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BENGALS IN ACTION THIS WEEK
Idaho State women's basketball (10-7, 5-3 BSC) preps for the top two teams in the conference, Montana and Montana State this week. The Bengals face both teams at home beginning with the Grizzlies Thursday, Jan. 24 at 7 p.m. ISU takes on league-leading Montana State Saturday, Jan. 26 at 2 p.m. in Reed Gym.
LAST WEEK IN BENGAL BASKETBALL
ISU is on a four-game winning streak after going 3-0 on the road last week. The Bengals defeated Weber State in Ogden 69-45 before downing Sacramento State and Northern Arizona on the road to wrap up a long week of travel and competition. ISU handed SAC its first home loss of the season in a 62-52 decision last Thursday. The Bengals were led by senior forward
Ashleigh Vella who averaged 14.3 points per contest and 5.3 rebounds over the three games.
ABOUT THE BENGALS
Idaho State is 10-7 on the season and 5-3 in Big Sky play. Junior guard
Lindsey Reed leads ISU with 11.9 points per game. Senior forward Vella is close behind her averaging 11.5 points per game as well as a team-leading 6.3 rebounds per contest.
The Bengals are shooting 37.6 percent from the field and 34.6 percent from 3-point range. ISU is averaging 61.9 points per game and allowing just 56.0 points from opponents.
ISU is leading the conference in free throw percentage (74.0) and is second in scoring defense (56.0), 3-point field goal percentage (34.6), rebounding defense (36.5) and defensive rebound percentage (69.8). The team is third in scoring margin (+5.9), field goal percentage defense (36.9), turnover margin (+1.88), defensive rebounds (26.2) and 3-point field goals (5.5).
The Bengals are ranked 37th nationally in free throw percentage (74.0), 38th in 3-point field goal percentage (34.6), 56th in scoring defense (56.0), 74th in turnovers (15.7), 79th in blocks (4.1), 98th in both scoring margin (+5.9) and turnover margin (+1.88) and 99th in field goal percentage defense (36.9).
MULTIMEDIA INFORMATION
Fans can listen to game action at 91.1 KISU or on-line 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.isubengals.com. Score updates will also be available through ISU's social media outlets at
Facebook and
Twitter as well as in
text message alerts. Both contests can be viewed on-line at
http://www.americaonesports.com/bigsky.asp.
THE MID-MAJOR TOP 25 POLL
ISU has dropped out of the College Insider Mid-Major Top 25 but is still receiving votes. ISU's highest rating of the season was No. 21. Idaho State is the only Big Sky school ranked or 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 1,153 points, 653 total rebounds and has the fifth most made free throws in program history with 299. 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 points and 500 rebounds in her career at ISU.
Vella is currently eighth in program history in career points (1,153) and career rebounds (653). She is 10th in field goal percentage (44.5) and free throw percentage (75.3).
SEASON DOUBLE-DOUBLES
Senior guard
Abyee Maracigan posted the first double-double of her career with a career-high 21 points and 10 rebounds against Southern Utah.
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. Maracigan also has one recorded this season against SUU.
SOBOLEWSKI MOVING UP IN COACHING RECORDS
With a 78-62 career record, ISU Head Coach
Seton Sobolewski has been at the helm of the ISU women's basketball team for 140 games, the third most in program history. He passed Ardie McInelly and moved into third place in his 140th game on Jan. 19 at Northern Arizona. McInelly coached 139 total games over her five-season career at ISU. Ahead of Sobolewski is Jon Newlee (2002-07) with 175 games and Ted Anderson (1988-95) with 214 games.
Sobolewski has surpassed McInelly and Anderson in career wins and has the second most wins for an ISU coach program history behind Jon Newlee who had 93 wins in his six seasons with the Bengals.
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 NAMED SENIOR CLASS AWARD FINALIST
Senior
Kaela Oakes has been named one of 60 women's basketball players from around the country as a finalist for the Senior CLASS Award. 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.
With 985 career points, senior guard
Kaela Oakes is 15 points away from recording her 1,000th career point. If she meets the mark, Oakes would become the 16th player in program history to meet the achievement.
