Gallery: (3-6-2021) WBB Championship Postgame Gallery
POCATELLO, Idaho – The Idaho State women's basketball team summed up their regular season with an 86-51 win over Eastern Washington and a clinch of the regular season Big Sky Championship.
This was a season for the history books. With this win the Idaho State Bengals finish the regular season with a perfect 11-0 home record. In the 46-year history of the program this is only the second time that the Bengals have accomplished that goal.
This season, the Bengals faced adversity week in and week out. Playing basketball in a world that was dealing with a pandemic, the Bengals were able to make it work. Early in the season the team had to cancel two of their preseason games due to the Covid-19 while also hosting and defeating Utah State 85-61.
After the uncertain start, the team didn't give up, heading west to face down two Big 12 opponents and come away with a power-5 win against Kansas State University. This win would be the start of an amazing run for the Bengal team.
Over the next 13 games, the Bengals would face Big Sky and WAC opponents and time after time, come away with the victory. After their series against Southern Utah was canceled, the Bengals found a way to play WAC member Grand Canyon University. The Lopes were the No. 1 team in the nation in turnovers forced. Facing that defense, the Bengals showed their strength and battled past their own turnovers battle to win 62-54.
The Bengals then faced their biggest challenges of the season, two consecutive series against the Idaho Vandals and the Montana State Bobcats.
In the first series against the Vandals, the team fought their way back to take down the Vandals 63-58 in Moscow, one of the few five points or less games of the season. In game two, the Vandals would come back to hand the Bengals their first loss since the game against Nebraska at the beginning of the season.
With that loss fresh on the minds of the team, the Bengals welcomed the No. 2 team in the conference, the Montana State Bobcats, into Reed Gym. The Bengals showed off their strong defense, winning the game 69-59 and holding a Bobcat squad who averaged 72 points to under 60.
After the Montana State series, the Bengals headed to Missoula for one of their hardest tests of the year. Historically, the Bengals have had almost no luck against Montana, before this year only recording three wins ever in Dahlberg arena.
This Bengal squad took the challenge, going into Missoula and handing the Lady Griz the worst loss they have ever suffered to a Big Sky opponent at home 79-49. The Bengals followed that historical win with another strong win against the Griz and left Missoula with a sweep and the 4th and 5th away wins in program history there.
The Bengals entered the final week of the regular season almost losing their chance to play because of a false-positive COVID test. After clean tests came back the Bengals welcomed the Eastern Washington Eagles to Reed for the final game of the Big Sky regular season. Win and clinch the Championship outright, lose and tie with the Vandals.
The Bengals were not going to tie, and they showed that by controlling the game from the start and quickly jumping out to a 23-12 first quarter lead.
The Eagles were unable to contain the Bengals in the key with ISU scoring 60 points in the paint.
Leading the team the entire way was Delaney Moore. Moore scored 18 points on 13 FG attempts with six rebounds. Whenever Moore was in the key, the Eagles had no answer as the Bengals controlled the paint the entire way.
10 of the 12 Bengals that saw the court scored points and the two that didn't score contributed with rebounds.
More than a win, the Bengals 86-51 final over the Eagles showed the maturity of the team. Instead of playing the Eagles as if they had already won a championship. The Bengals instead entered Reed gym with one goal, to beat Eastern Washington, which they did handily. The Championship was just the icing on the cake.
The Bengals open the Conference Tournament Tuesday as they face the winner of the #8/#9 seed game.
Follow along at isubengals.com to keep up with the team as they head into the postseason and remember to like us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
