Box Score PDFPORTLAND, Ore. – The Idaho State women's basketball team ended its three-game losing streak in style, cruising to a 64-42 victory against Portland State at the Peter W. Stott Center Thursday afternoon. The Bengals earned their first double-digit win since defeating Montana Tech 82-55 in Pocatello on Dec. 18.
Senior forward
Anna Policicchio led the Bengals with a game-high 18 points, seven rebounds and five blocks. Junior guard
Brooke Blair and freshman guard
Isabel Vara de Rey also finished in double figures for ISU with 12 and 11 respectively, while senior guard
Apiphany Woods cleaned up on the glass grabbing a team-high 10 boards.
"Today, we played really good defense and rebounded well against a good offensive team," Head Coach
Seton Sobolewski said. "I'm especially proud of our guard rebounding with Apiphany leading the way with 10 boards."
It was a struggle to begin for both teams in the first, with neither team scoring a field goal until Portland State's Pia Jurhar hit a jumper at the 5:04 mark. Blair followed suit, hitting a jumper following a steal for ISU's first field goal of the game with 4:21 remaining. The Bengals traded baskets with PSU but ended the quarter on top 14-13 following a trey from Vara de Rey.
Idaho State caught fire in the second, outscoring the Vikings 20-4 behind three three's, one from Vara de Rey and two from Policicchio. The Bengals forced six turnovers during their 17-0 run to close the half and limited the Vikings to 22.2 percent shooting. Idaho State retired to the locker room with a 17-point lead, 34-17, its largest halftime lead since besting Utah State by 18 points after the first 20 minutes on Dec. 8.
The Bengals extended their unanswered run to 21 points as they opened the third quarter with two jumpers from junior guard
Freya Newton and Policicchio for the 38-17 lead. A free throw from Vara de Rey with 5:12 remaining gave ISU its largest lead of the afternoon at 23; 14 seconds later Portland State ended its 13:51 second scoring drought with a jumper from Jurhar. The Bengals would score twice more to finish the third with a 20-point advantage, 46-26.
Portland State opened the fourth with a perfect 4-of-4 showing at the charity stripe to go along with two jumpers in addition to forcing two turnovers to bring ISU's lead under 20, 49-34. However, the Bengals handled PSU's full-court pressure and finished the day on a 14-7 run for the 22-point victory, 64-42.
The Bengals are back in action Feb. 13 as they travel to Sacramento, Calif. to face the Hornet of Sacramento State at 3 p.m. MST.
NOTES- This was ISU's largest halftime lead (17 points) since besting the Aggies of Utah State by 18 points after 20 minutes on Dec. 8.
- This is the first game since being defeated by Sacramento State 68-59 on Jan. 14 that has been decided by more than five points. Each of ISU's last six games have been decided by five points or less including three games decided by one point. ISU is 3-3 in those six games.
- This is the first game ISU has been a part of that has been decided by double digits since a 61-46 loss to Weber State in Pocatello on Jan. 2.
- Policicchio moved into fifth place all-time on ISU's career block list, surpassing Cydney Horton. Previously Policicchio was tied for fifth, but her five blocks this afternoon put her in fifth alone with 121 total career blocks. She is 10 blocks from fourth all-time.
- ISU's 11 steals are the most this season and the first time the Bengals have recorded double-digit steals since recording 10 in the Big Sky Quarterfinals last season against Montana. ISU's 11 steals are the most since recording 13 against North Dakota on Jan. 9, 2014.
- The Bengal's eight team blocks ties the most in conference play this season. ISU also blocked eight shots at Southern Utah on Jan. 28.
This Is Our Time
