2020-21 (NCAA Tournament)

Idaho State won the 2021 Big Sky Conference Regular Season and the Conference Tournament defeating No. 2 Idaho 84-49. Senior Guard Estefania Ors led the Bengals with 21 points shooting eight-of-nine from the field and shooting a perfect four-of-four from behind the three-point arc. In her dominant performance, Ors added four rebounds, four assists and three steals in the game. On top of those stats, Ors finished the first quarter of the championship game with 13 points and a 100 percent field-goal percentage. Sophomore Guard Diaba Konate followed just behind with 20 points on nine-of-13 shooting from the field. Senior Forward Delaney Moore also scored in the double digits hitting eight-of-10 from the field.

For their dominant performance in the championship game, three Bengals were named to the all-tournament team. Montana Oltrogge and Callie Bourne were named to the Big Sky Conference All-Tournament team while Ors eared the Tournament MVP honor, the first Bengal MVP since Chelsea Pickering in 2012.

Winning the Big Sky Championship sent the Bengals to the NCAA tournament for the fourth time in program history. The Bengals earned their highest seeding in program history and the No. 13 seed Bengals were matched up against the No. 4 seed University of Kentucky Wildcats.

The Orange and Black came out of the gate swinging, finishing the first quarter up 18-12 after shooting eight-of-13 from the field for 61.54 FG percent.

The Wildcats were able to pull away during the second and third quarters. The Bengals didn’t give in and pulled back in the fourth but the Wildcats were able to secure the 71-63 victory. This was the first single-digit loss for a Big Sky team in the first round since the 90’s.

Diaba Konate shined during the game going seven-of-12 from the field for 16 points with two boards, two assists and three steals, all while guarding first-team All-American Rhyne Howard. Ellie Smith stepped up and tied her career high with five blocks. Delaney Moore ended her career shooting 55.7 percent from the field and becoming Idaho State’s all-time leader in career field-goal percentage.

“I think we did an amazing job of disrupting Kentucky, and them having to just beat us on the glass, or just rev up their defense more than normal and having to win that way,” Idaho State head coach Seton Sobolewski said. “You learn how to take away everything that they want to do offensively and then it just comes down to genetics, usually. They’re bigger, stronger, faster, and they’re going to get more aggressive. I thought we disrupted a lot of what they wanted to do, it was not as easy as they thought it was going to be, and they definitely had to switch their approach.”

2018-19 (WNIT)

Idaho State finished 20-9 in the regular season to secure a No. 3 seed and first-round bye in the Big Sky Conference Tournament. It was the first time in program history ISU finished with back-to-back, 20-win seasons. Despite topping Eastern Washington twice in the season, including a 74-45 victory just days before the tournament, Idaho State fell to the Eagles 67-65 in overtime. The Bengals led the quarterfinal matchup by as many 15 points before the Eagles rallied, outscoring ISU 19-7 in the fourth quarter and 8-6 in overtime. EWU went on to play for the Big Sky Title, but fell to Portland State in the final. 

Estefania Ors led Idaho State with 18 points on 6-11 shooting with every shot coming from behind the arc. Sai Tapasa and Grace Kenyon equally contributed to a combined 24 points and 10 rebounds on the night. Saylair Grandon also finished in double figures with 11 points while collecting a team-high seven rebounds and eight assists. 

Idaho State earned its fifth trip to the WNIT with an at-large bid a week later. The Bengals traveled to Tucson, Ariz. to face the Arizona Wildcats in the McKale Center on Thursday, March 21. Grandon led the charge for Idaho State with 22 points after going 8-19 from the field including 5-7 from three-point range. Tapasa and Ors each scored 12 points and collected four boards. The Bengals trailed by 21 early in the second half, but used a 13-0 run to cut the deficit to single digits. The comeback fell just short with Arizona taking its second victory of the season over Idaho State. 

2012-13 (WNIT)

After sweeping Sacramento State in the regular season the Idaho State ran into a buzzsaw in the Big Sky Conference tournament quarterfinals in Missoula, Mont. The Bengals led 34-33 at the half but the Hornet led by forward Kylie Kuhns outscored ISU 40-26 in the second half to secure the 73-60 win. The Hornets went on to fall to the tournament Montana 74-53 in the Big Sky Semifinals but the Bengals would continue their season.

The Bengals gained an at-large bid to face Brigham Young in the first round of the WNIT. Ashleigh Vella scored 15 points, Kaela Oakes scored 11 and Jessa Jeppesen scored 10 to lead ISU but the Bengals' balanced scoring couldn’t overcome BYU’s Jennefer Hamson who scored 25 and Haley Steed scored 20 to lead the Cougars to a 69-54 win over the Bengals.

