Feb. 17, 2006

Complete Game Notes vs. Eastern Washington in PDF Format
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Quickly: Idaho State (13-11, 7-3) moved all alone into second place Thursday night with an 80-68 win at Portland State. The Bengals play their final conference road game of the season on Saturday afternoon at Eastern Washington (10-12, 4-5). Tip-off is set for 3:05 p.m. (MST).

Radio: 91.1 FM KISU (also webcast at www.isubengals.com)

Idaho State: The Bengals have won three straight, including an 80-68 victory at Portland State on Thursday. Thursday's win pushes Idaho State's record to 13-11 overall, 7-3 in Big Sky play. ISU now sits all alone in second place in the conference standings, in front of Montana, Weber State, Eastern Washington, Portland State, Sacramento State, and Montana State. Idaho State has been impressive on the road in Big Sky play, recording a league-best 4-2 mark. Idaho State features the Big Sky's two leading scorers in Andrea Lightfoot (17.8 ppg.) and Natalie Doma (17.6 ppg.). The Bengals also have two of the top rebounders in the league in Doma (8.2 rpg.) and Joanna Hixon (8.0 rpg.). ISU is one of the top scoring teams in the nation, averaging 77.9 points a game. The Bengals are also one of the top three-point shooting teams in the country, averaging 7.6 threes a game.

Eastern Washington: The Eagles head into Saturday's contest fresh off a 54-40 win over Weber State Thursday night at home. The Eagles are perfect at home this season at home in Big Sky play at 4-0. The team has dropped just one game at home all season--an 85-54 loss to Santa Clara. EWU's win over Weber State on Thursday night snapped a three-game losing streak, and marked the first February win for the Eagles. Eastern Washington features a balanced scoring attack led by junior guard Joanna Chadd's 9.5 points a game. Senior forward Julie Page helps with a 9.3 points per game average, while senior post Felice Moore averages 8.6 a game. Moore also fronts the team in rebounding at 5.9 a game. As a team, Eastern averages 60.5 points a game while allowing opponents an average of 64.4 points. The Eagles were picked to finish third according the Big Sky preseason coaches poll. EWU is coached by Wendy Schuller, who is now in her fifth season with the team.

ISU - Eastern Washington Series Information: Idaho State and Eastern Washington meet for the 54th time Saturday afternoon. EWU holds an all-time 32-21 advantage over the Bengals, however, Idaho State has won five of the last six, including three straight. ISU won two of three last season over the Eagles, and defeated EWU 89-68 in Pocatello earlier this season. Eastern Washington defeated Idaho State 65-52 the last time the two teams met in Cheney.

Last Time vs. Eastern Washington: Natalie Doma scored a game-high 28 points and Andrea Lightfoot added 18 as Idaho State cruised past Eastern Washington 89-68 Thursday night at Reed Gym. Tied 14-14 with 13:29 to go in the first half, Jeni Boesel hit a shot from beyond the arc, sparking an 11-2 Bengal run. The run produced a nine point lead that ISU would build upon to go into the half with a 45-33 advantage. The second half was more of the same as Idaho State built its lead to 20 points. Eastern Washington was never able to get any closer than 14 points as Idaho State continued to pull away to secure the win. Led by Doma's 28 points, Idaho State out-scored EWU 32-30 in the paint. Doma connected on 10-of-14 shots from the field. The sophomore center was a perfect 8-of-8 from the free throw line. Doma also collected seven rebounds, three assists, two steals, and a block. Lightfoot, the Big Sky's leading scorer (17.8 ppg), was right on her average, scoring 18 points on 7-of-13 shots from the field. Danica Boyce made her third start of the season, recording a 16 point effort, while Boesel helped with 11 points. Jenna Brown came off the bench to record an 8-point effort combined with a season-high six assists. ISU was impressive from the field, connecting on 54.4 percent of its shots compared to EWU's 37.7 percent mark. The Bengals also held Eastern Washington to a 25 percent clip (6-of-24) from beyond the arc. Idaho State tallied nine assists, forcing the Eagles into 22 turnovers on the night. Jamie Chicane led the Eagle effort with 16 points and five rebounds, while Julie Page came off the bench to tally 10 points.

