Gallery: (12-21-2021) Idaho State vs. Utah Valley
POCATELLO, Idaho – Idaho State women's basketball defeated the Utah Valley University Wolverines 53-36 Tuesday evening in front of almost 1000 screaming Idaho State fans in Reed Gym.
The Bengal defense shined as they fought their way to victory over a WAC opponent who already had victories over three other Big Sky Conference opponents.
The Bengals, who struggled in the first half, turned on the gas in the second half and pulled away In the 4th quarter to secure the victory.
The two teams both had 14 turnovers in the first half and combined for 48 turnovers on the game. The Bengals battled past their early mistakes though and scored 18 points off of those UVU turnovers.
With 9:41 to play in the 4th quarter, Estefania Ors hit a pair of free throws that gave the Bengals a nine-point lead and kicked off a 14 to four final 10 minutes.
With a minute left to play, Head Coach Seton Sobolewski subbed in his Bengal newcomers and with 40 seconds left in the game, Callie Bourne cut a pass to Kayla Salmons who powered past her defender and made the layup to put the icing on the cake and give the Bengals a 53-34 lead over their WAC foe.
Idaho State shot 40.8 percent from the field on 20-of-49 from the field.
The Bengal defense came to play, holding the Wolverines to 23.2 percent shooting from the field, 20.8 percent from behind the three-point arc and 55.6 percent from the charity stripe.
Ors led the Bengals offensively scoring 15 points on five-of-10 shooting from the floor. She also tacked on six boards, two assists and three steals. She now has the fifth-highest made field goals in Idaho State history.
Ellie Smith had a strong night under the basket, blocking four Wolverine shots, just one behind her career best.
The two teams tied their battle on the glass with 31 rebounds each. The Bengals out rebounded defensively 25-19 while UVU won the offensive rebound battle 12-6.
The Orange and Black get a much-needed break this weekend for the Christmas holiday. After coming back, the Bengals dive straight into conference play, hosting the Montana schools in what will be two strong Big Sky WBB battles.
Follow along at ISUBengals.com to keep up to date with the team and don't forget to follow us on social media on Twitter @HeartofaBengal and Facebook at @IdahoStateWBB