2011-12 (NCAA Tournament)

Idaho State won the Big Sky Conference Tournament, defeating No. 2 seed Northern Colorado in the final, 49-46. Senior guard Chelsea Pickering and junior forward Ashleigh Vella led ISU with 12 points apiece. Sophomore Cydney Horton led the rebound effort with nine for Idaho State and recorded a game-high five blocks. Sophomore guard Lindsey Reed scored in double digits for the Bengals, notching 10 in the contest. The Bengals defeated Sacramento State in the semifinals, 70-57. Reed led ISU with her first double-double of the season, scoring 17 points and pulling down a career-high 11 rebounds. Horton, Pickering, Vella and junior guard Kaela Oakes also scored in double figures in the contest.

For their excellent performances during the 2012 Big Sky Women’s Basketball Tournament sponsored by Idaho Central Credit Union, Ashleigh Vella and Lindsey Reed were named to the Big Sky Conference All-Tournament  team and Chelsea Pickering was named tournament MVP.

The conference championship title sent ISU to the NCAA Tournament for the third time in program history where the No. 14-seed Bengals faced No. 3-seed Miami (FL) in Spokane, Wash. ISU fell to the Hurricanes 70-41 in the first round.

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 ended 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).

“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.”
 

2007-08 (WNIT)

Boise State went on a 16-0 run starting with 7:45 to go, turning a close physical 49-44 game into a runaway, as the Boise State Broncos picked up their first ever postseason win, defeating ISU 77-54 at Taco Bell Arena. The Bengals finished their season 20-10, while Boise State improved to 24-7, and they ran their home court winning streak to 17 straight dating back to last season.  Both teams struggled mightily from the field, but the Broncos were able to counter that with 27 offensive rebounds, allowing them to survive a 31% shooting night by getting off 85 shots. The Bengals had cut a nine-point Bronco second half to just five after a perfect laser pass from Andrea Videback to Natalie Doma made it 49-44 with 7:58 to go, but after a media timeout, Tasha Harris sank two free throws to start a 16-0 run that spanned just 3:52.  Boise State picked up 66 rebounds, including the 27 on offense as the two teams had 110 combined rebounds.  The Bengals were led by Andrea Lightfoot, who scored 16 in her final game, and Natalie Doma had another double-double with 13 points and 17 rebounds, as she recorded her 77th consecutive double-figure scoring game, a school record.

2006-07 (NCAA Tournament)

Despite a game-high 32 points from Natalie Doma, Idaho State couldn’t stop Stanford’s hot shooting as the Bengals dropped a 96-58 decision to the fifth-ranked Cardinal in the first round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament at Maples Pavilion.  Idaho State, who finished the season with a 17-14 overall record, held their own through most of the first half, trailing by just four points with 12:01 to go until the break. Stanford then outscored ISU 26-9 over the next 10 minutes to take a 45-24.  Doma became Idaho State’s all-time leading scorer after hitting a field goal with 14:34 remaining in the second half. The shot gave her 1,540 career points, breaking Mandi Carver’s (1998-02) all-time career mark of 1,538 career points. The junior center connected on 12-of-25 shots from the field, including a career-high 4-of-6 mark from long range. Doma also pulled down seven rebounds in the game.  ISU’s lone senior Jeni Boesel helped with nine points on the day, including a make from long range. Michelle Grohs scored six points, while Andrea Lightfoot and Kaylynn Fager each collected four. Sandra Dziurdzia rounded out the Bengal scoring effort with three points.

The Bengals earned a spot in the "Big Dance" by their victory in the Big Sky title game over Northern Arizona. Natalie Doma recorded a 24-point, 16-rebound double-double effort to lead Idaho State to an 84-78 victory over NAU in the championship game at Dahlberg Arena in Missoula, Mont.. The Bengals earned the league’s automatic berth into the 2007 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Tournament.  The win marked the second-ever tournament title for Idaho State, who also went to the NCAA Tournament in 2001.  Andrea Lightfoot scored 21 points, 13 of which came in the final nine minutes of the contest. The junior guard connected on 6-of-13 shots from the field, and was a perfect 8-of-8 from the free throw line.  Doma hit 8-of-22 shots and was also perfect from the charity stripe, making 7-of-7. The junior center also pulled down 16 rebounds for her 24th double-double of the season. Doma grabbed 34 rebounds over ISU’s two tournament games--the second-most in Big Sky Tournament history, in earning tournament MVP honors.  Devin Diehl helped with 12 points and Michelle Grohs added 11. Grohs hit three treys in the second half for ISU. Kaylynn Fager came off the bench to score eight points, including a 2-of-2 mark from long range. Jeni Boesel added six points with five assists and a steal.
 

