POCATELLO, Idaho – It doesn't matter when you have the lead as long as you have it at the right time. That phrase proved perfect for Idaho State as
Megan Hochstein hit two free-throws with eight seconds left in the game to collect the Bengals' first advantage of the afternoon and edge Utah Valley 68-67 Saturday on the Idaho Central Credit Union Court inside Reed Gym.
"I am very proud of our team for hanging in there and keeping the right attitude," Head Coach
Seton Sobolewski said. "A lot of people stepped up and made big plays for us today."
The Bengals fell behind 8-0 to start the game trailed 16-2 just over six minutes into the contest. The home team would battle back to cut the deficit to just 29-26 at halftime.
It was déjà vu to open the second half as UVU went on 11-0 run to stretch the lead back to 14. The Wolverines seemed destined to walk away road winners when Mariah Seals three-pointer with 2:19 left gave UVU a 67-61 advantage but ISU would not go away.
"You just try to put a tourniquet on your issues," Sobolewski said of the UVU runs. "You identify the problem and try to improve on it. With young teams that can happen. You fix one thing and there's another problem. We just slowly tried to chip away."
Grace Kenyon (14 points) connected on a three-pointer to cut the lead to three with 1:57 left then
Sherise Porchia made a pair of free-throws to draw the Bengals within one with 58 seconds remaining.
After a UVU turnover, Idaho State ran a play for Kenyon who drove the lane and found fellow freshman
Megan Hochstein with the pass. The Meridian, Idaho native was fouled on her attempt; then calmly stepped to the line to connect on both pressure free-throws to complete the 7-0 run and give ISU the final 68-67 advantage. The Wolverines missed a layup as time expired.
"I think it shows that we can hang in there," Sobolewski said. "It shows character that we don't give up. We could have very easily just said 'hey this is not our day' and quit but we didn't do that."
Apiphany Woods led the Bengals with 16 points. She has scored in double figures in six of the last seven games.
"It feels great to get this win at home," Woods said. "We were just tired of losing. We are a resilient team. In the locker room we talk about out working them, playing hard and toughness. That's what we did out here today."
Rebecca Schrimpsher added 14 points connecting on 4-5 from beyond the arc.
Sherise Porchia chipped in with a career-high eight points off the bench.
"It's nice to be back on the floor and have the energy to play," Porchia said. "We always had the confident attitude and faith in our teammates that we could pull through and come back today."
Idaho State shot a season-high 88.2% (15-17) from the free-throw line and outscored UVU 34-26 in the paint. The Wolverines led for 39:19 of the 40 minutes.
Idaho State will travel to the Pacific Northwest to take on Seattle University next Sunday at 2 p.m. MST. The Bengals will return to Pocatello on December 29 to face the College of Idaho on the ICCU Court inside Reed Gym.
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