GAME NOTES | LIVE STATS | AUDIO | TICKETS | VIDEO
BENGALS IN ACTION THIS WEEK
Idaho State (21-7, 13-2 BSC) faces Eastern Washington Saturday, March 3 in the final regular season game of the 2011-12 season. Senior
Chelsea Pickering will be recognized prior to the game. Tipoff is slated for 2 p.m. Fans can listen to the 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 is available at
www.b2livetv.com.
BIG SKY CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT BERTH
Conference champion Idaho State has clinched the top seed in the conerence and will host the 2012 Big Sky Tournament sponsored by Idaho Central Credit Union. This is the third time Idaho State has hosted the tournament and the first time since 2006. Idaho State won the tournament in 2001 and 2007. This is 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. Eastern Washington (16-12, 10-5 BSC) has also earned a tournament berth. Montana State, Northern Colorado and Montana have also secured a spot.
IDAHO STATE VS. EASTERN WASHINGTON FESTIVITIES
2012 Idaho State Big Sky Champion t-shirts will be availabe for purchase prior to the game Saturday against Eastern Washington. T-shirts will go on sale at 12:30 p.m. and cost $15. T-shirts will also be available after the game while supplies last. Cash or check only please. After the game, the ISU Big Sky Regular Season Champions will be recognized. The championship banner will be unveiled and players will cut down the nets at Reed Gym.
TOURNAMENT TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets for the 2012 Big Sky Championship are going fast. To meet demand, the ISU Ticket Office will reopen during halftime of the Eastern Washington game on Saturday and again after the game for fans wishing to buy tickets to the tournament. Ticket prices are $35 for adult reserved all session passes, $20 for youth reserved all session passes, $20 for adult general admission all session passes and $15 for youth general admission all session passes. Single session passes are $15 for adult reserved, $8 for youth reserved, $10 for adult general admission and $7 for youth general admission. College students from the participating schools as well as Idaho State students can receive single session passes for $5.
LAST WEEK IN BENGAL BASKETBALL
Idaho State (21-7, 13-2 BSC) fell to the Hornets in Sacramento 73-65 on Thursday, Feb. 23. Sophomore forward
Cydney Horton recorded her third double-double of the season with 10 points and 11 rebounds in the contest. Sophomore guard
Lindsey Reed led ISU with 14 points followed by junior forward
Ashleigh Vella with 13. Idaho State shot 41.1 percent from the field overall and 27.8 percent from 3-point range. Against Eastern Washington on Saturday, Feb. 25, ISU clinched sole possession of the regular season title, defeating the Eagles 63-50. Junior forward
Ashleigh Vella led ISU with 21 points, all scored in the second half.
BENGALS ON THE MID-MAJOR TOP 25
The Bengals are currently No. 21 on the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll. The Bengals earned 165 points in the poll and no other Big Sky school is ranked or receiving votes. ISU was previously ranked No. 19 on Feb. 21, No. 23 on Feb. 14 and No. 25 on Jan. 21. 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 and West Coast.
VELLA HITS 500TH REBOUND MARK
At the 9:39 mark in the second half of the game against Weber State on Feb. 18,
Ashleigh Vella recorded her 500th career rebound. This season, Vella has pulled down 174 total rebounds and averages 6.2 per game. Vella has played in 88 total contests over her career as a Bengal, averaging 5.8 rebounds per game. Vella is currently sixth in conference play for the 2011-12 season in offensive rebounds, averaging 2.3 per game.
BLOCK THAT SHOT
With 63 career blocks, sophomore forward
Cydney Horton has become one of the best shot blockers in ISU history as she moves onto the ISU all-time top 10 blocked shots list, replacing Alison Verona who ended her career with 57. Mandi Carver owns the career record with 180. Horton is currently tied for fifth in blocks in Big Sky action, averaging 1.2 per game.
SOBOLEWSKI CONTINUES COACHING SUCCESS
This season is head coach
Seton Sobolewski's best year at Idaho State. With the win over Eastern Washington, Sobolewski and the Bengals notched the 21st overall and 13th conference win of the 2011-12 season, the most overall and league wins in a single season under Sobolewski.Sobolewski also recorded his first regular season title with the Bengals. With 21 overall wins on the season, Sobolewski and the Bengals have tied for second for the most wins in a single season in program history. The 13 conference victories is the second most conference wins in a single season in program history.
