POCATELLO - Sheila Adams didn't have time to think about what she wanted to do with the ball.

Dribbling at the top of the key during Idaho State's first scrimmage last month, the freshman guard spotted post Oana Iacovita charging along the baseline. With one swift motion, Adams whipped the ball past a tangle of defenders while twisting her head in the opposite direction. The eye-popping no-look pass resulted in an open layup for Iacovita.

Adams grins at that memory, but it's a sheepish grin - she would never dare try that in a Bengals game.

"I'd probably get yelled at pretty bad," Adams said.

Idaho State coach Seton Sobolewski so far hasn't had to worry about that. Adams' daredevil tendencies sometimes still earn her tongue lashings in practice, but Sobolewski had no complaints about the boldness with which she attacked Concordia's defenders in her collegiate debut last week. Adams led all scorers with 16 points in that exhibition game against the NAIA foe from California by fearlessly driving to the basket and unleashing 3-pointers.

And she'll be doing a lot more of that, even if she does have to endure the occasional scolding for an ill-advised move. That's the only way she's ever known how to play.

"Some passes that I think aren't open or don't look open, sometimes I get the ball there, sometimes I don't," Adams said. "It's just whether you're lucky or not. I'm one of those players that's willing to take the risk. If it gets through, then you look good, and if not, then you get yelled at."

Adams received mostly compliments about her play against Concordia. She finished 7-for-10 from the field and also contributed three rebounds, three assists and two steals, capping it all off by burying a late 3-pointer.

That performance didn't come as a complete surprise to her teammates. As soon as Adams showed up at for her first open gym sessions at Idaho State, she wowed the Bengals with a variety of pump fakes and stepback shots, a pickup-ball style of play they rarely see.

In addition to no-look passes, Adams claims her arsenal also includes a behind-the-back pass that she dishes on fast breaks when defenders cut in front of her.

"She's fun to play with," junior Devin Diehl said. "She had some no-looks in practice, and that makes you look forward to playing with her. When she's on your team, you're like, maybe I can get another one."

Adams developed her unique style when she played in a boys' youth league in Layton, Utah, between fourth and sixth grades. Matching up against defenders who were usually bigger and faster than she was, Adams had to make plays however she could.

If she couldn't leap over a boy for a layup, she had to drive around him for a reverse scoop. If the only way she could make a pass was by bouncing it between a boy's legs, then so be it.

By the time she suited up for Layton High's varsity team, she was routinely pulling off tricks like firing inbounds passes off opponents' backs and collecting the caroms for layups.

Finding her teammates with passes proved a little harder, because none of them were used to that sort of flair from a ball-handler.

"It was frustrating because they would never be ready for the pass," Layton coach Van Price said. "She'd drive in there and make a really good no-look pass and hit the girl right in the hands or the chest, and it would bounce out of bounds."

Price was a lot more forgiving of Adams' audacity than Sobolewski has been, though.

Just in the first week of practice last month, Sobolewski chewed out Adams for spraying an errant no-look pass on a two-on-one breakaway. If she's going to develop into a successful Division I player, Sobolewski said, she's going to have to suppress her instinct to always attempt the flashier move.

"She's got to learn how to value every possession. She's not quite there yet," Sobolewski said. "It's very frustrating, but at the same time, you've got to take a step back, and it's like, OK, she's a freshman. You've got to give her a chance to figure it out."

Still, Sobolewski tolerates her mistakes to a degree because they're often accompanied by the sort of tenacity she demonstrated in the Concordia win.

And when Adams does hit a teammate with a spectacular pass like she did in the Bengals' first scrimmage, even Sobolewski can't help but appreciate the feat.

Said Sobolewski: "It could be that she has the Force, as a Jedi."

Basketball Travelers Tip-off Tournament

Idaho State vs. DePaul

When: 5 p.m. today

Idaho State at New Mexico

When: 7 p.m. Sunday

Idaho State vs. Alcorn State

When: 4 p.m. Monday

Radio: KISU FM 91.1

What's at stake:

Key matchups:

DePaul junior guard Deirdre Naughton vs. Chelsea Pickering. DePaul's top returning scorer, Naughton averaged 15.1 points a game last season and made a team-leading 67 3-pointers. Pickering will have to play tighter defense than normal on Naughton.

New Mexico junior point guard Amy Beggin vs. Jenna Brown. Beggin is the only returning Lobo who started every game and averaged double-digits in scoring last season. New Mexico's offense likely will revolve around Beggin's ball-handling and play-making.

Alcorn State senior forward Corneshia Hollis vs. Michelle Grohs. In the Lady Braves' two exhibition games, Hollis averaged a team-leading 13.5 points and seven rebounds. Grohs will have to contain the 5-foot-9 Hollis inside the paint.

Three things about the Bengals' opponents:

n Three of DePaul's starters are 6-foot-2 or taller, and the Blue Demons have out-rebounded their two exhibition opponents by a combined margin of 105-70. The Bengals' tallest starter is Oana Iacovita at 6-foot-2.

n New Mexico went 12-7 last season in the Pit, their home arena. The Lobos have compiled an all-time home winning percentage of .806.

n Idaho State defeated Alcorn State 61-53 last November in the Basketball Travelers Classic at Texas Tech. The Lady Braves return just two starters from that team.

Happy ending if: The Bengals continue to share the ball and get balanced offensive production throughout their lineup.

Sad ending if: The Bengals get in foul trouble again like they did in their exhibition win against Concordia, when both Devin Diehl and Chelsea Pickering fouled out. With freshman Kayla Gromme missing the trip due to a suspension, Idaho State cannot afford to exhaust its bench early playing three games in three days.

Bottom line: Idaho State coach Seton Sobolewski couldn't have inherited a harder season-opening schedule. New Mexico and DePaul were both NCAA tournament teams last year and should outclass Idaho State. Alcorn State is its best shot at a victory.