Gallery: (3-21-2021) Women's Basketball vs Kentucky NCAA
San Antonio, Texas - The Idaho State Bengals battled to the final buzzer in a 71-63 loss to the University of Kentucky in round one of the NCAA tournament.
2021 was a season of records and runs. The Idaho State Bengals faced constant uncertainty and adversity as they faced the COVID-19 crisis. After everything that happened the Bengals earned themselves a bid to the 'Big Dance' the NCAA Tournament.
The Bengals faced off against the University of Kentucky Wildcats at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.
ISU started the game showing off the strength that propelled them all year, their defense. Between the duo of Dora Goles and Diaba Konate the Bengals pressed the wildcat offense all quarter. When the Bengals had the ball, they lit up the court. Threes from Goles and Callie Bourne combined with Konate's 10 points gave the Bengals an 18-12 lead heading into the second.
The Wildcats came back in the second, outscoring the Bengals 18-6 to take a 30-24 lead heading into the half.
Kentucky kept the pressure on the team in the 3rd outscoring the Bengals 17-7.
Facing a 47-31 score heading in to the fourth, the Bengals didn't just give up and head home. In a serious offensive barrage, the Bengals scored 32 points in the fourth going nine-of-19 from the field and five-of-12 from behind the three-point arc
The Idaho State University Bengals battled to the very end. This entire season the team never faltered in the face of adversity and in an NCAA first round game against Kentucky the Bengals let the country hear their roar. While the outcome was not what the team wanted, they laid the groundwork for even stronger Bengal teams to come.
Idaho State shot 38.6 percent from the floor on 22-of-57 shooting.
Konate led the team with 16 points on seven-of-12 shooting and had two assists and three steals.
Bourne had a double-double with 10 points and 10 boards. Goles had 14 points with four three-pointers.
The Bengals outstole the Wildcats 13-12 and had 24 points off of turnovers to Kentucky's 17.
While Kentucky outrebounded the Bengals they only had 13 second chance points to Idaho State's 15.
