POCATELLO, Idaho- Idaho State kept its perfect start alive on Wednesday night, using a decisive defensive performance to defeat UC Irvine 61-49 and move to 3-0. Head Coach Seton Sobolewski said afterward that the win was especially meaningful given the quality of the Anteaters' scorers.

"We definitely did it with defense today," Sobolewski said. "Irvine has some really good go-to scorers, and we had to put in a big group effort just to try to slow them down."

The Bengals never trailed, leaning on pressure, rebounding, and balanced scoring to build a lead that reached 23 points late in the third quarter.

 

How It Happened

First Quarter

Alyse Aby opened the scoring at 8:33 with a three from the top of the arc as the teams traded early possessions. Idaho State's activity on the offensive glass quickly became the story. Kacey Spink knocked down a midrange jumper, then Tasia Jordan drilled a clean second chance three to lift ISU to an 8-3 lead.

Maeva Gauffrenet came in as the first sub, and Asa Wolfram followed with a paint finish after battling toe to toe with the UCI post. Out of a timeout, Piper Carlson took over the interior. She scored on a tough layup over the Anteaters' big, then at 2:15 executed a smooth double spin that sent both defenders out of position for an easy finish. ISU ended the quarter up 19-9 with a 9-0 edge in second chance points.

Second Quarter

Idaho State continued to dominate the glass, grabbing its seventh offensive rebound before the six minute mark. By 5:35, ISU held an 11-0 lead in second chance scoring.

Maeva dropped in a soft jumper, Wolfram hit a confident turnaround, and Jordan snapped an 0-for-7 stretch with a baseline pull-up that swished clean. Gauffrenet later buried a one-dribble wing three that never touched the rim, and Sophia Covello closed the half by jumping a passing lane and finishing on the run to send the Bengals into the locker room up 37-24.

Sobolewski noted after the game that the team's defensive anticipation has improved early in the season. "We are just older and we have some people who have really good anticipation skills like Kacey and Tasia," he said. "They do a great job reading certain things, and our prep has helped us know what to expect."

Third Quarter

The third quarter opened slowly, but the first scoring play was historic. Four minutes in, Spink poked away a pass for the 203rd steal of her career, moving her to second all time at ISU. The play ignited a 14-0 run that put the game out of reach.
 

Carlson added a highlight sequence moments later. Covello threaded a bounce pass through the legs of a UCI defender, and Carlson converted the sprinting layup plus the foul. Spink then grabbed her fourth steal of the night and fed Aby in transition.

Jordan delivered the most physical finish of the game, taking heavy contact as she was bodied out of bounds and still hitting the falling layup for an and one. The basket moved her into double figures for the third straight game. ISU outscored UC Irvine 16-8 in the frame and closed the quarter ahead 53-32.

Fourth Quarter

Idaho State opened the fourth with its first five second defensive violation of the season and held the Anteaters without a field goal for more than two minutes. Maeva knocked down her second three of the night at 6:46, pushing the lead back to 19.

UC Irvine made a late push from the perimeter, but Covello stopped the run with a controlled pull-up from the left elbow at the 4:15 mark. Although the Bengals stalled at times while working clock, they maintained a double-digit margin throughout the quarter.

Sobolewski said he felt the team grew as the game progressed but wanted more precision late. "We were really slow at times offensively, and we got a little sloppy at the end just trying to burn the clock," he said. "I'd like to see us execute good shots at the end of a stall."

The win moves Idaho State to 155-54 at Reed Gym over the past 16 years.

Bengal Bites

• Piper Carlson: 10 points, 9 rebounds, 3 steals

• Kacey Spink: 8 points, 9 rebounds, 5 steals, now second all time at ISU with 203 career steals

• Tasia Jordan: 12 points, 5 rebounds, scored in double figures for the third straight game

• Sophia Covello: 7 points, 3 assists, 3 steals

• Maeva Gauffrenet: 8 points, two threes, 3 steals

• ISU forced 17 turnovers and scored 21 points off them

• UC Irvine finished with 0 second chance points

• Idaho State won points in the paint 32-16

• ISU led for 38:14 of 40:00

• The Bengals recorded 15 steals, tying their highest total since last year's NAU game

Next Up

Idaho State continues its homestand on Sunday at 2 p.m. against South Dakota.

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