Women's Basketball Outlasts Northern Arizona for 71-61 Win

Box Score PDF | Photo Gallery

POCATELLO, Idaho – The Idaho State women's basketball team defeated visiting Northern Arizona 71-61 Thursday evening at the ICCU Court at Reed Gym. The Bengals stifled a late NAU run and converted at the free throw line to hold on for the double-digit win.

Junior guard Brooke Blair led all scorers with 22 points off 7-of-12 from the field, including 3-of-5 from beyond the arc, to go along with five boards and three assists. Senior forward Anna Policicchio added 13 points, 10 in the second half alone, to go along with five boards and five blocks. Policicchio has now moved into fourth place all-time on ISU career blocks list, surpassing Michelle Grohs with 132 total blocks.

 "Brooke Blair had a fantastic game today," Head Coach Seton Sobolewski said. "She shot really well today. She really showed up."

The Bengals fell behind early, trailing 9-4 less than four minutes into the game. The Lumberjacks, who shot just 31.3 percent in the opening quarter, bettered the Bengals by a field goal in the first, giving ISU a six-point deficit, 15-9, heading into the second.

Idaho State (12-12, 5-8 BSC) found its rhythm in the second, outscoring Northern Arizona (6-19, 2-12 BSC) 20-12 in the second quarter. Blair paced the Bengals with nine points and the Bengals headed into the break with a two-point lead, 29-27.

The Bengals opened the third quarter with a 4-0 run to gain their largest lead thus far, 33-27, less than two minutes into the final half. NAU battled back with a 7-0 run to regain the lead, 34-33 with 6:12 remaining. Idaho State responded, capping a 14-1 run over the next 4:40 for a 12-point lead, 47-35, its largest of the night. Four-straight points from NAU's Taylor Leyva brought ISU's lead under double-digits heading into the final quarter, 47-39.

Nearly three minutes into the final quarter and ISU's lead was back to double-digits, 56-46 following back-to-back baskets from Blair, but the Bengals weren't in the clear yet. NAU's Kaleigh Paplow scored six-straight in 30 seconds to bring NAU within four points, 56-52 with 6:01 remaining.

NAU would cut the lead to four points twice more over the next two minutes, but Policicchio and freshman guard Isabel Vara de Rey hit two crucial back-to-back baskets to give ISU a nine-point lead, 65-56 with 3:34 remaining.

Both teams entered a scoring drought over the next two minutes, and neither team made a field goal until NAU's Rene Coggins hit a jumper with 47 seconds remaining. Coggins completed the three-point play after being fouled on the jumper, cutting ISU's lead to six points, 67-61 and making it a two possession game. The Bengals converted 4-of-8 from the line in the final minute to hold off the 'Jacks late run for the 71-61 win.

"I thought in the second half our motion offense looked really good," Sobolewski said. "We got a lot of really close baskets and great opportunities driving and kicking to open people like Isabel, Juliet and Brooke. I thought our movement was really good. If we can combine some good offense with that defense, we'll be good."

The Bengals limited NAU's leading scorer and rebounder Alyssa Rader to nine points and just four rebounds, five below her season average of 9.1. The Lumberjacks were led by Leyva with 15 points and seven boards. Coggins chipped in 10 points with four assists.

Idaho State is back in action Feb. 20 as it hosts Southern Utah in its annual Play 4Kay Pink Game at 2 p.m. at the ICCU Court at Reed Gym.

Notes
- Policicchio's five blocks against NAU gives her 132 career blocks. She surpassed Michelle Grohs and now ranks fourth all-time on ISU's career blocks list. She is six short of moving into third place all-time.
- Blair recorded a 20-point game for the third time this season and the second-straight game. She has reached double figures in the last nine games for ISU, and has scored in double-figures 19 times this season.
- The Bengals just edged NAU in the paint, outscoring the Lumberjacks 32-28 in the paint. Idaho State has outscored its opponent in the paint in each of the last nine games.