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POCATELLO, Idaho- Bianca Thacker didn't expect the shot to go in. But the Bengal freshman from Australia hit a high-arching game-winning 3-pointer in double overtime with .7 seconds left to give Idaho State a 65-64 win over Denver on Sunday afternoon in Reed Gym.
"I was just super happy that it went in," Thacker said. "I thought it was going straight over the rim to be honest. Then I turned around and everyone was screaming."
The Bengals trailed 63-59 with 19 seconds left in the game. Isabel Vara De Rey hit a 3-pointer with 15 seconds left to cut the Pioneer lead to 63-62 and then Denver hit one of two free throws with eight seconds left to set up ISU's game winning shot by Thacker.
"She was the open one," Idaho State coach
Seton Sobolewski said. "The last play we were out of time outs and it was completely freelance. She has the courage to shoot and she did. She is a good shooter. A lot of other people have been struggling so you might as well try someone else."
In a game where ISU's offense struggled, the Bengal defense and the team's ability to rebound kept the team in the game with a chance to win.
Denver shot 33 percent from the field and was out rebounded 49-39. ISU grabbed 15 offensive rebounds to only six for Denver. Idaho State's offense was held to 34.2 percent shooting.
"This game illustrates why we emphasize defense and rebounding," Sobolewski said. "If we hadn't defended and rebounded as well as we did we wouldn't have won this game. We got 19 extra shot attempts because of the offensive rebounding."
Grace Kenyon led ISU with 20 points and a career-high 14 rebounds. She had three assists, two blocks and one steal.
Saylair Grandon had eight points and eight rebounds and
Britanny Kochenderfer had seven points off the bench. Vara De Rey had eight points in 33 minutes off play.
Freya Newton,
Estefania Ors and Grandon each had six rebounds.
ISU had a hot second quarter, shooting 62.5 percent to take a 31-19 lead at halftime. ISU out scored Denver 23-6 in the quarter. Denver slowly chipped away at ISU's lead, trailing 41-33 after three quarters. The Bengals were outscored 17-9 in the fourth quarter and Denver took a 45-44 lead with 4:36 left in regulation. Each team exchanged baskets the rest of the way. ISU led 50-47 with 2:19 to play in regulation and Denver followed with a 3-pointer 25 seconds later to tie game at 50.
No team would score over the final 1:55 of regulation. The Bengals led 56-54 with under a minute to play in the first overtime but Denver's Jacqlyn Poss hit a jumper with 13 seconds left to send the game in the final overtime period.
Idaho State trailed the entire second overtime until Thacker hit the game-winner with .7 seconds left.
Idaho State hosts Montana Tech Friday, Dec. 16 at 8 p.m. in Reed Gym. The game is a double header with the men, who also host Montana Tech at 6 p.m. Your ticket to the men's game also gets out into the women's game.
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