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LOGAN, Utah – The Idaho State women's basketball team fell to Utah State 56-69 Thursday evening at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. The Bengals out-rebounded the Aggies 42-37 including 17 offensive rebounds, but a season-high 24 turnovers and a fourth-quarter scoring outburst gave the Aggies the upper hand.
Three Bengals finished in double-figures, led by sophomore guard
Grace Kenyon with 11 points and season-high 11 rebounds for her first double-double of the season to go along with a team-high four assists. Sophomore guard
Isabel Vara de Rey added 13 points while sophomore guard
Saylair Grandon chipped in a career-high 13 points with four rebounds, one block and one steal.
Idaho State (2-4) took the early lead with a trey from Vara de Rey less than 30 seconds into the contest, but Utah State (6-1) took off on a 10-3 run to take a 10-6 lead midway through the first. The final five minutes of the opening quarter featured back-and-forth play with two lead chances and three ties, yet Idaho State was able to build a four-point advantage, 17-13, with 1:15 to go. A 5-1 Aggie run put USU back on top 18-17 to end the first.
The second quarter started similar to the first, with a Bengal trey, this time from senior forward
Freya Newton to give ISU the 20-18 edge, but five quick Aggie points put USU back on top, 23-20. Neither team was able to connect for a field goal over the next 3:44 until a bucket from Utah State's Rachel Brewster broke the scoring drought and extended the Aggies' lead to five, 25-20. USU would extend its lead to as many as 10 in the second quarter, but a layup from Kenyon with 42 seconds remaining cut the lead to single digits heading into the break, 32-24.
Out of the break, Idaho State scored five unanswered to cut Utah State's lead to three, 32-29. That was the closest the Bengals would come until Grandon converted two free throws with 27 seconds remaining in the third to bring the Bengals within two, 43-41.
A layup from Kenyon 40 seconds into the fourth tied the game 43-all but the Bengals were unable to regain the lead. Utah State erupted in the final quarter for 26 points as it shot 77.8 percent from the floor and 80 percent from beyond-the-arc to extend its lead and win the game 69-56.
"We completely beat ourselves tonight," Head Coach
Seton Sobolewski said. "We had too many turnovers and gave up too many offensive rebounds. I thought we played a great all-around third quarter, but we made a lot of silly mistakes in the fourth quarter."
Utah State finished with two players in double-figures, led by Rachel Brewster with a game-high 22 points with four rebounds and two assists. Olivia West added 15 points on 4-of-5 shooting from three.
Idaho State continues play on the road Saturday, Dec. 3 as it travels to Boulder, Colo. to face No. 21 Colorado at 6 p.m.
NOTES
- For the fifth time this season, Idaho State has out-rebounded its opponent. However, with the loss to Utah State, it is the third time this season the Bengals have out-rebounded their opponent and lost.
- Grace Kenyon's double-double marks the first time this season a Bengal has recorded a double-double. It's Kenyon's fourth double-double of her career.
- Freshman guard Estefania Ors grabbed a season-high eight boards in the loss. She also recorded season-highs in blocks (2) and steals (3).
