ISU Overcomes 19-Point Deficit to Defeat Seattle 83-67

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POCATELLO, Idaho – The ISU women's basketball team overcame a 19-point first-half deficit to defeat visiting Seattle 83-67 and remain undefeated at home. The Bengals shot over 58 percent in the second-half and outscored the Redhawks 50-28 en route to their third win of the season.

Four Bengals finished in double-figures; senior guard Apiphany Woods finished with a season-high 20 points and six assists, junior guard Brooke Blair finished with a career-high 18 points with seven boards, senior forward Anna Policicchio finished with 18 points and a career-high eight blocks and junior forward Freya Newton finished with a career-high 13 points and four assists.

"I think we had to dig down deep and stay positive and had to push through that first half," Policicchio said. "We had to calm ourselves down. I think we got a little nervous because we haven't been back at Reed Gym in a while, so that was kind of exciting.  I think that was the biggest thing, just to stay calm and know that we could dig ourselves out of that."

The Bengals suffered their slowest start of the season, falling behind 10-0 before Blair put them on the board just over three minutes into the game. Seattle extended its lead to 17, 19-2 following a 3:26 ISU drought and the hot-shooting Redhawks finished the first quarter up 21-6.

ISU bounced back in the second quarter, pouring in 27 points to cut Seattle's lead to six, 39-33. Newton had the hot hand in the second, scoring 10 points off a perfect 4-for-4 from the floor including 2-for-2 from beyond-the-arc. The New Zealand native sparked a 7-3 run midway through the second to bring the Bengals within 12, 38-26 with 1:43 remaining in the second. ISU finished on a 7-1 run to cut Seattle's lead to six heading into the break.

ISU's run continued in the third quarter as Policicchio scored on the Bengals first possession to cut Seattle's lead to four. The Bengals continued to claw back and at the 5:26 mark of the third quarter tied the game for the first time, 43-all, following two Policicchio free throws. The next 2:33 featured four ties and five lead changes until a three by Blair at the 2:13 mark gave ISU its first lead of the game, 54-53. The Bengals capped an 8-2 run to gain a six-point advantage, 59-53 heading into the final quarter.

ISU never relinquished its lead behind a 13-point fourth-quarter effort from Woods and cruised to the 83-67 victory. Woods, who finished the first half with just four points, came alive in the second half, pouring in 16 points in the final 20 minutes. Woods was 6-of-8 from the floor, including 4-of-5 from the charity stripe in the second half. The rest of the Orange and Black followed suit, as Policicchio and Blair both chipped in 12 and 10 respectively.

"I think it happened out of necessity," Head Coach Seton Sobolewski said. "We were down, and I think people got pumped up to score. I thought our shot selection got a lot better, and I thought we did a better job of taking care of the ball. We definitely took better care of the ball and took better shots."

The Bengals continue their home stand Tuesday, Dec. 8 as they take on the Aggies of Utah State for the first time since Nov. 22 of 2013. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. Tuesday evening at the ICCU Court at Reed Gym.