POCATELLO, Idaho – Idaho State used an early defensive surge and a strong third quarter to secure a 65–54 Big Sky Conference win over Weber State on Saturday afternoon at Reed Gym, improving to 13–7 overall and 6–3 in league play. "I thought our readiness early really set the tone," head coach Seton Sobolewski said. "Getting steals and anticipating like that is a reflection of how focused we were."
The Bengals forced turnovers early, built a double-digit lead in the opening quarter, and responded after a brief second-quarter deficit to control the final three quarters of play. Idaho State led by as many as 16 in the fourth quarter and held Weber State to 38.6 percent shooting.
How It Happened
Idaho State set the tone immediately. At 9:33 of the first quarter, Kacey Spink recorded a steal that led to a fast-break layup. Seconds later, Tasia Jordan came up with another steal and finished in transition to give ISU a 4–0 lead. That sequence sparked a 12–0 run, fueled by four Weber State turnovers and transition baskets from Jordan, Alyse Aby, and Aspen Caldwell, pushing the margin to 16–4 at the 4:29 mark.
"We just wanted to create havoc on the defensive end and make teams do things they're not used to," Spink said. "I feel like we executed that really well."
Idaho State closed the first quarter ahead 20–8, limiting Weber State to four field goals. The Wildcats responded in the second quarter with a 10–2 run, highlighted by consecutive three-pointers, briefly taking a 25–24 lead at the 3:42 mark. Spink answered with a three-pointer at 3:16 to put the Bengals back in front, and Idaho State closed the half on a 10–2 stretch, capped by Halle Wright free throws, to take a 34–27 lead into the break.
The third quarter belonged to the Bengals. Idaho State opened the half with consistent paint scoring, and a Piper Carlson layup at 5:56 ignited a 7–0 run to extend the lead back to double digits. Later in the period, ISU strung together a 9–0 run over a two-minute span, sparked by second-chance points and finishes from Asa Wolfram, to build a 47–33 advantage with 1:54 remaining. Idaho State outscored Weber State 17–10 in the quarter and led 51–37 entering the fourth.
Wolfram scored all 10 of her points in the second half. "I just wanted to play harder and stop overthinking," Wolfram said. "Once I did that, I was able to do the easy stuff and play with the team."
Weber State trimmed the deficit to 10 midway through the fourth quarter, but Idaho State responded with an 8–2 run, highlighted by a fast-break jumper from Jordan at 8:49, to rebuild a 16-point cushion. The Bengals closed the game at the free-throw line and on the defensive end to secure the 11-point win.
Bengal Bites
Idaho State forced 15 turnovers and scored 13 points off those miscues.
- The Bengals held the Wildcats to 8 points in the first quarter, a season-best for the Bengal Defense
- The 1358 crowd attendance was the season-high for the Bengals.
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The Bengals led 36–26 in points in the paint and 12–4 in fast-break points.
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Tasia Jordan led ISU with 19 points, while Asa Wolfram finished with 10 second-half points on 5-of-8 shooting.
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Kacey Spink surpassed 800 career points and added four steals. "It's more about the team effort that allows those things to happen," Spink said.
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Idaho State improved to 6–3 in Big Sky play.
