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POCATELLO, Idaho- Idaho State returns home for another home contest on Thursday, January 26 at 7 p.m. against Northern Colorado. The game is at ICCU Court in Holt Arena and it will be heard live on 930 AM with
Jerry Miller and
Brad Bugger calling the action. The Bengals then host Weber State on Saturday, Jan. 28 at 7 p.m.
Idaho State leads the overall series 31-17 with Idaho State winning at Northern Colorado on Jan. 2, 57-55. It was the first Bengal win in Greeley since Jan. 3, 2008. The last time Idaho State beat Northern Colorado in Pocatello was a 67-60 win on March 7, 2009 in the first round of the Big Sky Tournament.
Northern Colorado is 6-12 and in a tie for fifth place in the conference at 3-4 with Idaho State and Eastern Washington. The Bears are led in scoring by Paul Garnica's 10.5 points a game and Tate Unruh's 10.1 points. Northern Colorado is scoring 71 points a game and shooting .476 percent from the field.
Idaho State lost 80-68 at Portland State on Monday and then came back and won at home against NAU, 78-62. The Bengals outscored the Lumberjacks 46-30 in the second half and shot 60.7 percent in the final 20 minutes.
Chase Grabau flirted with a triple-double as he led ISU with 19 points, nine assists and seven reounds. The 16 point win was the largest victory over a conference opponent since the Bengals defeated NAU, 71-49 on Feb. 28, 2009. The win moved the Bengals into a three-way tie for fifth place in Big Sky play with Eastern Washington and Northern Colorado.
The Do it All Player
Chase Grabau has been a leader for the Bengals on and off the court this year and since the start of conference play he has risen his play to another level. Grabau leads ISU in scoring at 12.7 points a game and he has upped that average to 18.3 in Big Sky play. He is shooting .534 from the field overall and that has increased to .597 percent in Big Sky play. He has 73 assists to 36 turnovers. He and
Melvin Morgan lead the team in steals with 33.
Conference Play Means Improved Play
The numbers for
Chase Grabau and
Kenny McGowen continue to improve in conference play. Grabau has upped his scoring average to 18.3 points a game in league play while his shooting percentage has improved to .597 percent, free throw percentage to .842 and rebounds to 5.6. He is also playing 36.7 minutes a game in conference. McGowen is scoring 13.3 points a game in conference while
Melvin Morgan's minutes have improved to 32 minutes a game in Big Sky games.
