CHENEY, Wash. – The Idaho State women's basketball team dominated Eastern Washington on Reese Court Thursday night, picking up a 74-45 win on the road. In addition, Portland State lost at home, solidifying a No. 3 seed for the Bengals in next week's Big Sky Conference Tournament.
The win places ISU at 19-9 overall and 14-5 in conference play. A win against Idaho on Saturday would give the Bengals their first back-to-back, 20-win seasons in program history. Eastern Washington fell to 10-18 and 9-10 (BSC) with the loss.
Idaho State shot 40 percent or higher from the floor in every quarter while shooting 50 percent or better in the first and fourth quarters. ISU finished with a 48.3 field goal percentage while shooting 41.7 percent from behind the arc and 85.7 percent from the free-throw line. Eastern Washington shot 31.4 percent from the field and 25 percent from three-point range.
The Bengals' rebounding also gave them a significant advantage tonight. They tallied 18 second-chance points off 15 offensive boards and outrebounded EWU 43-26.
Saylair Grandon paced the Bengals with 14 points while adding four rebounds, five assists and a block.
Grace Kenyon finished with 10 points, six rebounds and two blocks.
Estefania Ors was the third player in double figures with 13 points and three rebounds. Idaho State had 10 players in both the scoring and rebounding columns.
The Bengals built a 10-point lead in under four minutes to start the game. Ors led the charge with eight points in the first quarter while making all three shot attempts. By halftime, ISU was up 40-22 and had already pushed the lead to 21 points on two occasions. The Bengals did not let up in the second half, outscoring the Eagles 34-23 to seal the win.
Eastern Washington did not have a single player reach double figures in the loss. Violet Kapri Morrow led all EWU players with eight points and four rebounds.
Game Notes
- This was the 17th double-digit margin of victory the Bengals have posted this season
- This was the fifth time ISU has won by 20 or more points
- ISU had 20 assists, marking the eighth time this season they have recorded 20 or more
- The Bengals grabbed 43 rebounds for their sixth game of 40 or more boards
- ISU has now recorded five or more blocks on six occasions
- This is the fifth time 10 or more players have scored in a game for Idaho State
- The Bengals tallied a season-high 24 three-point attempts.
Idaho State will conclude the regular season in Moscow, Idaho on Saturday afternoon. The team will face the league-leading Idaho Vandals at 3 p.m. in the Cowan Spectrum.
