Box Score PDF
CEDAR CITY, Utah – The Idaho State women's basketball team defeated Southern Utah 71-68 in double overtime Saturday evening in Cedar City, Utah. The Bengals scored 21 points in the final quarter to force the extra period and finished on a 4-0 run in the final 28 seconds of double overtime to put the T-birds to rest.
Idaho State (12-9, 6-4 BSC) shot 36.4 percent from the floor while Southern Utah (5-17, 0-11 BSC) shot 31.9 percent. The Bengals continued to claim the upper hand on the glass as they out rebounded the Thunderbirds 47-46.
In a well-balanced Bengal attack, five players finished in double figures led by junior forward
Lindsay Brown with 15 points and a team-high tying eight rebounds. Sophomore guard
Saylair Grandon finished with 12 points and eight boards, freshman forward
Sai Tapasa finished with 11 points and both sophomore guard
Grace Kenyon and freshman guard
Estefania Ors chipped in 10.
Southern Utah took the early 4-0 lead to open the game and held Idaho State scoreless until two free throws from Kenyon at the 6:13 mark put ISU on the board. Tapasa recorded ISU's first field goal with her first career three point field goal at the 4:28 mark of the first. ISU scored twice more and finished the first quarter down 12-9.
Tapasa continued to be an asset for the Bengals in the second quarter with six points and a rebound. The Bengals outscored SUU 14-12 in the second to cut the T-birds lead to one, 24-23, heading into the break.
Coming out of the break, the Bengals struggled to score, posting nine points to SUU's 14 and faced a six point deficit, 38-32, heading into the final quarter.
With 3:22 remaining in the fourth quarter, Southern Utah had extended its lead to 12, 52-40, to gain its largest lead of the evening. Nearly a minute later, a trey from Grandon sparked a 12-1 Bengal run over the next 42 seconds that comprised of four threes: two from Grandon, one from senior guard
Freya Newton and one from sophomore guard
Britanny Kochenderfer. With 18 seconds remaining and Idaho State down one, 53-52, Kenyon stepped to the line and converted one-of-two to tie the game at 53-all. ISU forced a Thunderbird turnover on the ensuing possession to force the extra period.
An even seven points from each squad in the first overtime sent the game to a second overtime. An 8-0 Southern Utah run over the first three minutes of the second overtime dug a deep hole for the Bengals, but once again they responded. Ors scored four straight points and freshman
Bianca Thacker converted a big three with 1:24 left to cut SUU's lead to one, 68-67. Nearly a minute later, the Bengals took the lead with a trey from Ors, and Thacker sealed the win with a free throw with eight seconds remaining. Southern Utah missed its final attempt to give the Bengals the 71-68 win.
"I've never been part of a game like that before, where you overcome not just one but two big deficits in the closing minutes," Head Coach
Seton Sobolewski said. "Needless to say we are very proud of our team. They showed great resiliency."
Southern Utah was led by Richardson with 14 points and nine rebounds while Whitney Johnson added 13 points and seven boards. Darri Frandsen also finished in double figures for the Thunderbirds with 10 points and seven boards.
Idaho State returns home for Big Sky conference action as it hosts Portland State Thursday, Feb. 9 and Sacramento State Feb. 11.
