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POCATELLO, Idaho- In a battle of two of the top teams in the Big Sky Conference, the Idaho State women's basketball team lost a tough 63-60 contest at Reed Gym in front of a crowd of 1,818 on Saturday evening.
“The crowd kept us in it and got us back in the game,” Idaho State coach Seton Sobolewski said. “This was a very fun and exciting women's college basketball atmosphere.”
The loss drops ISU to 16-9 and 7-5 in Big Sky play while Montana improved to 14-11 and 9-3 in conference.
“A couple plays here and there and that is the difference,” Sobolewski said. “That is the way Montana has been playing. They grind out wins. They are finding a way to get it done.”
There were six ties and 18 lead changes in the game where Idaho State's 14-game home winning streak was snapped. Idaho State shot 44 percent from the field while Montana shot 53.8 percent.
Ashleigh Vella led the Bengals in scoring with 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting. Chelsea Pickering had 13 points and six rebounds while Lindsey Reed scored 10.
Each team had 25 rebounds and Montana turned the ball over 19 times.
“We did a good job on the offensive boards,” Sobolewski said. “We made some good adjustments in the second half to get shots. We shot the three a lot better in the second half which makes a big difference for us.”
Two free throws by Kaela Oakes with 1:39 to play in the game gave ISU a 58-57 lead. Torry Hill then hit a 3-pointer with 1:15 left to put Montana back on top at 60-58. The Bengals tied the game at 60 on a jumper by Vella with just under a minute to play but free throws by Kenzie De Boer and Stephanie Stender each hit free throws to earn the victory.
Idaho State returns to the court on Thursday, Feb. 24 at Weber State. Tip-off is at 7 p.m.
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