Box Score PDF
IRVINE, Calif. – The Idaho State women's basketball team defeated UC Irvine 78-72 Sunday afternoon at the Bren Events Center in Irvine, Calif. The Bengals overcame an 11-point deficit in the third quarter to earn its fourth-straight win to remain undefeated on the season.
Idaho State (4-0) finished with three players in double-figures, led by junior guard
Saylair Grandon with 19 points, 16 in the second half, to go along with three boards and three assists.
"Saylair did an amazing job giving us a spark in the second half with her scoring and defense," Head Coach
Seton Sobolewski said.
Senior guard
Brooke Blair added 17 points while junior guard
Grace Kenyon chipped in 13 points, six boards and a team-high four assists.
The Bengals opened the first period with a 9-3 run fueled by five points from sophomore guard Dora Goles, and with 5:15 remaining in the first they extended their lead to nine, 16-7. But UC Irvine (2-2) chipped away at ISU's lead, and two free throws from Jordan Sanders with 2:18 remaining brought the 'Eaters within three, 16-13. The Bengals went ice cold from the field and missed their next three attempts; by the end of the quarter ISU's lead shrunk to two points, 17-15.
In the second quarter, Idaho State struggled to stop UC Irvine in the paint as the 'Eaters claimed a 14-8 advantage inside the key. UC Irvine took its first lead of the day, 23-22, at the 7:02 mark of the second quarter off a jumper inside the paint, but a trey from Kenyon 20 seconds later put the Bengals back on top. This back-and-forth play continued for the quarter with neither team able to pull away. Idaho State headed into the half gridlocked at 35-all with UC Irvine.
"UC Irvine gave us all we could handle," Sobolewski said. "Poor defense and cold shooting in the first half hurt us."
Idaho State connected on 6-of-17 attempts for 18 points in the third quarter, but an explosive 27-point quarter from the 'Eaters found the Bengals down by nine, 62-53, heading into the fourth.
Defense and rebounding guided the Bengals in the final quarter and ISU forced UC Irvine to shoot just 19 percent from the floor while gaining a 17-6 edge on the boards. The Bengals scored five unanswered point to open the quarter and cut UC Irvine's lead to four, 62-58 less than three minutes into the quarter. A layup from sophomore forward
Sai Tapasa at the 5:37 mark cut the lead to two, and another layup, this time from Kenyon, tied the game 64-all with 4:38 remaining.
Just over a minute later, the Bengals took the lead following a trey from Blair, and the Bengals converted 6-of-8 free throws to close the quarter and secure the 78-72 win.
The 'Eaters were led by Haleigh Talbert with a team-high 14 points while Lauren Saiki added 13. Tahlia Garza finished with a game-high 10 rebounds while Autumn Baumgartner dished out a game-high five assists.
Idaho State continues play on the road at Pepperdine Tuesday, Nov. 21 at 2 p.m. MST in Malibu, Calif.
NOTES
- Idaho State is off to its best start since the 1997-98 which saw the Bengals start 5-0.
- The Bengals outrebounded the 'Eaters 39-35 and have outrebounded their opponent in every game so far this season. Following Sunday's game, Idaho State boasts a +16.0 rebounding margin, the best in the Big Sky.
- Brooke Blair's 17 points mark the fourth-straight game the senior has scored in double-figures and the 30th time in her Bengal career.
- With Saylair Grandon's team-leading 19-points, the Bengals have had a different high scorer in every single game this season.