ISU Gets another Road Win, Defeats Portland State 80-68: Joanna Hixon scored a game-high 20 points with 10 rebounds and Natalie Doma added 16 points with a career-high 21 rebounds as Idaho State defeated Portland State 80-68 Thursday night at the Stott Center. The win moves the Bengals all alone into second place in the Big Sky standings. Tied at 37 with 15:36 remaining in the game, Idaho State went on a 19-2 run to take 56-41 lead with 10 minutes to go. Portland State cut the Bengal lead to single digits, 74-67 a at the two minute mark, and got as close as six points with a minute left, but six straight Doma points secured the victory for ISU. Doma, who sat most of the first half with foul trouble, finished with 16 points and 21 rebounds in just 26 minutes of play. The 21 rebounds is a career high for the sophomore center, and is just five shy of the all-time ISU single-game record of 26, set by former Bengal Charly Bond during the 1977 season. Hixon recorded her fourth double-double of the season with 20 points and 10 rebounds. The junior forward connected on 7-of-13 shots from the field, and was a perfect 6-of-6 from the charity stripe. Danica Boyce helped the Bengals with 17 points and Andrea Lightfoot added 16. Jeni Boesel recorded eight points, while Sandra Dziurdzia came off the bench for three. ISU connected on 41 percent of its shots from the field and 40 percent from beyond the arc. The Bengals connected on six shots from long range and limited PSU to a 2-of-9 mark from three. Idaho State was impressive from the free-throw line, connecting on 22-of-27 for an 81.5 percent mark. The Bengals out-rebounded Portland State 51-42, including a 39-26 edge on the defensive boards. Kelsey Kahle and Brianna Thompson combined for 34 points and 17 rebounds to lead the Vikings.

Lightfoot Receives Second Big Sky Player of the Week Nod: Idaho State's Andrea Lightfoot has been named the Big Sky Conference's Women's Basketball Player of the Week after leading the Bengals to a 2-0 record last week. The honor marks the second time this season that Lightfoot has received the award. In an 84-71 win over league-leading Northern Arizona, Lightfoot put up 23 points on 6-of-14 shooting, including a perfect 2-of-2 clip from beyond the arc, and a perfect 9-of-9 mark from the free throw line. The Nebraska native also collected four steals and an assist in the win. Against Sacramento State, the sophomore guard scored a game-high 17 points on 6-of-18 shooting and tallied a career-high 12 rebounds to record her first career double-double. Lightfoot connected on two trey's and all three of her free throws against the Hornets, and now has a streak of 16-straight free throws. For the week, Lightfoot averaged 20 points, 8.5 rebounds, three steals, two assists, and two threes per game, while shooting 37.5 percent from the field and 66.7 percent from long range. Lightfoot and the rest of the Bengals continue play this week at Portland State and Eastern Washington. ISU returns home to host Weber State on Feb. 23.

Despite Injuries, Idaho State Continues to Roll: Despite three injuries to three different players this season, Idaho State has endured and now sits all alone in second place in the Big Sky Conference. After playing the season opener against Boise State, Danica Boyce went down with a knee injury the next day in practice. The injury required surgery, and Boyce sat out the next 11 games to recover. Chelsey Chambers tore a ligament in her knee against South Dakota State on Jan. 2, and has played just six minutes since sustaining the injury. Jenna Brown also tore a ligament in her knee on Feb. 9 against Northern Arizona, and is out for the remainder of the season.

Team Manager Called to Action, Again: Idaho State team manager lived a dream last season, suiting up to play for the Bengals due to numerous ISU injuries last year. Well, it's happened again, and Beechie will be dawning the Orange and Black for a second straight season after a torn ligament ended the season of Jenna Brown. However, after suiting up as number three last year, Beechie will now wear number 12.

