POCATELLO, Idaho – Idaho State (4-4) cruised to an 80-68 win over Utah Valley (4-5) in Reed Gym Thursday night. Saylair Grandon and Sai Tapasa did the heavy lifting for ISU, combining for 49 points.
"I thought we had great ball movement," said Head Coach Seton Sobolewski. "To get so many layups against a zone is really hard to do and I thought we showed great patience."
Grandon was extremely efficient on the floor, tallying 24 points on 8-10 shooting from the field. She was also 5-6 from behind the three-point line. The senior added five rebounds, seven assists and three blocks as well.
Tapasa's 25 points was a career high. The junior scored 12 points in the first half before shooting 75 percent in the second half to reach the mark. She also had three boards on the night.
"We ended up scoring, I think, 46 points in the paint," Sobolewski said. "You know that's where Sai got a lot of her baskets, just moving the ball, sharing the ball, being patient and you know I really thought that was good."
Grace Kenyon was the only other Bengal in double figures with 10 points though Madison Hinrichs finished with nine and a career-high eight assists.
Idaho State sprung to a 17-9 lead after making its first six shot attempts. All five starters scored during the stretch while Grandon added six. Utah Valley cut the lead to one with under a minute remaining in the first before Tapasa netted a jumper to close the quarter.
Grandon scored eight points in the second quarter as ISU outscored UVU 20-9 to extend the lead to 14. The Bengals scored over half of their points off of the seven turnovers they forced. They also prevented UVU from making a field goal during the final 4:32 before the half.
Despite shooting over 70 percent in the second half, UVU outscored Idaho State by one in both the third and fourth quarters. Grandon scored 10 points in the third and Tapasa matched her effort in the fourth.
A fast-break jumper by Grandon gave ISU its largest lead at 17 with three minutes left in the third period. Utah Valley was able to cut the lead to single digits just once in the second half as ISU rolled to the 12-point victory.
Idaho State shot 66 percent from the field and 50 percent from three without missing a free throw on six attempts. Utah Valley converted on 43.8 percent of its shots despite shooting 25.0 percent from behind the arc. The Wolverines also took full advantage of the free-throw line, sinking 23 of 26 attempts.
The Bengals worked the zone defense with persistent passing and finished the game with 25 assists on 33 field goals. Both teams had just under 20 turnovers though Utah Valley tallied 15 steals compared to three for Idaho State.
"I thought Utah Valley played really well," Sobolewski said. "I think that was the best they've played all year offensively, it was definitely above average, and I think it shows great character out of their team."
Sophia Jacobsson led the Wolverines with 17 points and Josie Williams added 15 points. Alexis Cortez and Gabrielle Leos were close behind with 10 and nine points respectively.
"They scrapped and I thought they did a great job at the post and a great job finishing at the basket," Sobolewski said. "They earned all those points."
Idaho State returns to Reed Gym to play Pepperdine next Saturday. It will be the final game for Idaho State before their conference opener with Idaho on Dec. 29.
