Women's Basketball | 12/27/2015 3:48:00 PM
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POCATELLO, Idaho – The Idaho State women's basketball team travels to Orem, Utah to face the Utah Valley Wolverines in its final nonconference game of the season. The Bengals hold a 6-5 series lead against the Wolverines with a 68-67 win at home last season, but ISU has lost its last three away games in the series. The game will be both squads first since returning from a brief holiday break.
SCOUTING UTAH VALLEYThe Wolverines are 7-6 on the season, and broke a five-game losing streak with a 74-59 win on the road at the University of Nebraska at Omaha on Dec. 22. Utah Valley has faced three Big Sky opponents in Southern Utah (W, 70-58), Eastern Washington (L, 68-64) and Weber State (L, 61-56).
Currently, Utah Valley is averaging 71.8 points per game while shooting 43.4 percent from the floor. The Wolverines average 36.5 rebounds per game and 12.1 assists per game. Utah Valley is led by junior guard Rhaiah Spooner-Knight at 13.8 points per game with sophomore guard Mariah Seals close behind at 13.2. Junior forward Rebecca MaWhinney leads the squad in rebounding at 4.3 per game.
The Wolverines are coached by Head Coach Cathy Nixon who is in her 21st season.
LAST GAME: ISU WINS FOURTH STRAIGHT WITH 82-55 ROUTE OF MONTANA TECHThe Idaho State women's basketball team won its fourth-straight Friday evening with an 82-55 route of visiting Montana Tech at the ICCU Court at Reed Gym. This was ISU's fourth-straight 80-point effort following an even 50 percent shooting from the field.
Eleven players scored for the Bengals, led by senior guard
Apiphany Woods and junior guard
Brooke Blair with 13 apiece. Sophomore forward
Lindsay Brown chipped in 10 points, as senior forward
Anna Policicchio added nine and sophomore guard
Juliet Jones tied her career-high with nine.
"I thought we were solid on offense, but I'm concerned about our defense," Head Coach
Seton Sobolewski said. "We need to play better defense and we need to rebound better. I thought we did a better job in the second half, but in the first half we didn't defend well enough."
Although the Bengals (6-4) earned a 28-13 advantage by the end of the first quarter, Montana Tech (5-8) led for the first 3:34 and gained a five-point advantage early. ISU responded, outscoring the Diggers 19-0 to take a 24-9 lead with 2:22 left in the first. The two squads traded baskets for the final minutes and ISU finished with a 15-point lead, 28-13.
The second quarter was nearly even between the Bengals and the 'Diggers as ISU outscored Montana Tech 22-21, including a four-point edge in the paint, 22-18. Montana Tech shot nearly 53 percent in the second quarter and was able to cut ISU's lead to single-digits, 35-28, with 4:33 left in the second quarter. However, the Bengals increased their defensive intensity, contributing to another monster run, this time 15-4, in which four different Bengals contributed baskets for the 18-point lead, 50-32. Tech's Dahila Lopez hit a jumper as time expired, and ISU headed into the break with a strong 16-point lead.
The Bengals opened the second half with a bang as junior forward
Freya Newton sunk a three in the first ten seconds to push ISU ahead by 19. ISU pummeled the 'Diggers both inside and out, as the Bengals outscored Montana Tech 10-2 in the paint and hit several midrange jumpers behind Blair's six-point third-quarter effort. ISU finished on a 10-0 run for the 67-45 advantage.
ISU limited to Montana Tech to 10 fourth-quarter points and gained its largest lead of the game at 28 points, 82-54, with 32 seconds remaining. Montana Tech converted at the free-throw line in the final seconds to keep the Bengals' advantage under 30, 82-55.
Montana Tech was led by Kaylynn Coverdell who finished with 18 points off 9-of-12 shooting.
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