Making Her Mark on the Arc: With 49 made three-point field goals on the season, Andrea Lightfoot has put herself in a tie with former Bengal Shannon Copple for the fourth spot on the all-time single season mark for made threes.

Newlee Gets Win Number 50: Idaho State head coach Jon Newlee picked up his 50th win as a head coach on Feb. 9. Newlee, now in his fourth year with Idaho State, holds a 52-56 overall record. He is .519 in conference play with a 27-25 record. Newlee currently ranks fourth all-time in overall wins at Idaho State.

The Return of Chambers: Chelsey Chambers returned to the Bengal line-up for the first time in over a month. Chambers, who suffered a torn ligament in her knee on Jan. 2 against South Dakota State, came into last Thursday's game against Northern Arizona and recorded a rebound and an assist in six minutes of play. Chambers entered the game to a standing ovation from the Reed Gym crowd. She entered the game in the second half with 14 minutes remaining in the game and ISU trailing by a score of 45-46. With Chambers in the game, ISU outscored NAU 16-9 to take a 62-54 lead by the time she returned to the bench.

One, Two, Punch: Andrea Lightfoot and Natalie Doma are combining for an average of 35.4 points a game this season. Lightfoot's 17.8 points per game average currently ranks as the top point average ever in a single season at ISU. Doma's 17.6 points per game average ranks second, just behind Lightfoot. In Big Sky play, the two are combining for 38.0 points a game.

Still in the Hunt for a Big Sky Title: With three straight wins, Idaho State has inched its way a little closer to the top spot in the league. ISU now sits all alone in second place in the league with a 7-3 record. Northern Arizona holds the top spot at 8-2. Montana sits in third place at 6-3, ahead of Weber State (6-4), Eastern Washington (4-5), Portland State (3-6), Sacramento State (3-7), and Montana State (1-8). The winner of the regular season will host the Big Sky Tournament, which takes the top six teams from the league. ISU will wrap up league play with three of its next five games at home.

Big Sky Road Warriors: Idaho State holds a 4-2 road mark in Big Sky play, already surpassing their league road win total from last season. The Bengals went 3-4 on the road through conference play last season. ISU's only two Big Sky road losses this season were a 74-64 loss to league-leader Northern Arizona and a 105-55 loss at Montana.

Doma Matches Career High with 31 Points against Montana State and Grabs a Career-High 21 Rebounds against Portland State: Natalie Doma matched a career high with 31 points against Montana State on Feb. 2. She set a career high with 21 rebounds against Portland State on Feb. 16. The sophomore center last put up 31 points against Eastern Washington at last year's Big Sky Tournament quarterfinal matchup. Doma has been impressive in conference play, averaging 21.3 points and 10.2 rebounds a game. She has scored 20 or more points in five of her last seven games.

Doma Garners Big Sky Player of the Week Honors for the Week of Jan. 30: Natalie Doma was named the Big Sky Conference Women's Basketball Co-Player of the Week after leading Idaho State to an 82-81 overtime victory over cross-state rival Weber State on Jan. 26. The award marks the first Big Sky Player of the Week honor for Doma. It also marks the second such honor that ISU has received this season as Andrea Lightfoot received the award earlier in the season. Doma helped ISU to its first win in Ogden since the 2001 season, connecting on 12-of-19 shots from the field for a 63.2 clip, and hit 5-of-7 free throws in 45 minutes of play. The sophomore center was just one rebound shy of a double-double, and also collected two assists in the win.

LIGHTing it Up when it Counts: Andrea Lightfoot has become ISU's go-to player in the clutch. The sophomore guard hit a shot from beyond the arc with 45 second remaining in overtime to put Idaho State up by three points against Weber State on Jan. 26. The shot proved to be the game-winner. In the last two minutes of games, Lightfoot leads ISU averaging 2.0 points a game. She has connected on 13-of-25 shots from the field, including a 8-of-14 mark from long range in the final two minutes of games this year. In the final two minutes, she is a perfect 15-of-15 from the charity stripe. As a team, ISU has connected on 36.5 percent of its shots from the field, 30.4 percent from beyond the arc, and 77.6 (66-85) percent from the free throw line over the last two minutes of games.

