GAME NOTES | AUDIO | VIDEO | LIVE STATS | TEXT ALERTS
BENGALS IN ACTION THIS WEEK
Idaho State women's basketball (12-9, 7-5 BSC) travels to Southern Utah Saturday. The contest against the Thunderbirds is ISU's only contest for the week and is slated for Saturday, Feb. 9 at 7 p.m.
LAST WEEK IN BENGAL BASKETBALL
Idaho State split with Northern Colorado and North Dakota at home in Reed Gym last week. The Bengals dropped a close contest with the Bears 50-49 as NC's D'shara Strange hit a last second shot to give Northern Colorado the win. ISU defeated North Dakota 60-43 Saturday. Senior forward
Ashleigh Vella averaged 20.5 point over the weekend as she led ISU with 18 points Thursday and 21 points Saturday.
ABOUT THE BENGALS
Idaho State is 12-9 on the season and 7-5 in Big Sky play. Senior forward
Ashleigh Vella leads the Bengals, averaging 12.8 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. In conference action, she leads ISU with13.9 points per contest. Senior guard
Kaela Oakes follows her with 10.8 points per contest and 12.1 points per conference game.
The Bengals are shooting 36.5 percent from the field and 34.7 percent from 3-point range. ISU is averaging 60.8 points per game and allowing just 55.1 points from opponents.
ISU is second in the Big Sky in free throw percentage (.734), scoring defense (55.1), 3-point field goal percentage (34.7) and rebounding defense (37.)
The Bengals are ranked 37th nationally in 3-point field goal percentage (34.7), 49th in scoring defense (55.1), 50th in free throw percentage (73.4), 60th in field goal percentage defense (36.3), 78th in turnovers per game (15.7), 91st in blocks per game (4.0) and 99th in score margin (+5.7).
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.suutbirds.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 contest can be viewed on-line at
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, Montana and Montana State are the only Big Sky schools 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 1,226 points, 678 total rebounds and has the fourth most made free throws in program history with 324. 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 seventh in program history in career points (1,226) and career rebounds (678). She is 10th in field goal percentage (44.4) and ninth in career steals (136) and free throw percentage (76.1).
Her 3-point field goal percentage (43.3) leads the Big Sky and ranks fifth all-time in ISU history for a single season. She is also fifth in the conference in free throw percentage, shooting 79.8 percent.
SOBOLEWSKI MOVING UP IN COACHING RECORDS
With a 80-64 career record, ISU Head Coach
Seton Sobolewski has been at the helm of the ISU women's basketball team for 144 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 (80) 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.
Oakes became the 16th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points with her 20-point performance against Montana. Oakes now has 1,052 career points.
Oakes, who played her 100th game as a Bengal against Portland State on Dec. 20, currently has 283 total rebounds, 288 assists and 97 steals. For her career, she is shooting 37.3 percent from the field and 35.8 percent from 3-point range.
Oakes is currently seventh in program history in career free throw percentage (79.0) and sixth in 3-point field goals made (116). She is eighth in assist to turnover ratio (1.19). She is also ninth in career assists with 288 and eighth in career free throws with 256.
Oakes is currently fourth in the Big Sky Conference in free throw percentage (80.6) and is 92nd in the country in the same category.
BLOCK THAT SHOT
Junior forward
Cydney Horton became the sixth player in ISU history to record 100 career blocks with her one block against Montana.
Horton is currently sixth in ISU history in career blocks with 105.
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 34 blocks this season and is fifth in the conference, averaging 1.6 blocks per game. She is 72nd in the nation in the same category.
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 21 contests and started in two. She is averaging 5.0 points and 4.9 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 averages 10.7 points per game and 10.2 points in conference contests.
With 458 career rebounds and 875 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 SOUTHERN UTAH
Southern Utah is 10-11 on the season overall and 4-7 in Big Sky action. The Thunderbirds are 4-4 at home this season and 1-3 at the Centrum Center during league play under four-year head coach JR Payne.
Hailey Mandelko leads the Thunderbirds with 11.4 points per contest. She is second in the conference in 3-point field goals made per game (2.0) and is 78th in the nation in 3-point field goal percentage (35.3).
Carli Moreland is SUU's top rebounder, averaging 6.4 per contest.
SUU is leading the conference in rebounding offense (44.6), offenisve rebounds (18.6) and offensive rebound percentage (.435). The Thunderbirds are second in scoring offense (70.7) and rebound margin (+6.5).
Nationally, the Thunderbirds are 34th in rebound margin (+6.6), 38th in scoring offense (70.7), 70th in steals per contest (10.6) and 73rd in assists per contest (14.5).
SERIES INFO AND LAST MEETING WITH THE THUNDERBIRDS
Idaho State leads the series 30-9 and is 9-7 against SUU in Cedar City, Utah. ISU has dropped its last two contests against the Thunderbirds on the road. ISU's last win at SUU was on Dec. 2, 2003 in a 98-65 decision.
ISU won the last contest 80-71, snapping a four-game losing streak for the Bengals.
Senior guard
Abyee Maracigan led the Bengals with her first career double-double as the Tucson, Ariz., native netted a career high 21 points and pulled down 10 rebounds.
Junior guard
Lindsey Reed, senior forward
Jessa Jeppesen and senior forward
Ashleigh Vella also recorded double-figure scoring performances during the evening. Vella posted 16 points and five rebounds while Jeppesen netted 12 points and six rebounds. Reed tallied 11 points with two rebounds and four steals.
