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BENGALS IN ACTION THIS WEEK
Idaho State opens the 2012-13 season with contests against Kansas State and No. 25 Kansas. The Bengals face the Wildcats Friday, Nov. 9 in Manhattan, Kansas at 4:30 p.m. MST. Idaho State faces No. 25 Kansas Sunday, Nov. 11 in Lawrence, Kansas at 1 p.m. MST.
LAST WEEK IN BENGAL BASKETBALL
Last week, Idaho State hosted Colorado State Pueblo in an exhibition contest. ISU defeated the ThunderWolves 50-24. Idaho State's defense was the highlight of the contest as the Bengals held CSU Pueblo to just 24 total and 10 second-half points. ISU forced 24 turnovers and recorded 13 total steals during the game.
BIG SKY CONFERENCE DEFENDING CHAMPIONS
Conference champion Idaho State clinched the top seed in the conerence and hosted the 2012 Big Sky Tournament sponsored by Idaho Central Credit Union. It was the third time Idaho State had hosted the tournament and the first time since 2006. Idaho State won the tournament, earning the program's third tournament title after also winning it in 2001 and 2007. It was the fourth straight time ISU has qualified for the conference tournament under ISU Head Coach
Seton Sobolewski and the ninth straight year overall, a program record. ISU defeated Northern Colorado 49-46 in the tournament final.
TRIP TO THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
After winning the regular-season title and Big Sky Tournament crown, Idaho State made its first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 2007. It was ISU's third program appearance at the Big Dance. The No. 14 seeded Idaho State Bengals faced No. 3 Miami (FL) Saturday, March 17 in Spokane, Wash. ISU lost the match-up 70-41.
ISU RETURNS SEVERAL KEY PLAYERS TO SQUAD
Idaho State returns all but one of its starters from last season's championship squad. Head coach
Seton Sobolewski will look to senior guard
Kaela Oakes, senior forward
Ashleigh Vella and junior guard
Lindsey Reed to lead his team offensively while junior forward
Cydney Horton will play a pivotal role on defense as she was ISU's top rebounder and shot blocker last season.
Many other returners for Idaho State saw substantial playing time last season, including junior guard
Kara Jenkins, senior forward
Jessa Jeppesen, sophomore guard
Blaire Brady, junior guard
Sheryl Bitter and senior forward
Taylor Floyd.
POINT GUARDS
Three-year starting point guard
Kaela Oakes highlights the returners at this position. Sophomore
Blaire Brady and junior
Sheryl Bitter also return to the team this year at the point guard position.
WINGS
Junior guard
Lindsey Reed is ISU's top returner at this position as she has been a starter there in both her freshman and sophomore seasons. Last year, Reed averaged 10.7 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.
Reed is joined by fellow returning guards
Kara Jenkins, a junior from Algona, Wash., who was a big playmaker for ISU last season, as well as sophomore Becca Schrimpsher, redshirt freshman
Justine Joudrey and senior
Abyee Maracigan. Junior
Alissa Willard will look to add depth to the position.
FORWARDS
Seniors
Ashleigh Vella,
Jessa Jeppesen and junior
Cydney Horton highlight the returners at this position. Horton averaged 6.9 rebounds per game and tallied 47 blocks throughout the season while Vella was one of ISU's top scorers and rebounders, averaging 11.2 points as well as 6.4 rebounds per game. Jeppesen shot 41.8 percent from the floor and averaged 5.6 points and five rebounds per game last season.
Vella, Jeppesen and Horton are joined by fellow returners,
Taylor Floyd a senior from Topeka, Kansas and junior Jessica Jensen. Freshman
Anna Lee Policicchio will be a new face for ISU at the position this season.
ISU NEWCOMERS
The Bengals welcome two new players to the team this year,
Alissa Willard and
Anna Lee Policicchio. Willard is a 5-11 junior guard from Roy, Utah who transferred from Western Wyoming Community College. Policicchio is a 6-2 freshman forward from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada.
In her second season with the Mustangs, Willard led the team in scoring, averaging 16.1 points per game and tallying 467 total points in 29 games. She also led the team in rebounds, pulling down 245 total boards for an average of 8.44 per game. She was named All-Region First Team and was a Top Five All-American nominee.
During her tenure at St. Mary's College, Policicchio was named team MVP during the 2009 season and again during the 2010 campaign. She was nominated for all-city MVP in 2010. She was named to all-tournament teams for the 11th Annual Keswick Christian Girls Varsity Suncoast Classic (2009) and MGBR Ann Arbour (2010). She was a nominee for the referee award in both the 2010 and 2011 campaigns. She was named most improved for the Titan Club basketball team in 2010 and earned MVP at the Cougar Classic Tournament the same season. In the ninth grade, she was named St. Mary's College's Female Athlete of the Year.
BENGALS TOP PRESEASON POLLS
The Idaho State women's basketball team has been selected to defend its Big Sky Conference title in both the coaches and media polls. The Bengals finished with 97 points and eight first-place votes in the coaches poll while the team earned 154 total points with eight first-place votes in the media poll.
ISU PREPS FOR ANOTHER CHALLENGING NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
The 2012-13 non-conference line-up looks to be one of the more challenging seasons for Sobolewski and the Bengals with competitors like Kansas State, Kansas, Nebraska and Arizona State as well as just three official home games in the preseason.
OAKES NAMED SENIOR CLASS AWARD CANDIDATE
Senior guard
Kaela Oakes has been selected as a candidate for the Senior CLASS Award. Oakes is one of 30 candidates selected and is the second straight ISU women's basketball player to earn the honor after
Chelsea Pickering was selected as a candidate last season.
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.
Last season, Oakes helped lead Idaho State to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2007. Oakes averaged 11.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.0 steals per game. She was selected Big Sky All-Conference First Team, was named to the Big Sky All-Tournament Team and named team MVP.
IDAHO STATE IN SEASON OPENERS
Idaho State is 17-21 in season openers in the program's 38 seasons. ISU Head Coach
Seton Sobolewski is 1-3 in season openers as he defeated Loyola Marymount during the 2010-11 season. The Bengals lost season openers against UTEP (2011-12), St. Mary's (2009-10) and DePaul (2008-09).
ISU VS. BIG 12
Idaho State is 0-9 against Big 12 schools in the program's 38 seasons.
ABOUT KANSAS STATE
Kansas State finished the 2011-12 season at 18-13 and 9-9 in Big 12 play. The Wildcats went to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, falling to Connecticut 72-26. Head coach Deb Patterson is in her 17th season with the Wildcats. K-State's top returner, Brittany Chambers has tallied 1,378 career points and has scored in 97 straight games. Kansas State is 14-1 against Big Sky teams. The Bengals played Kansas State once before in the postseason WNIT at Bramlage Coliseum in 2006. The Bengals dropped the contest 88-68.
ABOUT KANSAS
The Jayhawks enter the 2012-13 season ranked No. 25 in the USA Today Coaches Preseason Poll. Head coach Bonnie Henrickson is in her ninth season at Kansas and has compiled at 138-121 record with the Jayhawks. Carolyn Davis is the top returner for Kansas as she averaged 16.9 points and 5.7 rebounds per contest last season. This is the first meeting between Kansas and Idaho State. Sobolewski is 0-4 against ranked opponents.
We Are Your Bengas