Playing Overtime: For the first time in school history, Idaho State has gone to overtime in three games in a single season. The Bengals opened the season with a double-overtime 91-89 loss to Boise State. ISU then won a 99-89 overtime decision over Idaho on Dec. 10. The team went to a third overtime this season in Ogden, defeating Weber State 82-81.

Big Crowds: In five out of its past eight games Idaho State has played in front of more than 1,000 people. Two of those games were played at Reed Gym, where ISU got 1,042 fans for the Eastern Washington game and a season-best 1,212 fans for the Portland State game. ISU played in front of 1,021 people Jan. 26 in Ogden before playing in front of 1,512 at Montana State and 4,072 at Montana. At home this season, ISU averages 809 fans a game.

Fountain of Youth: Idaho State's line-up features five freshmen, two sophomores, two juniors, and one two seniors. ISU's lone senior with experience (Chelsey Chambers) averages 12.8 points per game, but has been sidelined with a torn ligament in her knee. Juniors currently account for an average of 19.3 points a game, sophomores 35.4, and freshmen 6.6. Freshman Jenna Brown averaged 4.2 points a game before her season came to an end with a knee injury.

Bombs Away!: ISU is quickly approaching a plethora of three-point field goal records. The Bengals, who already have made 183 three-point field goals a game are now just 36 threes short of the ISU all-time single season record. With 526 attempts from beyond the arc, the Bengals are now 101 attempts shy of the single season all-time mark. Andrea Lightfoot has jumped into the single season record books with 49 threes this season. She now ranks tied for 4th all-time on the single season chart.

Rebound Factory: Natalie Doma now averages a team-best 8.2 rebounds a game, ranking her second in the Big Sky just in front of teammate Joanna Hixon, who averages 8.0 rebounds a game. Hixon and Doma have each pulled down 10 or more boards in seven games this season. Hixon grabbed a career-high 18 rebounds in a win over Saint Martin's. Hixon also notched 15 rebounds against North Dakota State (1/7) and also in a win over Eastern Michigan (11/27) at the Rainbow Wahine Classic in Honolulu, Hawaii. Hixon's three games with 15 or more rebounds is also a Big Sky best. Doma tallied a career-high 21 rebounds against Portland State on Feb. 16.

Charitable Acts: Andrea Lightfoot has connected on 62 of her last 70 attempts at the charity stripe--an 88.5 percent mark. She has hit 32-of-35 free throws in her last six games. And finally, over the past three games, Lightfoot connected on a season-best 17 straight free throws until recording a miss against Portland State on Feb. 16. As a team, Idaho State has been impressive recently from the free throw line. The Bengals have connected on 101-of-127 shots from the charity stripe in their last five games--a 78.7 percent average. The Bengals connected on a perfect 11-of-11 shots from the line against Montana-Western, a mark which carried over into the Wyoming game as the Bengals had a streak of 17 straight made free throws. Lightfoot holds the second longest free throws made streak in the Big Sky, connecting on 17 straight.

Did You Know: Idaho State is a perfect 4-0 this season when the team scores 90 or more points. On the flip side, ISU is 0-5 when scoring under 69 points. The team is 10-2 when scoring 80 or more points.

