Written by Jon Match
For the eighth-straight game, the Idaho State Bengals women’s basketball team came away victorious. The Bengals (10-6, 5-1 BSC) defeated the Idaho Vandals (3-11, 2-3 BSC) 60-56 Saturday afternoon in Moscow, Idaho.
After going back and forth in the first period, Dora Goles hit a mid-range jumper off of a Vandal turnover to tie the game 9-9 with 3:28 to play.
The Vandals would go on a 5-0 run to take a 14-9 lead late in the quarter before the Bengals came storming back. Ellie Smith hit a layup to cut the lead to 14-11 with 53 seconds to go in the quarter.
With .6 seconds to play, the Vandals turned the ball over and the Bengals jumped on the Idaho error. Estefania Ors tossed the ball in and Smith hit the perfect tip-in at the buzzer to finish the period UI 14 – ISU 13.
The second quarter saw the Bengals go on a run to gain a lead as big as eight on a Smith jumper in the paint to make the game 31-23 in favor of the Bengals with 2:18 to play.
The Vandals would end the half on a 6-0 run and the Bengals would take a slim 31-29 lead into the locker room.
Dora Goles who hadn’t seen much playing time due to a finger injury ended the half leading the Bengals with 11 points on four-of-six shooting from the field with her first three since the St. Thomas game in early December.
In a game that consistently went back and forth the Orange and Black pounced on a strong third quarter.
The Bengal offense kept rolling during the period while the ISU defense shined holding the Vandals to just six points in the third on two-of-13 shooting.
The final period was a testament to the Bengals’ resolve as the Vandal offense surged back.
After leading by as many as 11 points, the Vandals would go on a run to cut the lead to three with 4:06 to play. The Bengals showed their teeth and immediately responded with Diaba Konate’s second three-pointer of the game.
The Bengals held the lead for the remainder of the game, the Vandals were able to cut it close near the end of the game, but good teams find ways to win and the Bengals showed why they are a good team holding off the Vandals and winning their eighth-straight 60-56.
The Bengals’ win over the Vandals was a true team effort with four Bengals scoring in the double-digits. Konate, Smith and Tomekia Whitman all scored 12 points each and Dora Goles followed just behind with 11 points.
Before fouling out in the fourth, Smith had a strong game, going six-of-eight from the floor with five boards, two blocks and an assist.
For the second game in a row, the Bengals won the game while losing the battle on the boards. The Vandals out rebounded the Bengals 46-41 but the Bengals didn’t allow second-chance opportunities to hurt them holding the Vandals to only six second-chance points.
Despite Beyonce Bea scoring 25 points for Idaho, The Bengals controlled the paint outscoring Idaho 28-20.
The Bengals are back home this next week to host the Weber State Wildcats and the Southern Utah Thumderbirds.
Follow along at ISUBengals.com to keep up to date with the action.