IDAHO STATE’S DOMA AND LIGHTFOOT PUT ON ALL-CONFERENCE PERFORMANCE IN WIN OVER WOMEN’S HOOPS

2/3/2007

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - From start to finish, Idaho State center Natalie Doma and guard Andrea Lightfoot, led the Bengals to an 83-59 victory over Sacramento State on Saturday afternoon at the Hornets Nest.

Doma, a Big Sky all-conference selection who came into the game averaging double figures in both points and rebounds, recorded her 14th double-double of the season with a game-high 30 points and 13 rebounds. She was also a perfect 10-of-10 from the free-throw line.

Lightfoot, also an all-conference selection a year ago, knocked down four three-pointers on her way to a 26-point performance. The 5-foot-8 junior also added seven rebounds and seven assists.

The Hornets (3-19, 1-7) were led by sophomore forward Atty Boyer’s 16 points and seven rebounds. Senior guard Stephanie Cherry added 11 points and a season-high tying six assists. Sophomore forward Becca Reams also reached double figures with 10 points.

Sacramento State remains ninth in the Big Sky standings, while Idaho State (8-12, 4-4), depending on the rest of the weekend’s results, could move from sixth to fourth.

The Bengals had a double-digit lead that the Hornets could not crack by the 14:51 of the first half  after Michelle Grohs drained one of Idaho State’s 10 made three-pointers on the afternoon. With a 14-4 lead, the Bengals went on an 18-3 run over the following five minutes to take a 32-7 advantage by the 9:20 mark.

While Idaho State’s quick passing offense continued to pile points on the board, shooting 47.2 percent from the floor, the Hornets knocked down just 9-of-39 attempts (23.1 percent) by halftime.

In the second half, Sacramento State put 40 points on the scoreboard and shot an improved 43.3 percent from the floor. Boyer scored 14 of her points in the final 20 minutes, making nine trips to the free-throw line.

Sacramento State remains at the Nest for its next two games, hosting Montana State and Montana back-to-back next week. The Bobcats are up first for the Hornets at 7:05 p.m. on Wednesday, followed by the Grizzles at 7:05 p.m. on Thursday. Both games can be viewed for a fee on a live video broadcast available on www.bigskytv.org. Brian Berger also provides a free audio broadcast on www.hornetsports.com.