaho State improved to 8-4 for the season while the game was marked as an exhibition loss for the Argos (3-7, 0-2 Exhibition).
“I want us to maintain our play at a high level regardless of who we play against,” said Head Coach Seton Sobolewski. “Eventually it gets to a point where you are playing against the game of basketball and just how good you as a team can be and the opponent is a bit arbitrary.”
The Bengals had its fifth game of the season with four players in double-figure scoring led by senior guard Chelsea Pickering with 19 points in 21 minutes. She was 7-of-12 (58.3 percent) from the field, 2-of-4 from the arc and 3-of-3 from the line. She also pulled down three rebounds, all on offense, made four assists and recorded a steal. It is the senior's seventh game leading the Bengals in scoring this season, second consecutive.
Ashleigh Vella, a sophomore forward, recorded 15 points for ISU in 21 minutes hitting 4-of-7 from the field and 7-of-8 from the line. She pulled down six rebounds. Senior guard Andrea Blodgett recorded 14 points for Idaho State knocking down 6-of-9 (66.7 percent) from the field while posting 2-of-4 from beyond the arc. She also posted a career and game-high six assists.
Freshman forward Cydney Horton posted a career-high 10 points in 15 minutes hitting 5-of-9 from the field while pulling down a game-high seven rebounds.
“Cydney hasn't played a whole lot, her injury slowed her down a bit but she ran the ball really well tonight,” said Sobolewski. “I don't know if I've ever had a player finish as well with her left. She missed one today on her left, but otherwise, in traffic she can move pretty quick. She doesn't have to slow down and concentrate and finish.”
Horton helped Idaho State out-rebound Great Falls 39-28 (+11) for ISU's second game out-rebounding an opponent, first by double-figures.
“I think it is slowly getting better and it depends on the opponent and who we can play,” said Sobolewski of ISU's rebounding effort for the season. “If we can play Cydney, Jess (Jessica Jensen) and Shannon (Byrne) more you are going to do better on the boards. If Chelsea has to stay in at the four spot you aren't going to do as well on the boards but you are still going to have a great scorer and you still have a really quick defense. You can also really pressure people because you basically have four guards and a forward out there so there is give and take.”
The Bengals broke several season records against Great Falls including hitting 51.4 percent (36-of-70) from the field for the game, scoring 50 points in the paint, scoring 48 points off turnovers, recording 22 assists, posting eight blocked shots as well as posting their best scoring mark in the first and second halves.
Idaho State jumped out to a 14 point lead 6:33 into the game with a 16-2 spread capped by a Vella layup. The Argos were able to work its way back to an ISU seven point when Great Falls put up its largest scoring stretch, a 9-0 run, holding the Bengals scoreless for 4:42 when ISU put in its second wave of substitutions that struggled with Great Falls' press. Blodgett ended the ISU dry spell with a big three-pointer to put ISU back up by 10 points, 19-9.
“One of the things I was happy about is that our level of play did not fall off much when we subbed. In the first half we struggled a little bit against the press and we were still feeling people out, the second group did, but after that we were still efficient and competitive when we subbed so that was good,” said Sobolewski.
Idaho State held its biggest lead of the first half with 23 points, 39-16, on a Horton layup with 2:19 remaining in the half. Idaho State exposed the Great Falls Zone defense by working quick passes to the inside player for 28 points in the paint in the first half alone.
The Bengals found its stride out-scoring Great Falls 57-28 (+29) in the second half. Idaho State quickly worked up a 31 point lead, 56-25, on a 15-3 run with 14:40 remaining in the second half. Great Falls kept the contest competitive for the next 5:40 before the Bengals put the pedal to the metal improving to a 45 point lead, 85-40, on a 16-2 run capped by a Lindsey Reed three-pointer with 85-40 remaining.
Every single Bengal on the Idaho State roster scored in the contest. Senior guard Kari Green put up ISU's largest lead of the game, 48 points, to end the game with a driving layup in the final four seconds. Green recorded a career-high four points hitting 2-of-4 from the field. She also made and assist and a steal. Aralee Smith, a senior guard who made her first appearance on the court this season, scored four points hitting 2-of-2 from the field. She also had three rebounds and a blocked shot.
“I wanted to get everyone in. In these next few games I'd like to play everyone as much as we can because we are going to need our bench when it comes to conference. They need some experience and these two games are the games that make the most sense to play a lot of minutes. It is our last two games to tune up before we start conference,” said Sobolewski.
The 90-plus scoring game was Idaho State's first under Head Coach Sobolewski who runs a motion offense with the Bengals. The last time ISU scored 90-plus was four times during the 2007-08 season under the run-and-gun offense of former Head Coach Jon Newlee.
Idaho State will have time off to enjoy the Holiday and will start the New Year with its final non-conference game of the season when the Bengals host Montana Tech on Saturday, Jan. 1, 2011 at 2:05 p.m. at Reed Gym.
--www.isubengals.com--