The Play: A lot of the talk after ISU's win over Eastern Washington on Jan. 19 was about the play. With the shot clock winding down, Jenna Brown drove into the lane and lobbed a pass over a defender towards the basket to Michelle Grohs, who jumped up for the women's version of the alley-oop. Brown said of the play, "Michelle can jump out of the gym. Everyone was counting down the shot clock, so I just thought I'd throw it up and let her get it." Jenni Boesel and Grohs nearly connected on the same type of play against Sacramento State on Feb. 11

Record Watch: Idaho State will come close to breaking the single-season all-time total points record. ISU needs to average 85.7 points a game throughout the rest of the regular season in order to break the record at the completion of the regular season slate. If the team plays at least one post season game, ISU would need to average just 68.6 points a game throughout the end of the season. The current single-season all-time points record is 2,212 points, collected during the 1980-80 season. Andrea Lightfoot and Natalie Doma are on track to break her way into the single-season record books. Lightfoot's 17.8 points per game average ranks second all-time in a single season at ISU. Her current free throw percentage of 83.7 currently ranks third all-time on the single season charts.

It's Raining Threes: The Bengals picked right up where they left off last season from beyond the arc. ISU launched 32 three-point field goal attempts, connecting on 11 against Boise State to open the season. The 32 attempts is just seven shy of 39, which is the all-time ISU single game three-point field goal attempts record. The Bengals ranked seventh in the nation last season, averaging 7.6 threes a game. Currently, the Bengals have launched a league-best 526 shots from beyond the arc. ISU ranks first in the Big Sky with 183 three-point field goals made. ISU has connected on 10 or more shots from long range in six games this season. ISU connected on a season-high 13 treys against both Saint Martin's and Idaho. The team most recently put in 10 threes in its season-opening conference win at Sacramento State. The team currently ranks seventh nationally, averaging 7.6 threes a game.

On Top of the Nation: As of Feb. 13, Idaho State ranks in the top-10 in two statistical categories. ISU ranks seventh in the nation in 3-point field goals per game at 7.7 a contest. Santa Clara ranks first in the nation in threes per game, averaging 8.8 treys a game. The Bengals also rank 10th in the nation in scoring offense, averaging 77.8 points a game. Duke holds the nations to scoring offense at 89.3 points per game. ISU ranks 16th in free throw percentage at 75.2 percent. UNI ranks first in the country in free-throw in percentage, shooting 78.4 percent from the line on the season.

Stars of the Sky: As of Feb. 17, Idaho State ranks first in three statistical categories and second in four others in the Big Sky Conference. ISU ranks first scoring offense (77.9 points per game), free throw percentage (75.5), and three-point field goals per game (7.6). Individually, Idaho State ranks first in three individual statistical category. Andrea Lightfoot ranks first in scoring at 17.8 points a game and first in three-point field goal percentage at 39.8. Natalie Doma ranks first in defensive rebounds per game at 5.96.

Sharp Shooting: Jeni Boesel connected on a game-tying three-point shot to beat the buzzer against Idaho on Dec. 10 to send the game to overtime. The shot led to ISU's eventual 99-89 win over the in-state rival. Boesel finished two games during the week of Nov. 28 perfect from both the three-point line and the free throw line. Boesel was a perfect 6-of-6 from beyond the arc and a perfect 9-of-9 from the charity stripe over the two-game span. Boesel also connected on 9-of-14 shots from the field over the two games. She netted 17 points against St. Martin's before notching 16 more against Utah State. As a team, Idaho State connected on 34-of-37 free throws against Utah State on Dec. 2, just missing the all-time single season made free throws mark of 35, which was set back in 1984. Michelle Grohs leads the Bengals in the field goal percentage category, connecting on 47.6 percent of her shots. Boesel has connected on a three-point field goal in 19 of ISU's 24 games this season.

Quick Learners: True freshmen Jenna Brown and Michelle Grohs have been a pleasant surprise. Grohs leads a group of talented freshmen on ISU's roster this season, averaging 4.2 points and 3.6 rebounds a game. Grohs has played in all 24 of ISU's games this season. Brown played in 22 games for the Bengals, making seven starts before going down with a torn ligament. Brown scored a career-high 15 points in her first collegiate game against Boise State on Nov. 18. Brown put in 14 points in the win over Montana-Western on Dec. 20, and 11 more against Portland State. She put in a pair of threes in the overtime win over Weber State on Jan. 26.

