Box Score
POCATELLO, Idaho - A strong second half defensive effort along with a combined 41 points from seniors
Ashleigh Vella and
Kaela Oakes gave the Bengals the 60-43 win over visiting North Dakota Saturday afternoon in Reed Gym. Idaho State improves to 7-5 in Big Sky Conference play and 12-9 overall. ISU drops North Dakota to a 4-8 Big Sky record, 9-12 overall.
Vella finished the night with 21 points, eight rebounds, two steals, two assists and one block in 37 minutes of play. Oakes added 20 points and had four rebounds, two steals and two rebounds in 36 minutes of play.
“Kaela showed great character today,” ISU Head Coach
Seton Sobolewski said. “After Thursday's game, she was upset. For her to bounce back like this shows a lot of character and she did a great job tonight. Vella has also done a great job and been very consistent in the last two games. She has been shooting at a high percentage, rebounding the ball well and playing a lot of minutes.”
The Bengals trailed UND 23-18 at the half and were getting defeated on the glass as North Dakota had out-rebounded ISU 28-18. ISU dominated the paint in the second half, garnering 27 rebounds to UND's 12. The Bengals finished with 45 total rebounds, 17 of them on the offensive front while UND tallied 40 total rebounds. Junior guard
Lindsey Reed led the team with nine rebounds. She had five points and one block in the game.
“Our goal was to hold them 34 percent or less shooting, get 17 offensive rebounds and hold them to eight or fewer o-boards,” Sobolewski said. “We weren't meeting that goal at half time but then the team stepped up and defended better, kept them off the boards a little better and allowed just one offensive rebound in the second half.”
ISU regained the lead with 11 minutes left in the game off a layup by Junior forward
Cydney Horton that would trigger a 25-10 Idaho State run. The team outscored UND 42-20 in the half. ISU shot 31 percent from the field and made four 3-pointers, including one from Oakes as the shot clock expired with less than six minutes to go in the contest.
Horton ended the contest with seven points, six rebounds and one block in 32 minutes of competition. Junior guard
Kara Jenkins added five points.
Defense was strong for the Bengals in the second half as they held UND to only 20 points. Idaho State didn't allow UND to score a field goal between the 13:43 and 1:29 marks in the second half. North Dakota could only manage six free throws within that stretch.
Idaho State has just one contest next week as the Bengals begin a three-game road stretch. ISU faces Southern Utah in Cedar City, Utah Saturday, Feb. 9 at 7 p.m. The Bengals stay on the road the following week with contests against Montana State Feb. 14 and Montana Feb. 16.
We Are Your Bengals
