Feb. 21, 2006

Complete Idaho State Game Notes in PDF Format
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Complete Weber State Game Notes in PDF Format
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Quickly: Idaho State (14-11, 8-3) moved into a tie for first place with Northern Arizona after a pair of road wins last week. The Bengals, who have won four straight, play host to cross-state rival Weber State (12-12, 6-5) on Thursday night. Tip-off is set for 7:05 p.m.

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

Video Webcast: All Access (www.isubengals.com

Idaho State: The Bengals moved into a tie with NAU for first place in the Big Sky standings after winning a pair on the road last week. ISU defeated Portland State 80-68 before taking down Eastern Washington 74-65. Last week's wins helped the Bengals clinch a spot at the upcoming Big Sky Conference Tournament, which is to be held at a site not yet determined. The win at Eastern Washington was the first conference loss at home for EWU, and just the second of the season for the Eagles. Idaho State has now won four straight, including six of its last seven. Idaho State features the Big Sky's two leading scorers in Andrea Lightfoot (18.0 ppg.) and Natalie Doma (17.8 ppg.). The Bengals also have two of the top rebounders in the league in Doma (8.2 rpg.) and Joanna Hixon (8.1 rpg.). ISU is one of the top scoring teams in the nation, averaging 77.7 points a game. The Bengals are also one of the top three-point shooting teams in the country, averaging 7.8 threes a game.

Weber State: The Wildcats took a step back in their race for a Big Sky title last week with a pair of losses at Eastern Washington and Portland State last week. WSU has now dropped three straight. The Wildcats had won six of seven games before dropping the last three contests--a run that included wins at Montana and Montana State. WSU is 12-12 overall on the season, 6-5 in Big Sky play. The team is currently fourth in the league standings, two games ahead of both Eastern Washington and Portland State. Sophomore guard/forward Sara Tuomi leads the team in scoring at 12.7 points a game. Junior guard Chelsey Warburton, the league's top three-point shooter, averages 10.9 points a game. Warburton also averages 2.83 three-point field goals a game. Junior guard Laura Porter is another scoring threat for the Wildcats, averaging 10.6 points a contest. Weber State ranks last in the Big Sky in scoring offense at 59.7 points a game. A lot like ISU, Weber State likes to put up the three ball as the team averages 6.1 threes a game on 17.5 attempts a game.

ISU - WSU Series Information: Idaho State and Weber State meet for the 59th time Thursday night with WSU holding an all-time 38-20 advantage. The Wildcats have won three of the last four contests over ISU, including seven of the last nine. However, ISU defeated WSU earlier this season in Ogden, 82-81, in overtime. The win marked ISU's first win in its last three tries against WSU. WSU holds an all-time 18-11 advantage in Pocatello. The two teams have gone to overtime six times with WSU holding a 4-2 advantage in those games.

Last Time vs. Weber State: Led by Natalie Doma's 29-points and nine rebounds, Idaho State took an 82-81 overtime win over cross-state rival Weber State Thursday night at the Dee Events Center in Ogden, Utah. The win marks the first victory for Idaho State in Ogden since the 2000-01 season. With the game tied 79-79 with 45 seconds left in overtime, Andrea Lightfoot hit a three-point field goal from the left side to put the Bengals up by three. Then, with 3.9 seconds on the clock, Laura Porter missed a three and Weber State got just two points at the buzzer, securing the win for the Bengals. Idaho State controlled the first half, taking a 41-29 advantage into the break. The Bengals led by 12 points with 5:41 remaining in regulation before Weber State went on a 13-3 run to tie the game at 70. Doma connected on 12-of-19 shots from the field to collect her season-high 29 points. The sophomore center was also just one rebound shy of her fourth double-double of the season with nine. Danica Boyce helped ISU with 14 points, while Andrea Lightfoot added 12. Jeni Boesel notched 10 points with nine rebounds. Boesel also hit a pair of clutch free throws to tie the game at 79 in overtime. Joanna Hixon rounded out the scoring with nine points, while Jenna Brown came off the bench to add six. Michelle Grohs came off the bench to collect two points. Grohs also tallied two key blocks in overtime. ISU connected on 47.8 percent of its shots from the field while limiting Weber State to a 42.9 percent clip. The Bengals were held to 7-of-29 shooting from long range. The Wildcats connected on 7-of-21 shots from beyond the arc.

