RENO — Idaho State is making a habit of breaking hearts at the Reno Events Center.
A season ago, the ISU women won three games here, including beating top-seeded Montana State on a Juliet Jones half-court buzzer beater in the quarterfinals and beating No. 4 seed North Dakota in the semifinals to earn a shot at in-state rival Idaho despite taking the Big Sky Tournament’s No. 9 seed.
Wednesday, Idaho State continued its upset streak to move into the Big Sky’s final four for the second straight season.
Saylair Grandon hit a step-back 17-footer with two seconds to play to lift the sixth-seeded Bengals to a 60-59 win over No. 3 seed Northern Colorado. Idaho State will play No. 7 seed Portland State, a 65-62 winner over co-league champion North Dakota, the tournament’s No. 2 seed.
Northern Colorado’s Krysta Leger-Walker strips Idaho State’s Estefania Ors
“We know from being in Reno last year, anything can happen and it’s not about who does the best in the regular season, it’s about who can become the best team by Reno,” ISU sophomore Grace Kenyon said after scoring 16 points and grabbing six rebounds. “We thrive on that.”
Northern Colorado led the contest for 30 minutes, 43 seconds but never built a lead more its 27-17 advantage with 6:28 left in the first half. UNC led 56-51 with 2:25 left thanks to a swarming defense that eventually forced 23 Idaho State turnovers.
But Grandon kept ISU alive with her clutch shooting. The stout 5-foot-10 sophomore scored nine of her game-high 18 points in the fourth quarter, including a jump shot to cut the lead to three with 89 seconds left and her game-winning jumper that barely touched the net it was so pure.
“Our coach (Seton Sobolewski) wanted us to hold the ball to make sure we got a good, open look shot,” Grandon said. “When I got the ball at the end, I read the defense and it felt like the shot I should take. There wasn’t much to it.”
Northern Colorado all-conference sophomore point guard Savannah Smith banked in a buzzer-beater to end the third for her only triple in six attempts, giving Northern Colorado a 45-43 lead entering the final 10 minutes. She got an 8-foot shot on the baseline at the final buzzer that rimmed out. The first-team All-Big Sky selection finished 4-of-16 from the floor with 10 points and four of UNC’s 15 turnovers.
Northern Colorado point guard Savannah Smith
UNC was picked to finish ninth in the Big Sky in the league’s preseason polls. The Bears instead won their first 10 Big Sky games during an impressive 18-3 start. UNC went 2-4 in February but swept its final regular-season road trip at Portland State and Sacramento State to finish 14-4 in conference play. The Bears’ 22 overall wins ties a school record. But Northern Colorado will have to wait for a bid to the WNIT or another Division I postseason tournament if it wants to play another game.
“Idaho State, they come into Reno and really think they own the place and really do a nice job of playing confidently,” UNC third-year head coach Kamie Ethridge said. “I thought we had a chance to stretch leads out. Not for lack of effort, not for not wanting to do things but more too much effort in trying to stretch the lead, maybe we took early shots we shouldn’t have or had turnovers when we were pressing.”
Idaho State won despite turning the ball over prevalently, including giving up possession seven times in the fourth quarter alone. The Bengals converted six of their seven shot attempts in the final frame, 48.8 percent overall and half of their 14 3-point attempts.
Northern Colorado converted 12 of its first 18 shots but made 12 of its next 39 to finish at 43 percent. The league’s best 3-point shooting team made just 3-of-14 from beyond the arc.
“We try to control the controllable and play hard and try not to think too much this time of year, play loose,” ISU head coach Seton Sobolewski said. “I think we have put together a pretty good system that has a chance to be pretty good in the postseason. If you emphasize defensive and rebounding, you have a chance.
“When you go to a neutral site, sometimes people have tough shooting nights. If you can really defend and rebound and make things ugly, it gives you a chance.”
Northern Colorado junior Savannah Scott
In a game with 10 lead changes and nine ties, Northern Colorado clung to a one-possession lead from the 2:41 mark of the second quarter until seven minutes left in the game. Junior All-Big Sky guard Savannah Scott did her best to boost the Bears, dishing out three assists in the fourth quarter, including a sweet pass to Smith for a left-handed finish through a foul. The 3-point play pushed UNC’s lead to 54-49 with 4:20 left.
Grandon’s first of two daggers cut the gap to 56-53 with 1:29 left. ISU forced a shot clock violation on the next possession. Kianna Williams ripped the ball from ISU’s Freya Newton only to have Newton reject Williams’ transition layup. Kenyon secured the rebound but freshman Estfania Ors turned the ball over again. Scott’s layup through contact with 52 seconds to go gave her 15 points and pushed the UNC lead to 58-53.
Kenyon hit two free throws to cut it to three, then Newton, a senior who shared the Big Sky’s Defensive MVP with Idaho senior Karlee Wilson, ripped the ball away from Scott. Three seconds later, freshman Bianca Thacker pump faked, set her feet as a UNC defender flew by and swished a 3-pointer to tie the game at 58 with 38 seconds left.
“(Newton) is the Defensive Player of the Year for a reason and she made big plays for us tonight,” Kenyon said.
Idaho State sophomore Saylair Grandon
Grandon fouled Northern Colorado sophomore center Courtney Smith, sending her to the free throw line with 17 seconds left. Smith entered the game having made 33 of 35 free throws this season, good for 94.3 percent. She missed the first, made the second on an otherwise stellar 17-point night.
Sobolewski called a timeout to advance the ball to half court. The Bengals isolated Grandon, who came through in the clutch to lift Idaho State in the semifinals. Idaho State will take on the seventh-seeded Vikings.
“Seeing them come to the conference tournament so confident and how they are playing, it’s going to be tough because it’s kind of different than UNC,” Grandon said. “I’m excited.”
Photos by Brooks Nuanez. All Rights Reserved.
