Idaho State Bengals guard Brooke Blair was held scoreless for the first time this season in the latest version of Kiwi versus Kiwi.
It was in fact Kiwis versus Kiwi as Krystal Leger-Walker and Tiarna Clarke helped Northern Colorado Bears to a convincing 75-52 win over the Bengals.
Blair picked up a foul in the first 30 seconds of the game and it set the tone for a disappointing performance from the 2016 Tall Fern who struggled with foul trouble throughout. Averaging ten attempts from the field per game Blair was restricted to just two shots, with Idaho State’s leading scorer unable to convert either, and finished the game with 4 rebounds and a pair of assist as the Bengals slip to 6-5 and seventh spot on the Big Sky Conference ladder.
In contrast Northern Colorado, riding on the back of a four game winning streak, are now 9-3 in Big Sky Conference play and have moved to the top of the standings.
Leger-Walker put in another solid performance for the Bears. The Tall Ferns guard came up with 6 points (2/4 3PG), 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. She nailed her first triple late in the second period as Northern Colorado, on the back of a dominating 36-12 second quarter, led 47-25 at half-time. Another trey in the third kept Idaho at bay – the lead 60-34 with a quarter to play.
Former Westlake guard Tiarna Clarke, a regular contributor off the bench for the Bears, failed to score with either of her two shots but did contribute 3 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal. Adding salt to the wound the steal was from Blair – sort of summed up her day.
LACEY LOWDOWN 