The Utah Valley Women’s basketball team hosted Idaho State University on Tuesday, Dec. 3. After achieving their first win just three days prior, the Wolverines looked to make it two, but instead fell 61-88 to the Bengals.
The first half of play shed light on the holes in both the offense and defense for the Wolverines. Whether is was confusion on which play was being run or who they were supposed to be defending, the Wolverines looked plain lost. Add foul upon foul, and the Wolverines found themselves down 20 points after the first 20 minutes of play.
“Tonight, I’ll be honest, was really disappointing,” said UVU head coach Dan Nielson. “If I was a fan in the stands that would have looked like we weren’t prepared at all.”
In a half where more whistles were heard than cheers for the Wolverines, the Bengals saw 12 chances at the charity stripe, knocking down seven points. UVU on the other hand, only saw two chances. Luckily for the Wolverines, senior guard Alexis Cotrez converted both of those shots into points.
ISU junior guard Dora Goles would have been perfect in all aspects of the first period if it weren’t for a desperation shot from deep at the buzzer. With 11 points, she was hot from behind the arc, sinking 3-of-4. She would be quiet the entire second period, with only an assist and a rebound but ended the night with 19 points.
What goes around comes around. Whistles turned around in favor of the Wolverines in the second half. 17 free throw chances were awarded to UVU, 12 of which resulted in points. The Wolverines kept their composure when it came to fouling, only allowing the Bengals two trips to the line.
The star of the night for the Wolverines might surprise some people. Sophomore forward Nehaa Sohail led the way with a career-high 12 points, shooting a perfect 2-for-2 from deep and 75% from the field.
“Nehaa playing better offensively, she’s got a quick release, good shot, real long and athletic,” said Nielson. “She’s a bright spot and doing some positive things for sure.”
The Bengals had four sharp shooters that really put the Wolverines away. Sophomore guard Callie Bourne put up 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting, senior guard Estefania Ors contributed another 15, sophomore forward Montana Oltrogge had 12 points and of course, Goles had 19.
The Wolverines will look to bounce back on Saturday, Dec. 7, as they host the University of Montana. From there, a trip across the valley will take Nielson’s team to face his old Brigham Young team on Dec. 14.
