Taylor Meeks
Sports Writer
After playing 10 of its first 16 games on the road, the ISU women’s basketball team returned to Reed Gym for a weekend of matches against University of Montana Thursday night and Montana State University Saturday afternoon.
The Bengals were triumphant with a 50-34 win over the Grizzlies and a 61-43 win over the Bobcats. ISU improved to 12-6 overall and 7-2 in conference play, propelling them into second place in the Big Sky.
“It’s a pretty competitive year,” said head coach Seton Sobolewski. “Every game is a challenge. I think the top half of the conference is as tough as it has ever been.”
Thursday night’s game did more than move the Bengals up in ranks in the conference. It was a historic mark after the team’s relentless defense held the Grizzlies to 34 points, the lowest scoring output by a Division I opponent in ISU program history.
Against Montana, ISU forced 20 turnovers and had eight steals. They held the Grizzlies to a 25.9 field goal percentage and only 3 of 21 from the three-point line.
Though the Bengals were outrebounded, 40-36, they made up with a solid effort on offense. Freshman guard Callie Bourne, senior guard Saylair Grandon and fifth-year senior guard Grace Kenyon led the team with 11 points each to secure the win over Montana on Thursday.
During Saturday’s match against Montana State, they were a force to be reckoned with, dominating the glass 40 boards to 25. ISU also caused 23 turnovers and collected eight steals.
“We always try to be that way every single year. We want to be a good defensive team and a good rebounding team,” Sobolewski said. “Anything that we do better than that is just bonus.”
Kenyon, as well as junior guard Estefania Ors, contributed 19 and 14 points respectively on Saturday. The team improved their shooting percentages from Thursday’s match, hitting 44.2 percent from the field and 70.6 percent from the free throw line.
Though they are often hot on offense, defense is what team members prides themselves on. After a historic mark on Thursday, ISU held Montana State scoreless for nearly 14 minutes during the second half on Saturday.
“We focus a lot on defense in practice,” Ors said. “For that reason, we are a good defensive team. Defense wins games.”
The team started with a tough preseason schedule, playing top teams such as University of Utah and Gonzaga University. According to Sobolewski, these teams prepared the Bengals for conference play.
Despite kicking off Big Sky play with a loss to Idaho, ISU established themselves as a leading team in the conference after a five-game winning streak. Unfortunately, after a grueling battle with University of Northern Colorado, the team fell, 60-56, halting their momentum.
“When you lose a game, you can’t just dwell on it,” Kenyon said. “You have to know what you did wrong and how you can get better. We bounce back.”
This type of attitude on the team has set them up for success. According to Sobolewski, compared to previous seasons, this has been their best start statistically since the 2012 championship season.
ISU is on the road again this week, facing Sacramento State for the second time this season on Jan. 31 and Portland State for the first time on Feb. 2.
“The goal is to win the next game,” Sobolewski said. “We don’t really talk a whole lot about winning a championship in our practices or with the team because everyone wants to win a championship. It’s just, ‘Can we win the next game?’”
