Game Notes: Utah State
BENGALS IN ACTION THIS WEEK
Idaho State (6-4) comes off its first program victory over Utah in a 71-68 overtime game at the Huntsman Center breaking a 27-0 losing streak. The Bengals are confident as they top the Big Sky in victories with six and are leading the league with a three-game win streak. Idaho State will continue its Utah tour with a trip to Utah State (5-4) on Saturday, Dec. 11 to play the Aggies at 3:05 p.m. in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. ISU holds a four-game win streak over the Aggies, including two victories last season.
MULTIMEDIA INFORMATION
ISU's contest at Utah State will be broadcast by KISU 91.1 FM and online at www.isubengals.com. The action will be brought to you by women's basketball play-by-play announcer Mark Liptak with color commentary from Cody Van Fleet. Fans can follow along with the action through live stats at www.utahstateaggies.com
ABOUT THE BENGALS
Idaho State has four players in double-figure scoring, led by senior guard Chelsea Pickering with 17.0 points per game followed by sophomore forward Ashleigh Vella with 11.7 ppg, sophomore guard Kaela Oakes with 11.6 ppg and freshman guard Lindsey Reed with 10.9 ppg. All four players are starters for the Bengals along with senior guard Andrea Blodgett who averages 5.8 ppg. The Bengals are averaging 63.5 ppg and came off their highest scoring game of the season a 71-68 overtime victory over Utah on the road.
BENGAL STANDOUTS
The Bengals are led in scoring by Pickering with 17 ppg. Sophomore forward Vella leads Idaho State from the field with 52.4 percent while sophomore guard Oakes leads the Bengals from the arc with 40 percent and from the line with 83.7 percent. Vella is ISU's leading rebounder with 6.8 per game. Oakes leads ISU with 30 assists while Cydney Horton leads the Bengals with 11 blocked shots. Pickering has led the Bengals in scoring five times this season. Vella has led the Bengals in rebounding four times this season.
ISU LEADS THE BIG SKY CONFERENCE
Idaho State leads the Big Sky Conference in field goal percentage offense and defense. The Bengals are hitting 39.2 percent from the field (222-566) while holding their opponents to 37.1 percent (220-593). Idaho State leads the conference with a 6-4 recording winning 60 percent of its non-conference games and tops the league with a three-game win streak. Idaho State is second in the conference from the line with 77.5 percent (131-169) topped only be Weber State who has made just 79 shots from the line to hit 79 percent.
PICKERING SECOND LEADING SCORER IN THE BIG SKY
Chelsea Pickering, a senior guard, is the second leading scorer in the Big Sky averaging 17.0 points per game. Sacramento State's Kylie Kuhns barely tops the Bengal averaging 17.6 ppg.
ABOUT UTAH STATE
Utah State averages 67.9 points per game while maintaining a 42.6 percent field goal percentage. The Aggies are on a five-game win streak having defeated conference foes Weber State (66-54) and Northern Arizona (80-75) in overtime. Utah State comes off a 77-71 victory over San Francisco at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum Center. The Aggies are 2-2 at home falling to Dixie State and Montana.
AGGIE STANDOUTS
Utah State has 14 players on their roster who have seen floor time, but just one averages double-figures in scoring, led by Ashlee Brown with 14.7 points per game. Brown averages 50.5 percent from the field and leads the team in rebounding with 8.3 per game. Banna Diop leads her team with 53.2 percent from the field. The outside shot is owned by Amber White (53.3 percent) and Devyn Christensen (38.5 percent). Christensen leads the Aggies from the line with 83.3 percent. USU has quick hands with three players who have notched double-figures in steals so far this season.
UTAH STATE AND IDAHO STATE SERIES INFO
Both Utah State and Idaho State are tied with 14 wins each in the team's series record. The Bengals are on a four-game win streak dating back to Nov. 28 of 2007. Idaho State is 3-0 against Utah State under Head Coach Seton Sobolewski. During the 2009-10 season the Bengals defeated Utah State 56-53 at the Arizona State Tournament on Dec. 5. The Bengals had a one game break playing at Utah, but it was back-to-back contests for the Aggies when they traveled to Reed Gym on Dec. 12. Idaho State went on to sweep Utah State with a 63-58 victory shutting out the Aggies for the season. Idaho State has a chance to tie it's longest win streak of five against the Aggies from Jan. 1, 1983 to Nov. 24, 1984 when ISU and the Aggies were in the Mountain West Conference.
IDAHO STATE CAPTURES FIRST PROGRAM WIN OVER UTAH
Idaho State captured its first program victory over Utah in a 71-68 overtime contest with sophomore forward Ashleigh Vella leading the way. Vella scored a career-high 31 points and posted a game-high 11 rebounds, her first double-double of the season, at the Huntsman Center on Wednesday. ISU's victory broke a 27-0 series record held by Utah over the Bengals. ISU took Utah to its second consecutive overtime game between the schools. Vella hit 12-of-18 from the field, 2-of-3 from the arc and 5-of-5 from the line. Chelsea Pickering chipped in 17 points in and was 9-of-10 from the line.
