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MOSCOW, Idaho – The Idaho State women's basketball team upended Idaho 62-52 Thursday evening at the Idaho/Memorial Gym to snap the Vandals' conference-best nine game win streak. The Bengals put together a spectacular team defensive effort, limiting Idaho to nearly 23 points below its season average of 74.4 points per game.
"I thought we played great team defense," Head Coach
Seton Sobolewski said. "Idaho is the best offensive team in the conference, and it took an amazing effort on our part to slow them down."
Idaho State (18-8, 10-5 BSC) excelled on the offensive end, shooting 46 percent from the floor including 45 percent from long range. Three players finished in double-figures for the Bengals, led by junior forward
Grace Kenyon with a near double-double of 17 points and eight rebounds. Junior guard
Saylair Grandon finished with 14 points, including 10 in the first half, while senior guard
Brooke Blair chipped in 12.
The Bengals opened the game with a solid performance from the floor, shooting 50 percent in the opening period. However, five first-quarter Bengal turnovers and four Vandal offensive rebounds prevented Idaho State from pulling away, and the score was deadlocked at 13 after the first 10 minutes.
Idaho (15-11, 11-4 BSC) capitalized on two quick Bengal turnovers to open the second quarter, putting together a 7-0 run to take a 20-13 lead with 7:56 remaining. A trey from Blair at the 6:50 mark halted Idaho's run, and the teams traded baskets over the next few possessions. Idaho claimed a five-point lead (24-19) with four minutes remaining, but another Bengal three, this time from sophomore guard
Estefania Ors, cut the Vandals' lead to two with 2:36 remaining. Sophomore guard
Dora Goles hit another three on the ensuing possession to give ISU its first lead since 3:59 to go in the first.
The Bengals held Idaho scoreless in the final four minutes of the second to claim a six-point lead (30-24) heading into the break.
Idaho State's hot shooting and defensive prowess continued into the third quarter as the Bengals shot 53.3 percent from the floor for 18 third quarter points while limiting the Vandals to 13 points off 33 percent shooting. With 1:12 to go in the third, the Bengals gained a 14-point lead, their largest of the night, off a trey from Goles. Idaho fired back with a trey from Geraldine McCorkell to cut ISU's lead to 11 (48-37) heading into the final quarter.
Blair opened up the scoring for the Bengals in the fourth, hitting a three just nine seconds into the quarter to put ISU back up by 14. Idaho responded, stringing together a 15-3 run over the next 5:50 to cut ISU's lead to two, 54-52. ISU's Kenyon fired back, netting back-to-back baskets to give ISU a 58-52 advantage with 1:42 to go. The Bengals held the Vandals scoreless in the final four minutes and converted at the line to secure the 10-point victory, 62-52.
"Grace came ready to play today," Sobolewski said. "When Idaho cut it to two, Grace responded with some big shots."
Idaho was led by Taylor Pierce and Geraldine McCorkell with 14 points each while Mikayla Ferenz added 12 points. Isabelle Hadden rounded out the double-figure scoring for the Vandals with 10 points.
Idaho State continues play on the road Saturday, Feb. 24 at Eastern Washington. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. MST in Cheney, Wash.
NOTES
- Idaho State limited three of the top 13 scorers in the Big Sky well below their season average. UI's Mikayla Ferenz leads the conference in scoring at 22.8 points per game while Geraldine McCorkell (16.4 ppg) and Taylor Pierce (14.8 ppg) rank 10th and 13th, respectively.
- Idaho's 52 points mark the 12th time this season that ISU has limited its opponent to 60 points or less. The Bengals are undefeated in games in which they limit their opponent to 60 points or less.
- Thursday's win marked the third time in history that Idaho State has defeated Idaho in Moscow, and it marks the second-straight year the Bengals have accomplished the feat. Last season, ISU bested UI 67-60 in Moscow on Jan. 14, 2017.
