2008 Woodie Awards
ISU women in first place with victory over Montana State
Bob Devine
Issue date: 1/23/08 Section: Sports
Idaho State held off the Montana State Bobcats at home Saturday afternoon by a score of 85-80 in a hard fought victory that moved the Bengals into a first place tie with Montana and Portland State, all at 4-1 in the Big Sky Conference.
It was no easy feat to contain the Bobcats, who capitalized on both offensive and defensive lapses by the Bengals to keep the game close.
Idaho State spurted out to a 26-14 lead midway through the first half, largely on the strength of 10 points from Natalie Doma and a few 3-pointers, one each from Kaylynn Fager, Jenna Brown and Verity Peets, who scored a basket and foul shot.
Then the Bengals went cold on both ends of the court in a stretch that would see 4 turnovers and 4 missed layups, while Montana State capitalized with 4 easy layups and a couple 3-pointers of their own to find themselves on top 32-30 with two and a half minutes left in the first half. But the Bengals would regain composure and score the last 6 points of the half with baskets from Bianca Cheever and Doma, and a couple free throws from Andrea Lightfoot.
Montana State started the second half with three more layups to move ahead of Idaho State 38-36, but Michelle Grohs sparked a Bengal run with two 3-pointers. Idaho State rallied to go up 63-51 with just under 10 minutes to go, as five Bengal players scored during the stretch.
The Bobcats responded with a rally of their own to tie the game 67-67, with just over five minutes left, during which Idaho State uncharacteristically missed 3 free throws, the last one by a usually steady Lightfoot. Lightfoot then responded by draining a critical 3-pointer, followed by a jump shot and a layup, and Doma made a couple free throws to put the Bengals up 76-73 with two and a half minutes left.
Capitalizing on another missed free throw, the Bobcats made a couple baskets to go up 78-77 with under two minutes left, but the Bengals settled down and went on to score 8 points, all on free throws by Doma and Brown to close out the the game 85-80. The 1200-plus crowd at Reed Gym played a factor in the game, particularly at the end with a lot of noise, and the Bengals caused a couple turnovers to thwart Montana State's hopes.
Natalie Doma led all scorers with 33 points and 11 rebounds, while Andrea Lightfoot had 15 points and 6 rebounds. Jenna Brown had a banner day on offense shooting 100 percent from the floor as well as at the free throw line, scoring 14 points. Michelle Grohs racked up 8 points, with 6 assists and 3 rebounds to highlight the Bengal effort.
Idaho State now goes on the road for three weeks with games against Northern Arizona, Sacramento State, Weber State and Northern Colorado before returning home on Valentine's day to face Portland State. Fans can listen to the road games on KISU 91.1 FM.
It was no easy feat to contain the Bobcats, who capitalized on both offensive and defensive lapses by the Bengals to keep the game close.
Idaho State spurted out to a 26-14 lead midway through the first half, largely on the strength of 10 points from Natalie Doma and a few 3-pointers, one each from Kaylynn Fager, Jenna Brown and Verity Peets, who scored a basket and foul shot.
Then the Bengals went cold on both ends of the court in a stretch that would see 4 turnovers and 4 missed layups, while Montana State capitalized with 4 easy layups and a couple 3-pointers of their own to find themselves on top 32-30 with two and a half minutes left in the first half. But the Bengals would regain composure and score the last 6 points of the half with baskets from Bianca Cheever and Doma, and a couple free throws from Andrea Lightfoot.
Montana State started the second half with three more layups to move ahead of Idaho State 38-36, but Michelle Grohs sparked a Bengal run with two 3-pointers. Idaho State rallied to go up 63-51 with just under 10 minutes to go, as five Bengal players scored during the stretch.
The Bobcats responded with a rally of their own to tie the game 67-67, with just over five minutes left, during which Idaho State uncharacteristically missed 3 free throws, the last one by a usually steady Lightfoot. Lightfoot then responded by draining a critical 3-pointer, followed by a jump shot and a layup, and Doma made a couple free throws to put the Bengals up 76-73 with two and a half minutes left.
Capitalizing on another missed free throw, the Bobcats made a couple baskets to go up 78-77 with under two minutes left, but the Bengals settled down and went on to score 8 points, all on free throws by Doma and Brown to close out the the game 85-80. The 1200-plus crowd at Reed Gym played a factor in the game, particularly at the end with a lot of noise, and the Bengals caused a couple turnovers to thwart Montana State's hopes.
Natalie Doma led all scorers with 33 points and 11 rebounds, while Andrea Lightfoot had 15 points and 6 rebounds. Jenna Brown had a banner day on offense shooting 100 percent from the floor as well as at the free throw line, scoring 14 points. Michelle Grohs racked up 8 points, with 6 assists and 3 rebounds to highlight the Bengal effort.
Idaho State now goes on the road for three weeks with games against Northern Arizona, Sacramento State, Weber State and Northern Colorado before returning home on Valentine's day to face Portland State. Fans can listen to the road games on KISU 91.1 FM.
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