GAME NOTES | AUDIO | LIVE STATS
BENGALS IN ACTION THIS WEEK
Idaho State (6-4) women's basketball takes on Pac-12 opponent Arizona State this week in ISU's final non-conference match-up of the season. The Bengals face the Sun Devils Sunday, Dec. 30 at 2 p.m. in Tempe, Ariz.
LAST WEEK IN BENGAL BASKETBALL
Last week, Idaho State split in the opening weekend of conference action. Idaho State won its conference opener against Portland State 63-50. Three Bengals scored in double digits during the contest, led by senior guard
Kaela Oakes with 16 points. Idaho State dropped a conference match-up to hot shooting Eastern Washington 55-61. The Eagles shot 43.1 percent from the field and 41.7 percent from 3-point range while the Bengals shot just 28.6 percent and 5.6 percent from beyond the arc.
ABOUT THE BENGALS
Idaho State is 6-4 on the season. Junior guard
Lindsey Reed leads ISU with 12.1 points per game. Forward
Ashleigh Vella is close to averaging a double-double with 10.6 points and 7.6 rebounds per game.
The Bengals are shooting 37.2 percent from the field and 30.1 percent from 3-point range. ISU is averaging 61.4 points per game and allowing just 54.1 points from opponents.
ISU is leading the conference in scoring defense (54.1) and field goal percentage defense (.353).
The Bengals are ranked 46th nationally in scoring defense (53.8), 47th in field goal percentage defense (34.4), 51st in blocks per game (4.9), 76th in turnover margin (2.75), 86th in scoring margin (8.3), 89th in turnovers (16.3) and 94th in rebound margin (3.8). Junior forward
Cydney Horton is 65th individually in blocks per game (1.88).
MULTIMEDIA INFORMATION
Fans can listen to game action at 91.1 KISU or online via web-streaming audio at
www.isubengals.com with play-by-play action provided by
Mark Liptak. Live stats for the contest are available at
www.thesundevils.com. Score updates will also be available through ISU's social media outlets at Facebook and Twitter as well as in text message alerts.
THE MID-MAJOR TOP 25 POLL
ISU has dropped out of the College Insider Mid-Major Top 25 again and is just two points shy of being ranked as the team is still receiving the most votes of non-ranked schools. No. 25 Saint Mary's (West Coast Conference) has 67 votes while ISU has 65. ISU's highest rating of the season was No. 21. Fellow Big Sky schools Portland State and Montana State are receiving votes. The Mid-Major Poll is made up of teams from the following conferences: America East, Atlantic Sun, Big Sky, Big South, Big West, Colonial, Great West, Horizon, Independents, Ivy, Metro Atlantic, Mid-American, Mid-Eastern, Missouri Valley, Northeast, Ohio Valley, Patriot, Southern, Southland, Southwestern, Summit, Sun Belt, West Coast.
VELLA HITS 1,000TH POINT
Idaho State senior forward
Ashleigh Vella became the 15th player in ISU history to score 1,000 career points as she met the mark in ISU's 64-55 win over rival Boise State. Throughout her career, Vella has recorded 1,063 points, 621 total rebounds and has the seventh most made free throws in program history with 275. She played her 100th game as a Bengal against Carroll College on Dec. 14. She is the 12th player in program history to record 1,000 point and 500 rebounds in her career at ISU.
SEASON DOUBLE-DOUBLES
Junior forward
Cydney Horton recorded her second straight double-double of the 2012-13 season and the fifth of her career against Boise State. Against the Broncos, Horton tied her career best of 19 points and pulled down a personal best 13 rebounds. Against Air Force she posted a career-high 19 points and 10 rebounds. Horton recorded three double-doubles during the 2011-12 season. With five career double-doubles, Horton has the second most career double-doubles for current players behind senior forward
Ashleigh Vella who has seven. Senior
Jessa Jeppesen has one that she recorded last season and junior guard
Lindsey Reed has one she recorded during the 2010-11 season.
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.
OAKES NEARING CAREER MILESTONE
With 921 career points, senior guard
Kaela Oakes is 79 points away from recording her 1,000th career point. Oakes currently has 249 total rebounds, 258 assists and 90 steals. For her career, she is shooting 37 percent from the field and 35.5 percent from 3-point range.
ABOUT ARIZONA STATE
Arizona State is 7-4 on the 2012-13 season under head coach Charli Turner Thorne who is in her 16th season with the Sun Devils and is the winningest coach in school history. The Sun Devils are 3-2 at home with losses coming to Texas Tech and No. 14 ranked Dayton. ASU averages 63.5 points per game and allows just 56.4.
Janae Fulcher leads Arizona State with 11.1 points per game while Joy Burke has a team high 6.8 rebounds per contest. Promise Amukamara is second in the Pac-12 with a 91.7 free throw percentage.
Last season, ASU finished the year with a 20-12 record and went 10-8 in league play, finishing fourth. The Sun Devils earned a berth to the WNIT where the squad lost in the first round to Pacific 77-62. ASU's WNIT appearance last season marked the program's 13th consecutive postseason berth, a program record.
SERIES INFO AND LAST MEETING WITH THE SUN DEVILS
Arizona State leads the series 2-0. The first meeting between the two programs occurred on Dec. 9, 1982. The Bengals dropped the contest 98-71. The Bengals came close to an upset in the last meeting as the then ranked No. 15 Sun Devils won a close 65-56 contest on Dec. 4, 2009. The Bengals played a tight contest with seven tied scores and eight lead changes, keeping the Sun Devils on the ropes until a late 10-4 run tilted the scales to a 65-56 decision. Senior Oana Iacovita led the Bengals in points with 15, rebounds with five, and steals with two. She hit 7-of-15 from the field for a 46.7 percent shooting accuracy on the floor. Iacovita was a driving force in the Bengals ability to outscore the Sun Devils in the paint 18-16. This will be ISU Head Coach
Seton Sobolewski's second match-up with ASU.
We Are Your Bengals