31 POINTS IS CAREER-HIGH FOR TWO BENGALS
Both Vella and Pickering hold a career-high 31 points. Vella notched her career-high 31 points in a double-double effort with 11 rebounds at Utah in ISU's first program victory over the Utes with a 71-68 overtime victory. Pickering tied her career-high 31 points at Texas State which is a Big Sky game-high for the season.
RANDOM FACTS
• Oakes posts the best three-point field goal percentage for a game with her 5-of-6 (83.3 percent) effort at UTEP.
• Vella is the first Bengal to record a double-figure rebound game this season as well as ISU's first double-double when she posted a career-high 31 points and a game-high 11 rebounds at Utah.
• Under Head Coach Seton Sobolewski Idaho State has had three players post career-highs with 31 points: Oana Iacovita, Chelsea Pickering (twice) and Ashleigh Vella.
• Pickering recorded a career-high seven steals at Utah. The seven steals is a season-high for the Bengals, she was one steal shy of tying the ISU single game record.
• Pickering recorded a career-high eight rebounds at Utah.
• Cydney Horton posts the fifth most blocked shots in the Big Sky averaging 1.4 per game.
• Both Oakes and Pickering have hit a team-high 6-of-6 from the line (Oakes vs. Utah Valley and Pickering at Texas).
• Vella recorded a career-high three blocks and Oakes posted a career-high five steals against Utah Valley.
• Idaho State posted a season-high 34 points off turnovers against Utah Valley. Utah Valley recorded 30 turnovers while Idaho State posted a season-low 12 turnovers.
• With victories over Air Force and Utah Idaho State is 5-17 against Mountain West teams. ISU's victory over Utah Valley was the first program win against a Great West team and ISU's win over High Point was the first Conference USA victory.
• Pickering is third in the conference in steals with 2.4 per game.
BENGALS STEADY AT THE LINE
Idaho State posted a season-high 90.9 percent from the free throw line against Utah Valley hitting 20-of-22. The effort matched Idaho State's best mark under Head Coach Seton Sobolewski. The Bengals were 20-of-22 against Portland State at Reed Gym during the 2009-10 season. The Bengals post the second best free throw percentage in the conference with 77.5 percent accuracy.
PICKERING TIES CAREER-HIGH AT TEXAS STATE
Senior guard Chelsea Pickering scored a career-high tying 31 points to lead the Bengals to a 69-52 victory over the Bobcats. Pickering hit 10-of-22 from the field, 6-of-10 from the arc and 5-of-7 from the line.
OAKES SETS CAREER-HIGH VS. HIGH POINT
Oakes topped herself during the consolation game of the Thanksgiving Tournament. She posted back-to-back career-high nights recording 27 points in Idaho State's 62-55 victory over High Point Saturday afternoon at the Don Haskins Center. She hit 8-of-13 from the field (61.5 percent), 2-of-4 (50 percent) from the three-point line and a career-high 9-of-10 (90 percent) from the line. Oakes improved upon her previous career-high of 20 points scored against UTEP the night before.
BENGALS ON SEVEN-GAME HOME WIN STREAK
Idaho State is on a seven-game home win streak dating back to early February of last season. It is the longest home win streak under Head Coach Sobolewski. Idaho State's longest home win streak was 17 matches from the end of the 1999-00 season to the start of the 2001-02 season. The Bengals were undefeated with a 15-0 home record in 2000-01 and posted an overall record of 25-5; ISU was 16-0 in conference play.
MVP AND All-TOURNAMENT TEAM HONORS
Back-to-back career-high scoring nights earned sophomore guard Kaela Oakes MVP honors at the UTEP Thanksgiving tournament. Oakes and senior guard Chelsea Pickering earned all-tournament team honors. Oakes averaged 23.5 ppg, 66.7 percent shooting from the field, 70 percent from the arc, 85.7 percent from the line while averaging five rebounds per game. Pickering averaged 14.5 ppg and hit 38.5 percent from the field.
BEST SHOOTING EFFORT UNDER SOBOLEWSKI
At No. 16 Texas the Bengals posted a season-high mark from the field and from the three-point line. ISU's hit 47.3 (26-of-55) from the field and 53.8 percent (7-of-13) from the arc. Idaho State's best field goal and three-point shooting percentage under Head Coach Sobolewski was in his first season, 2008-09, when the Bengals had just eight players including a walk-on. ISU hit 56.6 percent (30-of-53) at home in an 83-60 (+23) victory over Montana Western. In the quarterfinals of the Big Sky Conference tournament Idaho State recorded 61.5 percent (8-of-13) from the arc in a 78-76 overtime victory where forward Oana Iacovita hit a jump shot with .06 seconds left to defeat Sacramento State.
BENGALS ROCK NIGHT GAMES
Idaho State is undefeated this season in night games with a 4-0 record. The team is just 2-4 in afternoon games. Idaho State is 23-25 in night games under Head Coach Sobolewski.
