kang@journalnet.com

Katie Bussey glided past one Idaho State defender. She sliced between two others.

Montana State's freshman sensation finally found herself face to face with Bengals post Oana Iacovita under the hoop. With one swift move, Bussey dished the ball to wide-open teammate Nubia Garcia for an easy layup, just as the shot clock ticked down under five seconds.

That possession late in the second half symbolized everything that went right for Montana State and wrong for Idaho State in the Bobcats' 81-72 win Thursday at Reed Gym.

All game long, the Bobcats ripped open the belly of the Bengals' defense with their lightning-quick drives. The 81 points was the highest total the Bengals had surrendered in Big Sky play and the second highest all season, behind New Mexico's 82 in the third game of the season.

"It's a little disheartening," Idaho State coach Seton Sobolewski said. "You'd hope we can play a little better defense. We're not this high-octane offensive machine where we can play games in the 70s and 80s. We've got to play good defense and keep the score in the 50s and 60s to have a chance to win."

Just as disheartening was the fact that the result gave Montana State (11-13, 5-7 Big Sky) a season sweep over Idaho State (8-17, 5-7) and further muddied the league standings. The Bengals and Bobcats now sit in a four-way tie for third place, just one and a half games out of last place.

The result seemed almost inevitable from the beginning. Idaho State never once led and faced a 40-33 deficit at halftime.

Upperclassmen Jenna Brown, Michelle Grohs and Oana Iacovita led a furious second-half charge that sliced Montana State's lead to four points on two occasions and to three points once. Brown led the way with 19 points, while Iacovita and Grohs added 18 and 16, respectively.

The problem was, the Bengals simply couldn't string together a chain of defensive stops. Perry, who scored 17 of her 19 points after halftime, repeatedly blazed into the paint to either score or draw a foul. She got to the line 16 times, hitting 10 attempts, and Montana State earned 34 trips to the charity stripe, the second-highest total Idaho State has allowed all season.

Anne Phippard fell one point short of giving Montana State all five starters with double-digit scoring.

"It comes down to 'OK, we need something,' and we either send them to the free-throw line, or they'd get a 3-pointer," Grohs said. "We've got to dig down on those possessions late in the game a lot better."

Still, the Bengals wouldn't have found themselves in that situation if not for a first-half letdown. The Bobcats mauled them with a 15-2 run midway through the half that turned a tie into a 28-15 Montana State lead.

Seven different Bobcats scored during that spree, either on drives or on open treys after teammates had penetrated among a cluster of Idaho State defenders.

Montana State shot 55.6 percent (15-for-27) from the field and 40 percent (4-for-10) from beyond the arc in the half.

"Against good teams, you can't expect to always come back," Brown said. "That's something we really have to focus on. Yeah, there's 20 more minutes after halftime, but when you can get the momentum and have a lead going into it, that really helps you out."

Montana State accomplished all that despite Perry sitting out much of the half with foul trouble. When she returned with fresh legs for the second half, the Bengals just couldn't keep up with her.

"We don't necessarily have a player who can match Erica Perry's athleticism or Bussey's athleticism," Sobolewski said. "That was the game - the dribble drive."