PICKERING HITS 1,000 CAREER POINT MARK
With 10:33 remaining in the first half against Montana on Jan. 7, Pickering hit a jumper to break the 1,000-point barrier in her career. Pickering finished the contest with 12 points. Pickering has scored 265 points in 22 games this season, averaging 12.0 points per game. Over her career, Pickering has appeared in 94 total contests and averages 12.2 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. With a current total of 1,153 points, Pickering is now the seventh highest scorer in program history.
SOLID OAKES
In Big Sky action, junior
Kaela Oakes is third in 3-point field goal percentage, as she is shooting .410 from beyond the arc. Oakes is also 10th in 3-point field goals made (1.7) and in free throw percentage, shooting .769 in league play.
PICKERING PICKING IT UP IN CONFERENCE PLAY
In conference play, Pickering is seventh in 3-point field goals made, averaging 2.0 per game. Pickering is also tied for seventh in assists (3.0) and offensive rebounds, averaging 2.3 per game. Pickering is eigth in 3-point field goal percentage (.349) and assist to turnover ratio (0.8). With 129 made 3-point field goals in her career, Pickering is fourth on the ISU all-time 3-point field goals made list. Pickering is sixth on the all-time steals list with a career total of 151.
BENGALS RANKED IN BIG SKY
In conference games, ISU leads the Big Sky in scoring defense (56.2), field goal percentage defense (.354) and defensive rebound percentage (.717). Junior forward
Ashleigh Vella is sixth in free throw percentage (.821).Sophomore forward
Cydney Horton is sixth in rebounds, averaging 8.1 per game, fifth in defensive rebounds (6.0) and 11th in offensive rebounds (2.1).
OFF ON THE RIGHT FOOT
The Bengals started the 2011-12 conference season at 8-0 before Montana State broke ISU's nine-game winning streak on Feb. 2 when the Bobcats handed ISU its first conference loss of the season in a 79-67 overtime decision. After that, ISU won four straight before losing to the Hornets in Sacrametno, Calif., on Feb. 23. Idaho State has not started conference at 8-0 since the 2000-01 season. That same season Idaho State went 25-5 overall and 16-0 in Big Sky play. The Bengals defeated Montana 68-59 in the final round of the conference tournament for the Big Sky Championship.
SOBOLEWSKI HITS CAREER MILESTONE
With the win against Montana on Jan. 7, ISU Head Coach
Seton Sobolewski has now defeated every team in the Big Sky Conference over the course of his four-season career at ISU. Against ISU's upcoming competitor, Eastern Washington, Sobolewski is 6-1. Sobolewski is 3-0 against the Eagles at Reed Gym. Sobolewski's career record at ISU is now 65-53 while he is 39-23 in Big Sky action.
OAKES EARNS CO-BIG SKY PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Junior
Kaela Oakes was named co-Big Sky Player of the Week for her performances against Montana State and Montana. Against Montana State, Oakes led ISU with 18 points. Oakes knocked down four shots from beyond the arc and went 6-15 from the field. Oakes also posted two rebound, four assists and threee steals. Oakes also hit a pair of pressure free throws late in the second half to help secure ISU's 59-58 victory. Against Montana, Oakes showed consistency in her play as she once again led the Bengals with 18 points. She also recorded two rebounds, four assists and one steal.
Oakes was also named Bengal Athlete of the Week for her performances against the Bobcats and the Griz. So far this season, Oakes has also been named to the Air Force Classic All-Tournament Team and named College Sports Madness Big Sky Player of the Week. Oakes was also named Bengal Athlete of the Week on Dec. 12.
ABOUT EASTERN WASHINGTON
Eastern Washington is tied for second in the conference with a 10-5 league record. The Eagles are 16-12 overall. EWU averages 68.7 points per game in league play and Brianne Ryan leads the Eagles with 19.9 points per game while Carrie Ojeda leads the rebound effort, averaging 8.3 rebounds per game. EWU leads the conference in scoring margin (+7.5) and turnover margin (+3.9). Eastern Washington is 0-4 against teams ranked on the Mid-Major Top 25 poll. The Eagles have lost to No. 5 Gonzaga (76-69), No. 8 BYU (77-58), No. 23 Hofstra (90-69) and No. 21 Idaho State (63-50).
LAST MEETING AND SERIES HISTORY WITH THE EAGLES
Eastern Washington leads the series between the two programs 33-32. The Bengals are 18-12 at home against EWU. The Bengals defeated EWU 63-50 in the last meeting on Feb. 25, 2012. Junior forward
Ashleigh Vella led Idaho State in scoring with 21 points, all recorded in the second half.
We Are Your Bengals
