POCATELLO, Idaho – Idaho State women's basketball put on a defensive clinic in the second half of Saturday's 61-43 win over Montana State. The Bengals held the Bobcats scoreless for nearly 14 minutes in front of 1,092 fans as they improved to 7-1 in Reed Gym.
The win propelled the Bengals to 12-6 with a 7-2 conference mark while Montana State dropped to 10-9 with a 5-4 record in Big Sky play.
Grace Kenyon led the Bengals with her second double-double in as many games after netting 19 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Her six offensive boards topped every other player's total rebounds except for
Callie Bourne and MSU's Madeline Smith. The senior also added three assists, a block and two steals while shooting 7-12 from the field.
Bourne was one point shy of her first double-double after collecting nine points and a career-high 10 rebounds. The freshman also led Idaho State with two blocks.
Estefania Ors was the only other Bengal in double figures with 14 points after shooting 55 percent from the field.
Idaho State dominated the boards with 40 rebounds and tallied 13 assists while shooting 44.2 percent. Montana State shot 21.7 percent from the floor and tallied just four assists and 25 rebounds although 10 boards came on the offensive glass. The Bengals forced the Bobcats to turn the ball over 23 times, which matched the opponent-season high, but also had 19 turnovers.
The teams combined for just six baskets in the first quarter with Ors being the only player on either side to make two shots. The Bengals were the first on the scoreboard, but Montana State led for most of the first period after netting seven of its eight free throw attempts.
Both squads shot over 40 percent in the second quarter and Bourne had a perfect performance from the field for six points. Idaho State forced six turnovers and added two blocks on defense while going 8-8 from the charity stripe to cut the lead to two points. Martha Kuderer was the lone reason MSU was able to maintain control. The junior was 4-5 from the field and 3-3 from behind the arc in the second quarter.
The second half was all Idaho State as the Bengals brought Montana State's offense to a grinding halt. The Bobcats were just 3-22 in the final 20 minutes and failed to score for a stretch of 13:55 spanning from 7:35 left in the third quarter to 3:40 remaining in the game.
It looked as though the Bobcats would end the scoreless streak in the closing seconds of the third quarter. Kuderer stole the ball and put up a shot from the paint with two seconds remaining. She never saw Kenyon, who sprinted to catch her from behind, until her shot was knocked out of the air by the pursuing defender.
ISU opened a 22-point lead during the stretch and collected two offensive rebounds on the final possession, bringing the crowd to its feet as time expired.
Kuderer was the leading scorer for Montana State. She was shut out in the second half after scoring 18 points in the first. Claire Lundberg, who entered the game as the leading scorer for MSU, was just 1-11 from the field and 1-7 from three-point range. She finished with eight points after earning six trips to the free throw line.
The Bengals head out for a brief road trip next week. They face Sacramento State for the second time this season on Jan. 31 and play Portland State for the first time on Feb. 2.
Game Notes:
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Callie Bourne had a career-high 10 rebounds and tied her career high in blocks with two.
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Saylair Grandon matched her career high in steals with four.
-Idaho State is 9-0 when holding an opponent below 60 points.
-Idaho State allowed a combined 75 points in its two games this week.
-This was the first game Idaho State has won this season after trailing at halftime. The Bengals were 11-0 when leading at halftime and 0-6 when trailing at halftime coming into today's game.
-This was the 10th time ISU has recorded double digit offensive rebounds.
-This was the fourth time ISU reached 40 total rebounds.
-Montana State committed 23 turnovers, tying Arizona for the opponent season high.
-MSU now holds the lowest opponent totals in made field goals (10), shots (46) and field goal percentage (21.7).
