Box Score
Both teams started out with cold shooting this afternoon in Pocatello. ISU started with 1-6 shooting and SUU made just 1 of their first 14 shots. Despite heating up in the second half and scoring more points, the T-Birds still came up short 64-47 Saturday.
Southern Utah started the game in a tight 2-3 zone to keep the ball out of the paint and was successful in the defensive strategy. They also limited ISU shooting to 0-7 from three-point range early.
However, SUU made only 1 field goal in the first quarter and scored just three points. Taylor Baird scored the only two baskets for SUU in the first 12 minutes of the game.
Breanu Reid finally buried a three pointer to cut the lead in the 2nd quarter back to 16-10. Southern Utah still only had two points in the paint at that point.
SUU's zone defense didn't do a bad job in the first half holding Idaho State to 24 points, but the T-Birds could only manage 11 points offensively. Reid and Baird combined for nine of the 11 points in the first half on 3-25 shooting from the floor and only 4-8 from the free throw stripe.
ISU's defense played a big part in the T-Birds' struggle to put points on the board. The Bengals had six blocked shots and four steals in the first half while allowing just 2 points in the paint.
Then something happened in the locker room at half time. SUU started the second half burying their first three shots to cut the lead back to 26-17. Jessica Richardson then buried two free throws to get the lead down to seven.
ISU knocked down back-to-back threes to stretch the lead back to 11. But Southern Utah kept knocking down their shots to keep pace. SUU made 9 of 12 shots in the 3rd quarter to score 23 points, more than twice as many as the entire first half. Smith accounted for nine points in the third period as SUU outscored ISU 23-18 for the period.
SUU's Maren Herrud knocked down a basket early in the fourth to get the deficit back to eight. The T-Birds continued their hot hands through the fourth period, shooting 14-26 for close to 54% in the second half.
Richardson and Smith both managed to score 11 points apiece in the game. Southern Utah took good care of the basketball with just 11 turnovers for the contest. But, SUU could only make one of their nine three point attempts in the game and were outrebound 34-25.
ISU's Brooke Blair knocked down 16 points on 5-11 shooting, including 4-8 from three-point range. Guard Freya Newton barely missed a double double for the Bengals with 9 points and 9 rebounds. Anna Policicchio had 10 points and four rebounds before fouling out of the contest.
The Bengals made 50% of their field goals in the game and 15-16 from the line. Idaho State had 17 assists to just four for SUU.
SUU will now head home from their final road trip of the Big Sky regular season to play three straight games in the Centrum. Next up for Southern Utah is Northern Arizona at 7 p.m. on Saturday, February 27.
