Bengals End Season at NCAA Tournament
After recording one of the best seasons in program history, the Idaho State women?s basketball season came to a close Saturday afternoon as the No. 14 seeded Bengals fell 70-41 to No. 3 seed Miami (FL) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Spokane, Wash. The Bengals finished the 2011-12 season 24-8 overall and came within just one win away from tying the most wins in a single season in program history.
?I?m very proud of our team to make it to this point,? ISU Head Coach Seton Sobolewski said. ?I told them in the locker room, they helped make a dream of mine come true. As a coach, you work hard your whole life and you hope you get an opportunity to be a head coach someday and you hope that you can put a team together that can make a run to win a championship and maybe play in the NCAA Tournament. I?m very, very proud of them and I told them I am indebted to them the rest of my life.?
Idaho State was led by junior forward Ashleigh Vella with 12 points and seven rebounds in the team?s third ever trip to the NCAA Tournament. Vella also tallied two blocks and three steals in the contest.
In her final game as a Bengal, senior Chelsea Pickering notched nine points, five rebounds, two steals and one assist. She ends her career with 1200 points, 401 rebounds, 216 assists and 153 steals. She is third in program history for 3-point field goals made (138), sixth in steals (153), ninth in free throw percentage (75.7) and seventh in points (1200).
?It?s bittersweet, of course,? Pickering stated about the end of her collegiate career. ?You never want anything to end, especially going into the NCAA Tournament. You hope to at least win one game and be that Cinderella team. Now I just get to sit back and relax. I?m going to miss it but my plans are to continue playing basketball overseas. Give it a month, relax and then get back to work.?
Sophomore forward Cydney Horton recorded three blocks in the contest moving her into seventh on the ISU season blocked shot list with 47 and tied for ninth in a career blocks with 71. Horton also recorded three points and three rebounds in the game.
The Hurricanes are currently ranked No. 8 on the AP Top 25 poll and is the highest nationally ranked team ISU has ever faced. The Bengals defense forced Miami to turn the ball over 20 times and held the Hurricanes to a 23.1 3-point shooting percentage.
The 2011-12 season was one of the best Idaho State has ever seen. The program recorded its third regular season as well as Big Sky Tournament title. Idaho State started off Big Sky play with an 8-0 run and ISU?s defensive play was not only leading the conference but was one of the best nationally. The 2011-12 preseason also saw impressive wins against Chattanooga, South Florida and Boise State.
Pickering and junior guard Kaela Oakes received Big Sky All-Conference First Team honors while Vella was named honorable mention. Vella was also named to the Big Sky Conference All-Tournament team with sophomore guard Lindsey Reed. Pickering was named tournament MVP.
After leading the Bengals to their best season under his leadership, Sobolewski was named Big Sky Coach of the Year in a unanimous decision by the league?s coaches. After defeating Montana on Jan. 7, Sobolewski had recorded a win against every Big Sky team over his four-year career at ISU and his career record at ISU is now 68-55.
The Big Sky defending champs will return all of its starters but one next season and team leaders Vella and Oakes will return for their senior campaigns.
?I think we have a very good team returning next year,? Sobolewski said. ?We have four starters returning and then you?ve got some people on the bench who are really developing nicely. Jessa Jeppesen is getting much better and a lot of our freshmen will be in position to play more. I think our redshirt Justin Joudrey is going to be a very good player. I think our future looks really good.?
