Pocatello, Idaho - The Idaho State Bengals fell cold in the 2nd half against the Idaho Vandals and dropped a hard-fought close battle 49-48 in Reed Gym Saturday afternoon.
It was a tale of two halves for the Orange and Black. While the Bengals didn't have the strongest first half, ISU took a 24-18 lead into the locker room behind nine points from Nika Lokica and seven points from Laura Bello.
While the Bengals shot just 28.6 percent from the field in the first, the Vandals were worse, only connecting on five-of-19 field goal attempts. The Bengals forced 10 first half turnovers out of the Vandals and capitalized on 16 points scored in the paint.
The second half couldn't have been colder for the Bengals, ISU only connected on six-of-26 field goal attempts. Free throw shooting kept the Bengals in the game as ISU hit 12-of-14 from the charity stripe in the 2nd half.
The Vandals were able to hit a layup and free throw at the end of regulation to scratch out the win over the Bengals.
Nika Lokica led the Bengals with 17 points, with a clutch 11-of-12 from the free throw line.
Up Next
The Bengals are back on the road taking on the Weber State Wildcats Saturday, Feb. 24 in Ogden.