Feb. 6, 2010
Final Stats
Box Score: Montana State 83 - Idaho State 72 
Pocatello, ID - Idaho State (9-13, 4-5 BSC) ended a six game home undefeated win streak when it struggled with offensive rebounds during its 83-72 loss to Montana State (11-11, 4-5 BSC) at Reed Gym Friday night. The Bengals were out-rebounded 21-to-8 on the offensive end leading to a 29-57 disparity for a minus-28 margin, the Bengals season-high. Montana State improved to 4-5 while Idaho State fell to 4-5 in league play; both tying for fifth place in the Big Sky standings.
The Bengals led with a 16-9 run to post its largest lead of seven for the game off a Morgan Wohltman trey; she hit 3-of-6 from the arc for the game for nine points. Montana State would respond by catching up to within a point of the Bengals, but would never overcome in the first half as Idaho State led the Bobcats by three at the half.
Montana State would out-rebound the Bengals 12-to-3 on the o-boards in the first half, but would only outscore the Bengals by three from the opportunities. The Bobcats capitalized off their openings in the second half where they converted nine o-boards into nine points while ISU's five offensive rebounds results in just two points. Montana State's Rachel Semansky recorded a career and game-high 11 rebounds pulling down six on offense.
"We had a momentum problem, we came out a little flat in the second half," said Head Coach Sobolewski. "We are going to have some inconsistencies with the number of young people we are playing."
Senior forward Oana Iacovita led the Bengals in points with 18 points, hitting 9-of-16 from the field, and was one rebound shy of a double-double. Andrea Videbeck, a senior guard, recorded her third double-double of the season with 15 points and a career-high 12 assists. She had a strong second half earning 12 points hitting 4-of-8 from the field and 4-of-6 from the line. Freshman Ashleigh Vella was the only underclassmen to post double-figures in points when she recorded 11 for the Bengals.
Even though ISU's highest scoring seniors have only been playing together on the court for a year, they have been running the motion offense for two seasons since Videbeck redshirted last year. However, the duo shares a strong chemistry as Iacovita and Videbeck teamed up for ten points together.
"It has always been that it takes a year to get motion offense, to get good at it," said Sobolewski of Iacovita and Videbeck's cohesion on offense. "It's fun to watch them all together running motion after having the experience. Their chemistry is so much better; their flow is so much better because they have a year's experience while you have freshmen who are still learning it that aren't battle tested yet."
In the second half ISU was whistled with 14 fouls, including at technical for the Bench that sent the Bobcats to the line 26 times while the Bengals visited the line 11 times. Montana State had three players achieve double-figures in the second half including Janette Jackson who was held to two points in the first half. She was a perfect 6-of-6 from the line for the game.
Montana State was led by Erica Perry who scored a game-high 25 points hitting 7-of-12 from the field, 2-of-3 from the arc and 9-of-12 from the line. Sophomore Katie Bussey posted 18 points chipping in nine points from the arc. Jackson, a sophomore guard, recorded a career-high 12 points.
Idaho State had a slow start in the second half that Montana State was able to build momentum that turned into a 13-point margin from a 9-2 run with 5:54 remaining in the second off a Bussey trey. The Bengals would foul to stay in the game sending Montana State to the line that Montana State would convert for seven points.
Both teams shot roughly 40 percent from the field for the night, with the Bengals edging out the Bobcats around the arc hitting 42.1 percent knocking down eight shots while MSU converted 31.6 percent with six made shots. Idaho State reduced its turnovers drastically from posting 32 at Sacramento State to just nine against the Bobcats, a season low for the Bengals, while causing Montana State to turn over the ball 16 times.
"That's a frustrating part, we finally shoot well, but the defense and rebounding isn't there," said senior Videbeck of ISU's shooting better than its average for the night.
Idaho State will return to Reed Gym on Saturday, February 6 to host Montana at 7:05 p.m. in an effort to split with the Griz for the series.
Notes: Redshirt Junior Andrea Blodgett made her first career start ... Idaho State played in front of its largest home crowd this season with 933 fans in attendance ... ISU's loss to Bobcats was first home Big Sky loss of the season ... Both senior Devin Diehl and freshman Wholtman posted nine points each, both knocking down three treys for their mark, Diehl was 3-of-4 from the arc while Wohltman was 3-of-6 ... Freshman Shannon Byrne posted two blocked shots, a career-high.
