POCATELLO, Idaho – Idaho State women's basketball (5-5) took down the UMKC Roos 67-50 on the road in Kansas City, MO.
With just a two-point lead and 8:17 left to play in the game, the Bengals dug deep and put together a team effort to completely shut the Roos down with a fantastic defensive effort and run away with the game.
"It was pretty tense there down the stretch, but I was really proud of how we stepped up and made some great plays and played really good defense in the fourth quarter," remarked Head Coach Seton Sobolewski after the Bengal victory.
The game was highlighted by Maria Dias' performance on the court. Dias had a career day shooting 80% from the field on eight-of-10 shooting, hitting 2-2 three pointers, 8-10 from the free throw line, two steals, a block and an assist.
"Maria really had it going tonight," continued Sobolewski. "She paced us early and helped take it home with some clutch free throw shooting."
Going into the game, the Bengals were coming off of a win over the Denver Pioneers at home and looked to extend their winning streak. Idaho State set the tone early with field goals by Kacey Spink and Piper Carlson.
With five minutes to play in the quarter, Maria Dias hit her first three-pointer of the game and extended the Bengal lead to six and kicked off a stretch where the Roos would not score again until the buzzer at the end of the period.
The Bengals battled back and forth in the 2nd period, shooting six-of-15 from the floor, scoring 15 points as the Bengals maintained the lead. UMKC was able to hit a three-pointer near the end of the period and the Bengals took a 33-24 lead into the locker room at break.
Despite finishing the first quarter with a 9-1 rebound advantage, the UMKC Roos fought back in the second and the two teams finished with an even 16-16 rebound difference.
The Bengal defense held the Roos to nine-of-27 shooting in the first half and all 24 points were only scored by three players for UMKC.
UMKC came out of the locker room looking to comeback on their home court. In the third period, the Roos outshot the Bengals, scoring 18 points and cutting the Bengal lead to just six points headed into the final 10 minutes.
With 8:17 left on the clock, UMKC's Bennett hit a jumpshot off of a turnover and cut the Bengal lead to just two points at 48-46. Idaho State has had some slow fourth quarters this season, but the Bengals looking to make it three-straight wins, said not today.
Dias and Covello hit back-to-back field goals, Halle Wright followed it up with a pair of made free throws and the Bengals didn't look back.
Maria Dias put the offensive side of the game on her back, scoring 12 points on three made field goals and six free throws. The Bengal defense turned on the jets, locking down the UMKC scorers and forcing the Roos into bad shooting situations. At the end of the fourth, the Roos only shot 16.7 percent from the floor on three-of-18 field goal attempts.
The Bengals closed out the game and earned the 67-50 win over the Summit League Opponent.
Idaho State finishes the Big Sky / Summit League Challenge 2-0 in 2024.
Notes
· It was a career day for Maria Dias who shot 80% on 8-10 FGA and 26 points scored. Dias is the first Bengal to have a game in the 20-29 points range, since Tasia Jordan's 22 points against BYU in 2023.
· Halle Wright finished with 10 points. Wright has not scored 10+ points in eight of the Bengals' 10 games this season.
· The Bengals 21-40, .525 field goal percentage is the best for the team against a DI opponent this season.
· The Bengals +17 win margin over the Roos is the highest against a DI opponent in the 2024 season.
· Idaho State attempted 31 free throws in the win over the Roos, this is the highest in the 2024 season and the most attempts for the Bengals since 36 attempts against Park University in 2023.
· The Bengals finished with a plus rebound margin for the 2nd consecutive game, outrebounding the Roos 31-29 (+2).
· The turnover battle was equal at 15-15 and was the 2nd time that the bengals have had equal turnovers in 2024 (SDSU 16-16)
Next Up
The Bengals get some needed rest and practice over the next two weeks as they prepare to take on the Northern Illinois Huskies, Friday, December 20 at 12:00 PM. It will be the first all-time meeting between the Bengals and Huskies and will be the final non-conference game for the Bengals before they begin the Big Sky season at home against NAU on January 2, 2025.
