Women's Basketball Falls Short in Big Sky Conference Tournament Championship

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RENO, Nev. – Idaho State women's basketball spectacular late-season run ended Saturday afternoon as the Bengals fell 67-55 in the Big Sky Conference tournament championship to No. 3 Idaho at the Reno Events Center in Reno, Nev.

"I think we played really hard and had a really amazing run," Head Coach Seton Sobolewski said. "Five games in eight days is tough, but we showed a lot of guts and a lot of toughness to take it this far. I think it caught up with us a bit, especially in the third quarter with our shooting…Regardless, I thought we played really hard. I'm very proud of our team, and I think they are amazing representatives of Idaho State, Pocatello and Southeast Idaho, and we are all very proud of them. This has just been an incredible run."

Idaho State finished with two players in double figures, led by senior forward Anna Policicchio with 15 to go along with six rebounds and three blocks. Senior guard Apiphany Woods added 12 while sophomore forward Lindsay Brown hauled in a game- and season-high 14 boards which ties her career high.

It was a battle from the beginning with the Vandals striking first as Geraldine McCorkell slipped inside for an easy two and the first bucket of the game. Idaho State responded as Policicchio finished inside, but the Vandals hit three of their next six including two treys to race ahead by eight, 10-2, with 6:16 left in the first.

Five points from Brown cut the lead to three, 7-10, and both squads scored an even seven points to close out the quarter for a 17-14 Vandal advantage.

ISU started the second on a 10-0 for its largest lead of the game at seven, 24-17. Two treys from Christina Salvatore brought UI within three, 26-23, with 2:21 remaining, but neither team scored for the remainder of the half, giving Idaho State the three-point advantage heading into the break.

The Bengals finished the half with a 25-19 advantage on the boards and forced Idaho to shoot 29 percent, but the Vandals sunk 5-of-10 from long range to stay in the game.

The momentum swung in favor of the Vandals following the break as Idaho State went ice cold from the field, shooting just 23.1 percent from the floor for eight total points in the quarter. Coupled with six third-quarter turnovers and hot shooting from the Vandals, including 44.4 percent from the field and 60 percent from long range, gave Idaho a nine-point advantage heading into the final 10 minutes.

Both teams were scoreless to start the fourth, and Policicchio knocked down two free throws at the 7:49 mark to bring ISU within six, 43-46. But the Vandals tore through the next 4:05, hitting two threes and two jumpers for 10 unanswered points and a 17-point lead, their largest of the afternoon.

A layup from Woods at the 3:28 mark ended ISU's scoring drought and sparked an 11-5 Bengal run over the next two minutes to cut Idaho's lead to nine, 58-49 with 1:28 remaining.
The Bengals fouled Idaho and converted two late threes, but Idaho converted 9-of-10 free throws in the final 1:20 to hold off ISU's late surge and win its second Big Sky Conference Tournament Championship in program history.

The Vandals were led by Mikayla Ferenz with a game-high 18 points of 7-of-11 from the field including four threes. Three other Vandals finished in double-figures with Karlee Wilson netting 14, Salvatore 13 and Ali Forde finishing with 12 points and 13 rebounds.

Both Policicchio and junior guard Brooke Blair were named to the all-tournament team. Idaho's Ferenz earned MVP honors while Forde and Eastern Washington's Hayley Hodgins and Delaney Hodgins also earned all-tournament honors.

The Bengals finish the season with a winning record for the first time since the 2012-13 season. Three Bengals will be lost to graduation this May: senior forward Tressa Lyman, Policicchio and Woods.

Notes
- Idaho State continued its solid performance from the charity stripe, shooting 90 percent against the Bengals. Apiphany Woods led the Bengals with a perfect 4-for-4 performance.
- Idaho State has outrebounded its opponent 10 of the last 13 games. The Vandals nearly edged the Bengals on the glass, grabbing 45 to ISU's 44. Lindsay Brown led the effort on the glass grabbing a team- and season-high 14 rebounds. Brown's 14 boards matches her career-high as she hauled in 14 against the College of Idaho on Dec. 29, 2014.
- The Bengals are now 14-15 all time in Big Sky Conference tournament play and are now 3-2 overall in championship games.
- As a No. 9 seed, the Bengals are the lowest seed to ever reach the Big Sky Conference Tournament championship. This year was the first year that all Big Sky teams advanced to post-season play; ISU's ninth-place finish in the Big Sky Conference would not have been high enough to advance to the tournament before the tournament structure change implemented a this year's tournament.