POCATELLO, Idaho – The Idaho State Bengal women's basketball team took care of business in Moscow, Saturday afternoon, taking down the Idaho Vandals 52-44 to claim the first game in the 'King Spud' series for the Bengal women.
The Bengals move to 8-12, 3-6 on the season with another pivotal Big Sky contest coming for the Orange and Black on Monday.
Coach Sobolewski Postgame
In a game where the Bengals led for 34 minutes of game time, there was no quit in either side of this rivalry matchup. With the Bengals ballooning their lead to 14 with 1:28 to play in the 3rd quarter off of a Halle Wright driving layup.
The Vandals didn't roll over though, and the Bengals had a challenge heading into the fourth quarter.
Idaho Started the 4th with a 7-1 run on the Bengals cutting the ISU lead to just six with 7:12 to play in the period. ISU said not today. Fighting off a ferocious Vandal press and attack, the Bengals went to work.
Piper Carlson hit an amazingly tough layup, triple-teamed by the Vandals, the Bengal forward fought off the Black and Gold jerseys and put the ball in the net. Halle Wright and Covello followed it up with made free throws and the Bengal lead was back to 11.
Again, the Vandals pressed and the Bengal defense held strong, UI cut the lead once again, but the Bengals never gave up and hitting. Clutch free throws over the final minute of the game, held strong on the lead until the final buzzer.
The Bengals came away with the 52-44 win over the rival Vandals and earned valuable points towards the King Spud trophy.
Sophia Covello led the Bengals with 15 points on four-of-seven shooting and a clutch 6-of-6 from the free throw line.
As a team the Bengals shot 35.4 percent from the floor on 17-of-48 made field goals. The Bengal defense was very tough, holding the Vandals to just 20.6 percent shooting with only 13 made field goals.
The Bengals won the battle on the glass, grabbing 45 boards to Idaho's 40. Kacey Spink set a new career-best with 15 boards and is the first Bengal with 15 boards in a single game in almost two years.
The Bengals stole the ball 11 times, much higher than the 7.8 steals per game average so far this season. Six separate Bengals recorded a steal and Piper Carlson led the team with three.
Up Next
The Bengals have one more game of the three-game road trip. Monday, the Bengals will be in Greeley, Colo., taking on the Northern Colorado Bears. The Bengals won the first meeting of the two teams in January and the game on Monday will be pivotal for both teams as the Big Sky Conference tournament looms in a month. Tip is set for 6:00 PM, the game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and on KISU.org.
