Game Notes
POCATELLO, Idaho- The Idaho State men's basketball team returns to the court for a Thanksgiving weekend tournament hosted by the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Bengals play host Utah on Wednesday, Nov. 21 at 7 p.m. and then play Wright State at 7:45 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 23 and Central Michigan on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. All games will be heard on 102.5 KMGI and 930 KSEI with
Jerry Miller calling the action. Log onto isubengals.com for information on how to follow each game. Wednesday's game can be seen on the Pac 12 Network.
Idaho State vs. Utah
Utah leads the overall series 19-3. The Bengals have never won in Salt Lake City, most recently losing 71-59 at Utah last season. In 2009, the Bengals lost 68-56 in Salt Lake City and in 2008 Idaho State beat Utah 72-68 in Pocatello.
Idaho State vs. Wright State
This is the first meeting between the two schools.
Idaho state vs. Central Michigan
This is the first meeting between the two schools.
The Week That Was...
In the Bengals only game of the week, Idaho State lost 51-48 at Portland on Nov. 15.
Chris Hansen led the Bengals with 15 points and
Melvin Morgan had a career-high eight rebounds. ISU got 10 points from
Neveij Walters off the bench. Idaho State shot 40.4 percent from the floor and had 13 turnovers while Portland had 14 turnovers and shot 45.5 percent.
Getting Defensive
Since
Bill Evans has taken over as head coach ISU has improved its defense and that is evident by the first two games as ISU is only allowing 53.5 points a game. The Idaho State defense has forced 15.5 turnovers a contest. Last year Idaho State had only one game where it held an opponent to less than 60 points and it was a 57-55 win at Northern Colorado.
Morgan on the Offensive
In the 2011-12 season
Melvin Morgan scored in double figures in 16 of the 30 games with a career-high of 24 points at home vs. Loyola Marymount. He also attempted 10 shots or more in 18 of the 30 games while leading the team in scoring in eight games. In the season-opening game vs. Utah State he attempted 17 shots, the second most attempted in his career while scoring 19 points. He currently leads the team in scoring at 14 points a game while playing 35.5 minutes a contest.
Newcomers Taking Charge
Idaho State is averaging 48 points a game and the first-year Bengals are averaging 28 of the 48 points, led by
Chris Hansen's 11.5 points and
Tomas Sanchez's 7.5 points. Hansen is shooting 45 percent from the field while Sanchez is shooting 66.7 percent.
Thief in the Night
The Idaho State men's basketball team is averaging 9.5 steals a game after the first two contests.
Tomas Sanchez has a team-best five steals while
Melvin Morgan has for steals. Every player that has seen action on the court has at least one steal for the Bengals.
We Are Your Bengals
