Bengals Tip Off Season with Dominant 99-47 Win Over Westminster

POCATELLO, Idaho – Idaho State women's basketball opened the 2025-26 season in dominant fashion, rolling past Westminster 99-47 on Tuesday night inside Reed Gym. The Bengals shot a blistering 59 percent from the field, hit 10 three-pointers, and saw four players score in double figures.

Graduate guard Tasia Jordan led the way with 26 points on 11-of-13 shooting while senior forward Piper Carlson recorded a 13-point, 11-rebound double-double on her 21st birthday. Freshman guard Maeva Gauffrenet impressed in her collegiate debut, scoring 16 points and dishing out five assists, while senior guard Kacey Spink filled the stat sheet with seven points, five assists, and five steals.

The Bengals forced 21 turnovers, outscored the Griffins 46-18 in the paint, and never trailed in front of a crowd of 808. Idaho State built a 27-14 lead after one quarter and never looked back, opening the year.

 

How It Happened

First Quarter
Idaho State wasted no time setting the tone. Carlson scored the first basket of the season with a driving layup, and Jordan registered the team's first block on the defensive end. The Bengals opened 3-for-3 from the field while Westminster missed its first three attempts. Spink tallied her first steal of the season—her 192nd career—on the way to three in the opening period, moving her career total to 195. Covello knocked down the first Idaho State three-pointer of the year, and Carlson added six early points in the paint to cap a dominant start. The Bengals led 27-14 after the first quarter, shooting 69 percent from the field and holding Westminster to 38 percent.

Second Quarter
Gauffrenet came off the bench and quickly made her presence felt, hitting the first three-pointers of her Bengal career, including back-to-back makes that pushed the lead to 48-27. Jordan continued her offensive rhythm with 14 first-half points, while Carlson and Covello added balance inside. By halftime, Idaho State had built a 49-29 advantage, scoring 26 of its points in the paint and converting 14 points off Westminster turnovers.

Third Quarter
Jordan opened the second half with a jumper and a three-pointer, helping the Bengals shoot 83 percent in the period. Spink and Carlson combined for strong defensive sequences that turned into fast-break points, including a steal-to-layup connection between the two that stretched the lead to 57-29. Jordan brought the crowd to its feet midway through the frame with a sprinting steal and an acrobatic reverse layup through contact. Wolfram scored her first career basket late in the quarter, and Idaho State ended the period on an 11-0 run to lead 78-37.

Fourth Quarter
Spink started the final quarter by knocking down her first three-pointer of the season, followed by Carlson securing her first double-double of the year. Jordan added a fast-break layup for her 26th point of the night before giving way to the reserves. Wolfram completed an and-one play and Collman connected from long range in the final minute to push the Bengals to the 99-point mark and a 52-point victory, the 5th best winning margin in Idaho State school history