ISU Hosts Great Falls, Opens Conference Play Against Northern Colorado

LIVE STATS | AUDIO | TICKETS | VIDEO | GAME NOTES

BENGALS IN ACTION THIS WEEK
Idaho State (7-5) faces NAIA oppenent Great Falls Friday, Dec. 30 in Reed Gym where the freshly resurfaced and redesigned court will be unvieled. The Bengals then kick off Big Sky play with a contest against Northern Colorado Monday, Jan. 2 at 7 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.isubengals.com. Video for the Northern Colorado game is available at www.b2livetv.com.

LAST WEEK IN BENGAL BASKETBALL
Idaho State (7-5) split a pair of games against Oklahoma Panhandle State and South Dakota last week. The Bengals defeated OPSU 90-48 and was led by junior forward Taylor Floyd who posted 20 points, six rebounds and two assists. Five bengals scored in double digist during the contest. Senior guard Chelsea Pickering recorded 20 points, four rebounds and four steals in ISU's 66-54 loss to South Dakota.

PICKERING CLOSING IN ON 1,000-POINT MARK
After notching 20 points in ISU's contest against South Dakota, senior Chelsea Pickering has now accumulated 958 career points making her just 42 points shy of 1,000 career points. Pickering has scored 70 points in eight games this season, averaging 11.7 points per game. Over her career, Pickering has appeared in 78 total contests and averages 12.3 points per game. During the 2010-11 season, Pickering scored a career-high 487 points during the season, the seventh most points scored in a single season in program history.

BENGAL HONORS
Just 12 games into the season, the ISU women's basketball team is already racking up several honors. Junior forward Jessa Jeppesen has been named Bengal Athlete of the Week twice (Nov. 8 and Nov. 22) as well as College Sports Madness Big Sky Player of the Week (Nov. 21). Junior guard Kaela Oakes was named to the Air Force Classic All-Tournament Team (Dec. 3) and has been named College Sports Madness Big Sky Player of the Week (Dec. 5). Junior forward Ashleigh Vella was named Air Force Classic tournament MVP (Dec. 3). Vella was named Bengal Athlete of the Week on Dec. 6 and Oakes was named Bengal Athlete of the Week on Dec. 12. Oakes' Bengal Athlete of the Week recognition marked the fourth honor for women's basketball this season.

BENGALS RANKED IN BIG SKY
As a team, Idaho State leads the conference in field goal percentage defense (.357) and defensive rebounds (27.4). The team is ranked second in the conference in scoring margin (+2.2), scoring defense (58.8), three-point field goal defense (.266), rebound margin (+3.4) and free throw percentage (.756). Individually, sophomore forward Cydney Horton is fifth in the conference in blocked shots, averaging 1.5 per game. Junior forward Jessa Jeppesen is sixth in the conference in field goal percentage (.487) and tied for seventh in offensive rebounds (2.3). Junior forward Ashleigh Vella is 10th in assists (2.8) and tied for seventh in free throw percentage (.769). Sophomore guard Lindsey Reed is tied for eighth in defensive rebounds (4.5) and is fifth in minutes played, averaging 32.9 minutes per contest. Junior guard Kaela Oakes is 10th in free throw percentage (.756).

BENGALS BREAKING THE 100-POINT MARK
Three Idaho State players have broken the 100-point barrier for the season. Sophomore guard Lindsey Reed leads Idaho State with 133 points, averaging 11.1 points per game. Junior guard Kaela Oakes has tabbed 121 points this season (10.1 points per game) while junior forward Ashleigh Vella has 122 points (10.2 points per game).

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.

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 GREAT FALLS
Great Falls, a NAIA school and member of the Frontier Conference, boasts a 3-6 record this season and is 2-4 on the road (1-2 away, 1-2 neutral). Kindra Jones leads the Argonauts in scoring, averaging 11.86 points per game. Jones also leads Great Falls in the rebound effort, averaging 9.71 rebounds per game. As a team, the Aggies are averaging 68.0 points per game. Great Falls, led by head coach Bill Himmelberg, is currently on a two-game losing streak. Great Falls faces California Baptist University in an exhibition match-up at the Las Vegas Shootout Tournament on December 28 and University of Lethbridge on December 29 before facing the Bengals on December 30.

LAST MEETING AND SERIES HISTORY WITH THE ARGONAUTS
Idaho State leads the series between the two schools 2-0. Both contests having been played in Pocatello. The Bengals last faced the Argonauts on Dec. 21, 2010 with the Bengals winning a 98-50 decision. Idaho State's 48 point advantage at the conclusion of the contest marked the sixth best margin of victory in school history.  The Bengals had four players in double-figure scoring led by Chelsea Pickering with 19 points in 21 minutes.  Pickering also pulled down three rebounds, all on offense, made four assists and recorded a steal.

ABOUT NORTHERN COLORADO
Northern Colorado sports a 7-5 record this season and is 3-4 on the road. D'shara Strange leads the Bears in scoring (13.7) and rebounds (7.9). As a team, the Bears are averaging 59.1 points per game. NC, led by head coach Jaime White, is on a two-game winning streak. NC is second in the conference in both rebounding defense (36.9) and field goal percentage (.421). The Bears face Black Hills State on December 29 and Northern Arizona December 31 before facing the Bengals on January 2.

LAST MEETING AND SERIES HISTORY WITH THE BEARS
The Bengals lead the all-time series 11-1 and are 5-0 against the Bears in Pocatello. The last meeting between the two Big Sky teams occurred March 5, 2011 with the Idaho State women's basketball team knocking off first-place Northern Colorado 69-61 in the final regular season game. The Bengals improved to 18-11 and 9-7 in Big Sky play. The 18 wins marked the third most wins in school history. The ISU win prevented Northern Colorado from winning the Big Sky Conference championship out right. Lindsey Reed scored a career-high 29 points to lead the Bengals.