ISU Gets Road Sweep, Defeats Eastern Washington 74-65: Four Bengals scored in double figures, including a game-high 22 points from Natalie Doma as Idaho State won its fourth straight and completed a road sweep with a 74-65 win over Eastern Washington Saturday afternoon at Reese Court in Cheney, Washington. The win gives ISU a road sweep of Portland State and Eastern Washington for the first time since the 2003-04 season. After shooting just 33 percent in the first half, Idaho State went into the break trailing 32-42. Trailing by 11 points just four minutes into the second, Idaho State's Doma connected on a shot beyond the arc, sparking a 13-1 run, capped off by a couple of Andrea Lightfoot treys. Eastern rallied to tied the game for the seventh time, 58-58, with just over five minutes to play, but ISU countered with a 13-2 run over the next four minutes to give the Bengals a 71-60 lead with under two minutes to go, helping to secure ISU's fourth straight win. Doma paced the Bengals with 22 points on 7-of-18 shooting, including a 2-of-3 mark from long range. She also connected on 6-of-7 shots from the free throw line. Lightfoot recorded 21 points on 7-of-15 shots from the field. The sophomore guard also went 3-of-4 from three, and recorded a perfect 4-of-4 clip at the charity stripe. Joanna Hixon tallied her second straight double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Hixon grabbed eight of her 10 rebounds and 13 of her 15 points in the second half. The junior post connected on 2-of-2 shots from beyond the arc, and was 5-of-8 from the free throw line. Jeni Boesel also reached double digits with 13 points. The junior guard also dished out seven assists and pulled down five boards. She hit 5-of-10 shots from the field, including a 3-of-5 mark from three. Danica Boyce, who went down early in the second half with a possible concussion, finished with three points, but played a big defensive role in the contest. As a team, ISU connected on 11-of-20 shots from beyond the arc--the seventh time this season that the team has collected 10 or more threes in a single game. The Bengals held Eastern Washington to just 28 percent shooting in the second half. The Eagles shot a 56 percent clip in the first half. The Bengals finished the game shooting 40 percent from the field and 55 percent from three.

Doma Receives Another Big Sky Player of the Week Honor: Natalie Doma has been named the Big Sky Conference Women's Player of the Week after leading the Bengals to a pair of road wins last week at Portland State and Eastern Washington, helping the team to a share of first place in the Big Sky standings. The honor marks the second time this season that Doma has received the award. Over the two games, Doma averaged 22 points, 14 rebounds, 1.5 blocks, and 2 steals. On the week, the sophomore center connected on nearly 40 percent of her shots from the field, 75 percent from beyond the arc, and 76 percent from the charity stripe. Doma, who sat most of the first half with foul trouble against Portland State, finished with 16 points and 21 rebounds in just 26 minutes of play. The 21-rebound effort is a career high for Doma, 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. Doma went 1-of-1 from downtown and 7-of-10 from the free throw line, while also blocking one shot and adding two steals against the Vikings. Against Eastern Washington, Doma paced the Bengals with 22 points on 7-of-18 shooting, including a 2-of-3 mark from long range. She also connected on 6-of-7 shots from the free throw line and collected seven rebounds, two assists, two blocks, and a steal.

Despite Injuries, Idaho State Continues to Roll: Despite three injuries to three different players this season, Idaho State has endured and now sits in a tie with Northern Arizona for the top spot 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 Dana Beechie 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.