Oakes, who played her 100th game as a Bengal against Portland State on Dec. 20, currently has 268 total rebounds, 280 assists and 95 steals. For her career, she is shooting 36.7 percent from the field and 35.5 percent from 3-point range.
Oakes is currently seventh in program history in career free throw percentage (80.0) and 3-point field goals made (111). She is eighth in assist to turnover ratio (1.21). She is also ninth in career assists with 280 and career free throws with 240.
Oakes is currently leading the Big Sky Conference in free throw percentage (87.5) and is 19th in the country in the same category.
BLOCK THAT SHOT
Junior forward
Cydney Horton is just one block away from recording her 100th career block. Horton would become the sixth ISU player in program history to reach the mark.
Horton is currently sixth in ISU history in career blocks as she has posted 99 so far in her career.
During the 2011-12 season, Horton posted the seventh most single-season blocks in program history as she tallied 47 in her sophomore campaign.
Horton currently has 28 blocks this season and is fifth in the conference, averaging 1.6 blocks per game.
MARACIGAN MAKING HER MARK
Senior guard
Abyee Maracigan has become a strong presence off the bench for Idaho State this season.
Maracigan has appeared in all 16 contests and started in two. She is averaging 5.7 points and 5.1 rebounds for ISU and in a five-game stretch from the Utah Valley game through Arizona State, she averaged 7.2 points and 6.8 rebounds. Against Southern Utah (1/10) she posted her first career double-double with a career-high 21 points and 10 rebounds.
REED STEPPING UP
Junior guard
Lindsey Reed has become an offensive force for Idaho State this season.
Reed leads ISU, averaging 11.9 points per game and 12.5 points in conference contests. Last season, she averaged 10.7 points and 10.3 in Big Sky games.
With 434 career rebounds and 853 career points, Reed is well on her way to becoming the 13th player in ISU history to record 500 rebounds and 1,000 points.
ABOUT MONTANA
Montana is 12-5 on the season and second in the Big Sky with a 6-2 league record. The Griz is 4-2 on the road this season under 35-year head coach Robin Selvig.
The Grizzlies are coming off a win against Southern Utah on the road after losing to Montana State 58-49 Saturday, Jan. 19.
Kenzie De Boer leads UM in scoring with 14.4 points per game while Katie Baker is the top rebounder for the Griz with 7.4 per game. Shanae Gilham leads the Big Sky in 3-point field goal percentage (.444) while Tory Hill leads the league in assist to turnover ratio (1.9).
The Griz is leading the Big Sky in scoring margin (+8.4) as well as turnover margin (+6.69) as UM allows just 11.8 turnovers per game but forces 18.4. The Griz is third in the nation in turnovers (11.8) and fourth in assist to turnover ratio (1.32).
SERIES INFO AND LAST MEETING WITH THE GRIZ
Montana leads the all-time series 62-8. Last season, Idaho State broke a nine-game losing streak to the Griz, recording the first win against the UM program since the 2008 season. When ISU defeated Montana at home later in the season, ISU had swept the Griz for the just the second time in program history and the first time since 2001. The Bengals are 5-26 against UM in Pocatello.
ABOUT MONTANA STATE
Montana State is 13-4 overall and leading the Big Sky with a 7-1 Big Sky record with the squad's only league loss coming at the hands of Sacramento State at the beginning of the season. The Bobcats are 7-1 on the road this season under eight-year head coach Tricia Binford and have won six straight.
Rachel Semansky leads the Bobcats in scoring and rebounding, averaging 14.1 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. Semansky leads the conference and is sixth in the nation in field goal percentage (.586).
MSU leads the league in field goal percentage defense, holding its opponents to an average of 35.2 percent shooting from the field.
SERIES INFO AND LAST MEETING WITH THE BOBCATS
MSU leads the series 41-27 and the Bengals are 17-14 at home against the Bobcats.
Last season, ISU split with MSU as the Bengals narrowly won in Bozeman 59-58 on Jan. 5.
MSU upset the Bengals at home in the last meeting on Feb. 2, 2012 as Katie Bussey scored a Big Sky record tying 41 points against the Bengals to carry MSU to a 79-67 overtime win in Reed Gym.
