Weber State University Athletics
Weber State University
Idaho State
Wildcats Grab Overtime Win at ISU
1/31/2009 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
POCATELLO, Idaho -- Sarah Conner, Caitlin Anderson and Tonya Schnibbe combined to score 57 points to lead Weber State (7-14 overall; 2-6 Big Sky) to a 78-77 overtime win against Idaho State (6-15; 3-5) on Saturday night at Reed Gymnasium.
Conner led the way, hitting 6 of 12 shots from the floor (4 of 8 from three-point range) to tie ISU's Jenna Brown for game-high honors with 24 points. Conner's 24 points marked the second-straight game that she has recorded a career-scoring high after she posted 20 points on Tuesday against Utah Valley. She also pulled down six rebounds against the Bengals.
Anderson and Schnibbe each recorded a second-straight double-double as Anderson recorded 16 points and a game- and career-high 19 rebounds, while Schnibbe added 17 points and a game-high 12 assists. Joey O'Neill chipped in with five points and 11 rebounds.
The Wildcats led by a point at the half, despite shooting only 30 percent from the field while the Bengals hit at a 37.5 percent clip. In the second half, the situation reversed as ISU outscored the 'Cats by a point even though WSU out-shot the Bengals 40.7 percent to 33.3 percent.
The Wildcats took their largest lead of the game with 5:51 remaining as Ali Thorderson knocked down a three-pointer to put WSU up by 11. The Bengals responded with a 9-0 run fueled by Brown and Oana Iacovita to cut the lead to a pair with 3:21 left.
A pair of free throws by Conner put the 'Cats back up by four with 2:51 left, but ISU's Verity Peets made 1 of 2 tries from the charity stripe on three separate occasions over the next 58 seconds to pull the Bengals within a point.
Iacovita scored on a jumper with 1:11 remaining to give Idaho State its first lead since the 17:57 mark of the second half, but Conner again came through for the Wildcats. The junior guard knocked down her third trey of the night to put the 'Cats back up by two.
Idaho State had a chance to tie with 14 seconds left, but Brown missed a pair of free throws. Weber State's Joey O'Neill returned the favor, coming up empty on the front end of a one-and-one with 13 ticks left that could have iced the game. Instead Brown got a chance for redemption, and came through with a game-tying layup with four seconds left to send the game into overtime.
In the extra period, the Wildcats pulled out to a five point lead with 1:41 left. The Bengals cut the lead to a pair on a three by Sheila Adams, but O'Neill hit two free throws to push the lead back to four. Michelle Grohs hit another three to cut the lead back to a point as ISU refused to go quietly, but Conner hit another shot from behind the arc with 24 seconds left and added a free throw with 14 seconds left to twice more push the Wildcat lead back to four points.
Brown hit her first three-pointer of the game on her sixth attempt as time ran out to make the final score 78-71 for Weber State, who picked up a second-straight Big Sky win after opening the conference season 0-6.
Iacovita and Grohs each scored 16 points to back up Brown's 24 for the Bengals. Iacovita also grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds. Adams, a Layton High School product, added nine points and four rebounds for ISU.
The Wildcats will hope to build on their recent momentum asthe second half of the Big Sky schedule opens up next week. WSU will host Northern Colorado on Thursday, February 5 at 7:00 p.m. at the Dee Events Center as the Wildcats play only a single game over the next 11 days.