Bengals on the Prowl for Big Sky Title: With four straight wins, Idaho State has positioned itself into a tie with Northern Arizona for first place in the Big Sky. ISU and NAU are tied at 8-3 followed by Montana in third place at 7-3. Weber State is fourth (6-5), Eastern Washington (4-6) and Portland State (4-6) are tied for fifth, Sacramento State (3-8) is sixth, and Montana State (2-8) ranks seventh. 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 at home. In order to win the regular season title and host the Big Sky Tournament, Idaho State needs to win all three and then either have Northern Arizona lose one game, or tie with NAU and have 2-8 Montana State finish ahead of 4-6 Portland State in the standings. MSU and Portland State do play each other this Thursday night.

Making Her Mark on the Arc: With 52 made three-point field goals on the season, Andrea Lightfoot has put herself in the fourth spot on the all-time Idaho State single season mark for made threes.

Lightfoot Receives Second Big Sky Player of the Week Nod for Week of Feb. 5-11: Idaho State's Andrea Lightfoot was named the Big Sky Conference's Women's Basketball Player of the Week after leading the Bengals to a 2-0 record Feb. 5-11. 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.

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 53-56 overall record. He is .528 in conference play with a 28-25 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 the Feb. 9 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 35.8 points a game this season. Lightfoot's 18.0 points per game average currently ranks as the top point average ever in a single season at ISU. Doma's 17.8 points per game average ranks second, just behind Lightfoot. In Big Sky play, the two are combining for 38.5 points a game.

Big Sky Road Warriors: Idaho State wrapped up road play with a 5-2 conference mark, surpassing last year's 3-4 conference road mark. The Bengals finish road play with a 5-5 overall road mark. 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 also 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 21.4 points and 10.5 rebounds a game. She has scored 20 or more points in six of her last eight 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 17-of-17 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 76.7 (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 six games this season 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. The Bengals average 809 fans a game at home this season, up from 617 a game last season.

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 19.6 points a game, sophomores 35.8, and freshmen 6.3. 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 194 three-point field goals a game are now just 25 threes short of the ISU all-time single season record. With 546 attempts from beyond the arc, the Bengals are now 81 attempts shy of the single season all-time mark. Andrea Lightfoot has jumped into the single season record books with 52 threes this season. She now ranks 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 8.1 rebounds a game. Hixon has pulled down 10 or more boards in eight games this season, while Doma has in seven. 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 91-108 free throws this season. She has hit 36-of-39 free throws in her last seven 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 116-of-147 shots from the charity stripe in their last six games--a 78.9 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.

Record Watch: Idaho State will come close to breaking the single-season all-time total points record. ISU needs to average 89.6 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 67.2 points a game throughout the end of the season. The current single-season all-time points record is 2,212 points, collected during the 1980-81 season. Andrea Lightfoot and Natalie Doma are on track to break her way into the single-season record books. Lightfoot's 18.0 points per game average ranks second all-time in a single season at ISU. Her current free throw percentage of 84.3 currently ranks second 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 was 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 194 three-point field goals made. ISU has connected on 10 or more shots from long range in seven games this season. ISU connected on a season-high 13 treys against both Saint Martin's and Idaho. The team most recently put in 11 threes in a win at Eastern Washington on Feb. 18. The team currently ranks seventh nationally, averaging 7.6 threes a game, but that mark is sure to improve due to the fact that ISU now averages 7.8 threes a game.

On Top of the Nation: As of Feb. 14, 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. 21, Idaho State ranks first in three statistical categories and second in five others in the Big Sky Conference. ISU ranks first scoring offense (77.7 points per game), free throw percentage (75.5), and three-point field goals per game (7.7). Individually, Idaho State ranks first in three individual statistical category. Andrea Lightfoot ranks first in scoring at 18.0 points a game and first in three-point field goal percentage at 40.9. Natalie Doma ranks first in defensive rebounds per game at 6.00.

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 47.1 percent of her shots. Boesel has connected on a three-point field goal in 20 of ISU's 25 games this season.

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.

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 4.0 points and 3.6 rebounds a game. Grohs has played in all 25 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. Brown averaged 4.2 points a game before going down with injury.

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.