Box Score PDFBOZEMAN, Mont. – The Idaho State women's basketball team nearly upended league-leading Montana State, falling 82-80 in overtime at the Worthington Arena in Bozeman, Mont.
The Bengals shot 53 percent against the league's best defensive team and forced the Bobcats, the league's top three-point shooting team, to shoot a measly 19 percent from beyond-the-arc, but the free-throw performance proved to be the difference-maker. Montana State scored half of its 82 points at the charity stripe, sinking 41-of-54 free throws which ranks second in both attempts and makes in Big Sky Conference history.
Idaho State (13-14, 6-10 BSC) held the edge near the end of regulation with a four-point lead with just 15 seconds remaining. Montana State (21-6, 14-2 BSC) hit a three with 15 seconds remaining and fouled ISU on the subsequent possession to send junior guard
Freya Newton to the line. Newton converted both, giving the Bengals the three-point advantage, 66-63 with seven seconds remaining. MSU's Delany Junkermier, responsible for MSU's previous three, hit an off-balance contested trey from beyond NBA range with one second left to tie the score 66-all and force overtime.
Player numbers dwindled throughout the extra period for the Bengals as senior forward
Anna Policicchio, sophomore forward
Lindsay Brown and junior guard
Brooke Blair all retired to the bench following their fifth foul. ISU kept its composure and battled, keeping the Bobcats within striking distance throughout overtime; the Bengals cut the lead to two points three times over the course of the final minute.
However, the Bobcats made 14-of-20 free throws in the final five minutes to outscore ISU 16-14 and hold on for the 82-80 overtime victory.
"The credit goes to Montana State for hitting a miraculous deep contested three with one second left to send it to overtime," Head Coach
Seton Sobolewski said. "I thought we played a great game and had several players step up and make big time plays. It's hard to beat someone who gets to shoot 54 free throws."
Policicchio had a career night for the Bengals, scoring a career-high 27 points off 13-of-19 from the field in addition to pulling down eight rebounds before fouling out in the extra period. Senior guard
Apiphany Woods added 19 points, 11 of which came in overtime and Brown finished with her first career double-double with 11 points and 10 boards. Newton also finished with double-digit rebounds, grabbing a game-high 11 to contribute to ISU's 50-29 advantage on the boards.
Montana State finished with five players in double-figures, led by Peyton Ferris with 22.
Idaho State returns home for its final two games of the regular season beginning with Eastern Washington Wednesday, March 2 at 7 p.m. at the ICCU Court at Reed Gym.
Notes- ISU's 50-29 rebounding margin is the largest in a loss this season. It is ISU's largest rebounding margin in a win or loss since out-rebounding the College of Idaho by 29 last season.
- Policicchio's 27 points is a new career-high; she now has 819 career points.
- Woods' 19 points broke the 800-point barrier for the senior; she now has 806 career points.
- Montana State's 41 made free-throws ranks 2nd all-time behind Montana's 43 made free throws against Oregon on Dec. 16, 1992; MSU's 54 attempts ranks second behind Weber State's 56 attempts against BYU on Nov. 23, 1985.
- Brown's double-double is the first of her career and only the fourth posted by an ISU player this season.
- Montana's win broke a six-game ISU win streak, dating back to Feb. 2, 2012 when ISU fell to the Bobcats 79-67 in overtime in Pocatello.
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