Trevor Delaney

Sports Editor

The Idaho State University Women’s Basketball team played two tight games this past week up in Moscow against the University of Idaho Vandals, taking the win on Thursday night and then a loss on Saturday.

The Vandals took the lead in the first quarter of Thursday night’s game by five points over the Bengals 11 points. When the dust settled over the court at halftime, the Bengals had roared back to life with 18 points to the Vandals’ 13 points in the second quarter. This five point surge from ISU brought the game to an evenly matched 29-29 before the third quarter started. The second half of the game was even closer than the first, with ISU narrowly gaining a three point edge over U of I in the third quarter. The Bengals made it abundantly clear that teamwork really does make the dream work, finding the right moves to keep the ball moving. When the buzzer rang out at the end of the fourth, ISU had added another two points to the scoreboard. This brought the final score to 63-58, with the Bengals tipping the hopes of the Vandals’ potential victory by a solid five point margin.

The tone of the game on Saturday was blazing with intensity as the two teams faced off once again in the frosty northern Idaho city of Moscow. The Vandals kept up with the Bengals, only trailing by two points behind ISU’s 22 points in the first quarter of the game. Taking an even more substantial lead in the second quarter, the Bengals scraped up another eight points to edge out the Vandals 30 points to 20. The Vandals played with a fury in the third quarter that swept the Bengals, despite their noble attempt to maintain their ten point lead. With the Bengals leading by only two points at the beginning of the last quarter, the Vandals made a considerable effort to take the game. The fourth quarter ended with Idaho State at six points for the quarter to Idaho’s 25 points. When all was said and done the Bengals lost the game by a striking 17 points, with a final score for the game of 56-73. Coach Seton said in a postgame interview that the team played “great defense” in the first half, but that there were some challenges that the Bengals couldn’t overcome.

The Bengals’ 2021 Big Sky Conference play has been undefeated until now, making U of I the first team to take them down this year. With Idaho State now sitting at 11-1 in Big Sky play and 15-2 overall this season, they are well prepared to take on the Montana State Bobcats next for the first time this year. The Bengals are scheduled to battle the Bobcats at 7 p.m. MST at Reed Gym in Pocatello on Thursday, Feb. 15.