2005-06 (Regular Season Big Sky Champions)

Andrea Lightfoot scored a game-high 20 points and Joanna Hixon added 19 as Idaho State clinched the 2005-06 regular season Big Sky Conference Championship with a 77-75 win over Montana State at Reed Gym. The win gave Idaho State the right to host the Big Sky Tournament for the second time in school history.  The win also made it a senior day to remember for Chelsey Chambers, Ali Gorny, and Dana Beechie, as all were honored in a pregame ceremony. Chambers started the game for ISU, playing on a torn ligament in her knee.  “It was great to just get out on the floor even if it was for just a couple of minutes,” Chambers said of starting the game. “It’s amazing to be a part of all of this. I’m so proud of our team. This title means a lot to us.”  Lightfoot recorded her fourth straight game with at least 20 or more points, connecting on 6-of-14 shots from the field. She was also 7-of-9 from the charity stripe. Lightfoot also collected four rebounds, two assists, five steals, and a block in the effort.  Hixon fell just one rebound shy of a double-double with 19 points and nine rebounds. The junior post went 8-of-15 from the field, and 1-of-2 from beyond the arc in 40 minutes of play. Doma put 18 points on the scoreboard with 11 rebounds for her ninth double-double of the season.  Jeni Boesel netted nine points, while Michelle Grohs came off the bench to add 10. Grohs also pulled down five rebounds.  In a ceremony after the game, Idaho State players and coaches each took turns cutting down the nets.

The Bengals fell to Northern Arizona in the Big Sky Championship game but were awarded a spot in the WNIT. ISU drew the eventual WNIT champion Kansas State Wildcats for their 2006 opener, and the Bengals held tough until a late push by Kansas State gave them an 88-68 win over the Bengals, ending ISU’s cinderella season at 17-13.  Four Bengals scored in double-figures, led by Andrea Lightfoot’s 16 points and Natalie Doma’s double-double, but a 17-0 KSU run was the difference in the game.  Jeni Boesel kept the Bengals close in the second half with a brilliant display, hitting 14 points in the second half, but KSU had an answer for every ISU second half surge.  ISU nearly outrebounded the bigger Wildcats as ISU was beaten on the boards 43-42, but Kansas State shot .471 from the field.  Joanna Hixon added 15 points and a game-high six assists for the Bengals.

 

2003-04 (WNIT)

Despite a game-high 17 points from freshman Molly Hays, Idaho State dropped its first-ever NIT postseason game to Iowa State 72-59 at the Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa.  Hays scored her 17 points on 7-of-18 shots from the field, 2-of-7 from beyond the arc. The freshman forward also tallied nine rebounds, two assists and four steals in the effort--something Iowa State head coach Bill Fennelly says isn’t normal for a freshman.  “We just had no answer for (Molly) Hays tonight,” Fennelly said. “She didn’t play like a freshman in a postseason tournament. She is a great player.”  Monika Marekova helped the Bengals with nine points off the bench. The junior guard connected on 3-of-8 shots, 3-of-6 from beyond the arc. Marekova also tallied six rebounds, two steals, and two assists. Christa Brossman added eight points for the Bengals.

2000-01 (NCAA Tournament)

The Bengals made their first-ever NCAA tournament appearance when they faced Vanderbilt in the first round.Chris Urbanski scored 20 points to lead Idaho State including six 3-pointers, Sarah Nelson scored eight and Mandi Carver scored eight to lead ISU. The effort was not enough to overcome third-seeded Commodores who topped the Bengals 83-57.
 
The Bengals earned their first-ever NCAA bid with a big win over Montana in the Big Sky Tournament Championship.
 
Idaho State outrebounded the Lady Griz 48-29 to knock off Montana 68-59 for their first-ever Big Sky title in front of 5,028 fans at Holt Arena in Pocatello. It was the 21st win in-a-row and the 300th win in program history for Idaho State.
 
Carver scored 16 points to pace ISU and earn the Tournament MVP nod. Urbanski and Nelson added 12 points each for the Bengals. The win was the 77th for Head Coach Ardie McInelly which tied her for the most in program history at the time.