GAME NOTES | AUDIO | LIVE STATS
BENGALS IN ACTION THIS WEEK
Idaho State (3-3) travels to Colorado Springs, Colo., this week for the Air Force Classic. Idaho State faces South Florida (4-3) in the first day of the tournament Friday, Dec. 2 at 7:30 p.m. The Bengals then face Jackson State (0-2) Saturday, Dec. 3 at 2 p.m. Fans can listen in to both games by tuning into 91.1 FM KISU or clicking on the audio streaming link at www.isubengals.com. Live stats are availabe at www.goairforcefalcons.com.
LAST WEEK IN BENGAL BASKETBALL
Idaho State (3-3) split a set of games at the Cancun Challenge. Idaho State defeated Chattanooga on Thursday 65-62 after being down by double digits in the first half. Sophomore guard
Lindsey Reed and junior guard
Kaela Oakes led ISU in the game with each scoring 19 points. Oakes played a major role in the second half scoring 11 points and nabbing a last second steal to seal the victory for the Bengals. Oakes and Reed also led ISU in the loss against Tulane on Friday. The Bengals fell 45-37 to the Green Wave. Reed scored 12 points while Oakes notched 11.
SOBOLEWSKI, LIPTAK REACH CENTENNIAL MARK
Idaho State Head Coach
Seton Sobolewski will coach his 100th game at the helm of the ISU women's basketball program on Tuesday, Dec. 6 against Utah. Sobolewsi sports a 47-50 all-time record with ISU and recorded his first winning season after just three seasons as head coach during the 2010-11 campaign. He has led the Bengals to back-to-back winning conference records in both 2009-10 and 2010-11.
Mark Liptak, the Bengals' play-by-play announcer will also notch his 100th broadcast during the game against Utah. As always, ISU fans will be able to listen to the milestone broadcast by tuning into 91.1 FM KISU or by following the audio streaming link at www.isubengals.com.
JEPPESEN MAKING MAJOR IMPACT IN FIRST SEASON WITH ISU
Junior forward
Jessa Jeppesen made a major impact in just her first four games as a Bengal. She was named College Sports Madness Big Sky Player of the Week for her performances against Boise State and Utah Valley. Against BSU, Jeppesen recorded 29 points and 10 rebounds for her first double-double as a Bengal. She then scored a team high 17 points and nine rebounds against UVU to lead the Bengals for the second straight game of the season. Jeppesen was also selected as the Bengal Athlete of the Week for games played the week of Oct. 31 through Nov. 6 after leading the Bengals in ISU's exhibition game against Montana Western Saturday, Nov. 5 with 19 points. The 6-2 transfer from Western Wyoming Community College also pulled down six rebounds in the contest.
BENGALS RANKED IN BIG SKY
Several players for Idaho State are making a statement not only for ISU but in the conference as well. Junior
Jessa Jeppesen in ranked No. 1 in the conference in field goal percentage with .585. She is also fourth in free throw percentage (.842) and tied for seventh in rebounds (6.5 per game). Sophomore
Lindsey Reed is second in the conference in minutes played, averaging 34.5 minutes per game. She is also fifth in free throw percentage (.824), ninth in scoring (14.2 per game) and tied for ninth in 3-point field goals made (1.5 per game). Sophomore
Cydney Horton is tied for seventh in the conference for rebounds, averagin 6.5 per game and is ninth in defensive rebounds with 4.7 per game. Junior
Ashleigh Vella is tied for 10th in the conference for free throw percentage with .750.
PICKERING GRANTED FIFTH YEAR
This is Pickering's fifth and final season playing for Idaho State. Pickering was granted a fifth year by the NCAA due to an injury that prevented her from playing most of the 2007-08 season.
BENGALS SCORE 100 POINTS IN EXHIBITION
The Idaho State women's basketball team broke the triple digit barrier for the first time since the 2006-07 season in the exhibition match-up against Montana Western as the Bengals rolled past the Bulldogs 100-61.
The last time the Bengals scored 100 or more points was in back-to-back games against Montana Tech (102-59) on Dec. 16, 2006 and again against Montana Western (102-64) on Dec. 20, 2006. Junior transfer
Jessa Jeppesen, led ISU with 19 points. The 6-2 forward also pulled down six rebounds, four offensive rebounds and two defensive.
RETURNING ALL-CONFERENCE ATHLETES
The 2011-12 women's basketball squad returns all three of last season's all-conference honorees. The three players named all-conference from the 2010-11 season include senior
Chelsea Pickering (First Team), junior
Kaela Oakes (Honorable Mention) and junior
Ashleigh Vella (Honorable Mention).
PICKERING NAMED LOWE'S SENIOR CLASS AWARD CANDIDATE
Senior
Chelsea Pickering has been selected as a candidate for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence – community, classroom, character and competition.
The field of 60 (30 men and 30 women) will be narrowed to 10 men and 10 women candidates midway through the season. The award winner will be announced during the NCAA Final Four April 1-3.
ABOUT SOUTH FLORIDA
South Florida posts a 4-3 record for the season. Kaneisha Saunders leads the Bulls in points with 89, averaging 12.7 per game while Caitlyn Rowe is the top rebounder for UCF as she has pulled down a total of 38 and averages 5.4 per game. The Bulls have defeated Minnesota, North Florida, BCUW and Central Michigan. After losing to Miami 92-72, the Bulls are on a one-game losing streak. Last season, the Bulls posted a12-19 record and a 3-13 mark in league play. The 2010-11 season marked the first season in seven years that UCF's season did not extend into postseason play. Under 11 seasons with head coach Jose Fernandez, USF has advanced to seven postseason tournaments, including the programs first-ever NCAA Tournament during the 2005-06 season, and to six seasons of .500 or better - in the past 10 years - after the Bulls had recorded just three winning seasons, all 14-13 slate's, in the last 24 years. This will be the first meeting between the two programs
ABOUT JACKSON STATE
Jackson State posts a 0-2 record for the season and are on a two-game losing streak. Dominque Brothern leads the Tigers in points with 19 for the season so far while Tiffany Kellum is the top rebounder, pulling down 17 rebounds, averaging 8.5 per game. Kiana McCarty leads from beyond the arc hitting 7-11 this season for a .636 three-point percentage. Last season, Jackson State recorded a 9-19, 8-10 SWAC record. Head coach Larry McNeil is in his first season with the Tigers. This will be the first meeting between the two programs.
