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December 8, 1998

PULLMAN, Wash. - Idaho's Alli Nieman poured in 30 points on 10-for-20 shooting from the field and 10-for-11 from the free throw line as the Vandals upset Washington State 86-79 in women's basketball action at Friel Court Tuesday.

Susan Woolf hit a trio of three pointers en route to her 17 points for the Vandals (6-3). Idaho held a commanding 42-29 advantage on the boards, with Jennifer Stone hauling in nine while adding 12 to the offense. Rikki Jackson added 10 points for the Vandals.

The Cougars (5-1) were led by Alke Dietel's game-high 31 points on 12-of-21 from the field, including five three pointers, and nine boards. Cathy McNeely finished the game with 11 points, while Sheri Quinton scored 10 points to go with five rebounds.

The border rivalry between WSU and Idaho began as a closely matched shootout, but almost turned into a blowout. In the first seven minutes of play, the two teams battled to a 15-15 tie, but then the Vandals caught fire.

First Idaho scored six unanswered points to lead 21-15 with 11:25 left in first half. Later, Idaho advanced a 33-27 lead to 42-27 with 5:53 left in the half after a 9-0 run. Before the halftime, the Cougars would close the gap, but still trailed 50-41 at the intermission.

In the second half, Nieman looked to expand on her 17 first half points, finishing a lay-in that put the Vandals ahead 54-41 with 19:21. Meanwhile, disaster struck the Cougs as the team's leading scorer, Tricia Lamb, picked up her third and fourth fouls with less than two minutes expired in the half.

Taking control of the offense, Dietel scored 10 points in five minutes to lift WSU to within four points, 63-59, with 12:54 remaining.

But the Idaho inside game responded down the stretch as Nieman and Stone combined to score 13 of the Vandals' last 23 points. Although WSU cut the lead to one, 80-79 with 1:44 to play, it could get no closer despite two Idaho turnovers in the last 1:35.

"Some of the things we attempted to do, it's frustrating because it's not intelligent basketball," said WSU head coach Harold Rhodes, whose Cougars committed 21 turnovers, including a costly turnover with 1:27 left, on a possession that could have given WSU the lead.

"We played sluggish. We didn't play with the same enthusiasm and sharpness we have been playing with."

In addition to being out-rebounded, WSU connected on only 15 of its 25 (60 percent) free throw attempts after entering the game hitting just over 74 percent in the first five games.

Idaho (86) - Kelly Bartleson 1-4 0-0 2, Alli Nieman 10-20 10-11 30,
Jennifer Stone 5-7 2-6 12, Susan Woolf 5-14 4-4 17, Rikki Jackson 4-6 0-0
10, Meg LeBlanc 1-2 3-4 5, Suzy Goss 0-0 0-0 0, Jennae Krell 0-1 0-0 0,
Laura Bloom 0-0 0-0 0, Kelly Benad 0-1 0-0 0, Tasha Rico 1-1 2-2 4, Julie
Wynstra 1-4 0-0 2, Dana Purcell 2-2 0-0 4, Team 30-62 21-27 86.

WSU (79) - Alke Dietel 12-21 2-3 31, Cathy McNeely 5-9 1-2 11, Sheri
Quinton 4-7 2-2 10, Katie Nyseth 0-0 2-2 2, Tricia Lamb 4-10 1-3 9,
Victoria Harrod 1-1 0-0 2, Jennifer Kerns 2-6 3-4 8, Yvonne Volkman 0-5 4-9
4, Romie DeAnda 1-3 0-0 2, Team 29-62 15-25 79.

Halftime - Idaho 50, WSU 41.  3-point goals - Idaho 5-16 (Bartleson 0-1,
Nieman 0-2, Woolf 3-7, Jackson 2-4, LeBlanc 0-1, Krell 0-1), WSU 6-17
(Dietel 5-10, McNeely 0-2, Lamb 0-3, Kerns 1-1, DeAnda 0-1).  Fouled out -
Bartleson, Lamb.  Rebounds - Idaho 42 (Stone 9), WSU 29 (Dietel 9).
Assists - Idaho 12 (Nieman 5), WSU 17 (Lamb 6).  Steals - Idaho 3
(Bartleson, Nieman, Rico 1), WSU 12 (Lamb 4).  Turnovers - Idaho 24
(Jackson 8), WSU 21 (McNeely, Kerns 5).  Total Fouls - Idaho 20, WSU 23.
Technical - None.  A- 841.