POCATELLO, Idaho - Idaho State women's basketball (3-1) fell to the South Dakota (5-0) Coyotes 64-63 Sunday afternoon in Reed Gym. After a
Sophia Covello layup put the Bengals up 63-61 with 2 seconds to play South Dakota was able to inbound the ball and get the three off to win the game.
It was a tale of two halves, for the both teams. In the first half, while defense and rebounding was tough, baskets were almost impossible to come by. The Bengals ended the first 20 mins hitting only just 4-of-28 from the floor, 14.3 percent. The Yotes weren't much better, only converting 7-of-31 attempts in the first half. Both teams combined for 49.
Coming out of the locker room was almost entirely the opposite. In the final 20 minutes, Idaho State shot 16-of-30 from the field, 53.3 percent. going two-of-five from three-point range. The Yotes responded in kind, shooting 13-of-31 from the floor.
The difference maker came at the charity stripe. in the 2nd half, Idaho State shot 9-of-18 from their attempts at the free throw line while the Yotes hit a perfect 11-of-11, a point differential of 9 points that could have swung the game in favor of the Orange and Black.
Piper Carlson and
Sophia Covello led the Bengals, scoring both with 16,
Tasia Jordan added 10. The Bengals grabbed 38 boards to the Yotes 44. ISU had 12 assists to USD's 10 and the Bengals limited themselves to 9 turnovers compared to the 15 they forced from South Dakota. Idaho State had a season-high six blocked shots,
Alyse Aby had 2 while Carlson, Jordan, Covello and
Asa Wolfram contributed one apiece.
The Bengals now have a week to prepare for the 2025 Bank of Hawaii Classic held in Honolulu, Hawaii. Idaho State will take on Portland University and Loyola Marymount in the Pacific tournament. The only way to follow the game will be with Live Stats and links will be provided on the ISUBengals Website.