Lightfoot Named Big Sky Player of the Week on Dec. 12: Andrea Lightfoot was named the Big Sky's Player of the Week after leading the Bengals to a 1-1 record during the week of Dec. 4-10. Lightfoot scored 19 points in a loss to Southern Utah and 38 more in a come-from-behind victory over Idaho. The sophomore guard connected on 5-of-17 shots, including 4-of-7 from beyond the arc against Southern Utah. She was also just one rebound shy of a double-double with nine. Against Idaho, Lightfoot notched a school-record 38 points on 12-of-20 shooting. She also connected on 7-of-9 shots from long range. Lightfoot recorded eight rebounds, six assists, and two steals in the overtime win over Idaho. On the week, Lightfoot hit 17-of-37 shots from the field (46 percent), 11-of-16 shots from beyond the arc (68.7 percent), and 12-of-15 shots from the charity stripe (80 percent). She also averaged 8.5 rebounds, 28.5 points, 5.5 assists, and 2.0 steals over the two games.

Lightfoot Breaks Single-Game ISU Scoring Record: Andrea Lightfoot scored a school-record 38 points in a come-from-behind 99-89 overtime win over Idaho on Dec. 10. The 38 points breaks the ISU all-time record for points by an individual in a single game. The previous record was held by Mandi Carver, who put in 37 points against Wyoming on Nov. 20, 1999. The mark also ranks as the fourth-best single game performance in Big Sky history. Lightfoot connected on seven three-point field goals in the game, which is the third-best performance in league history. The 38-point effort is the third-best performance in the country this season. Lightfoot's 7-of-9 effort from long range ranks as the seventh-best performance in the nation this season. The Nebraska native leads the conference in scoring this season at 17.6 points a game.

Chambers' Career Night: Senior forward Chelsey Chambers had a career night in ISU's season opener against Boise State on Nov. 18. Chambers notched career highs in points (23), rebounds (12), and three-point field goals made (5). The 23 points and 12 boards also marks her first career double-double. Chambers matched her career-high 12 rebounds against Southern Utah on Dec. 6.

Vball to Bball: After a four-year career with the Idaho State women's volleyball team, Ali Gorny has decided to give basketball try. The 6-1 center is atop of numerous all-time Idaho State career volleyball records. Gorny ranks as one of the top ISU volleyball players of all-time at ISU, ranking among the school's career record books in kills, kill percentage, kills per game, and digs. Gorny has played in seven games for ISU this season.

Idaho State Picked Fifth in Big Sky Preseason Polls: The Idaho State women's basketball team was selected fifth in both the Big Sky Conference's preseason polls, following a vote by league coaches and media. The Bengals finished with 23 points in the coaches' poll to tie Sacramento State for the fifth spot. In the media poll, ISU was selected fifth with 55 points and one first place vote. Idaho State was selected third in both the Big Sky preseason polls last season. The Bengals head into the 2005-06 season after making a second-straight trip to the Big Sky Tournament semifinals last season. For the third-straight year, Montana was selected as the preseason favorite to win the 2005-06 Big Sky championship in the coaches' poll. The Lady Griz received five first-place votes and 47 points to edge out Northern Arizona, which finished with three first-place votes and 45 points. Eastern Washington was selected third in the coaches' poll with 36 points, Weber State was fourth at 29 points, while Idaho State and Sacramento State tied for the fifth spot with 23 points. Montana State was selected sixth at 22 points, and Portland State was picked to finish eighth with eight points. The media picked Montana and Northern Arizona to win the title, giving both teams five first place votes each and 100 total points. Weber State received two first place votes and finished with 75 points to take the third spot, while Eastern Washington was selected fourth with 74 points and one first place vote. Idaho State was picked fifth by the media with one first place vote and 55 points. Sacramento State finished with 49 points for sixth, while Montana State finished seventh at 32 points. Portland State rounded out the voting with 19 points.