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BENGALS IN ACTION THIS WEEK
Idaho State (18-11, 13-7 BSC) is off to the Big Sky Conference Tournament this week. The No. 4-seeded Bengals take on No. 5 Sacramento State Wednesday, March 14 at 8 p.m. If the Bengals win, they will advance to the semifinals on Friday. The women's championship game will be played Saturday at 2 p.m.
LAST WEEK IN BENGAL BASKETBALL
Last week, Idaho State split on the road against Eastern Washington and Portland State. The Bengals dropped a contest 67-61 in overtime to the Eagles. Senior
Ashleigh Vella led the Bengals with her second straight double-double, scoring 19 points and pulling down 10 rebounds. The Bengals defeated Portland State Saturday 61-54.
Jessa Jeppesen and
Abyee Maracigan led ISU with 13 points apiece.
ABOUT THE BENGALS
Idaho State is 18-11 on the season and 13-7 in Big Sky play. Senior forward
Ashleigh Vella leads the Bengals, averaging 12.4 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. In conference action, she leads ISU with12.9 points per contest. Junior forward
Cydney Horton follows Vella in rebounds with 6.0 rebounds per game while senior guard
Kaela Oakes is second in scoring with 11.4 points per contest and 12.4 points per conference match-up.
The Bengals are shooting 37.3 percent from the field and 33.8 percent from 3-point range. ISU is averaging 61.7 points per game and allowing just 54.4 points from opponents.
ISU leads the conference in scoring defense (54.4) and field goal percentage (.348). ISU is second in scoring margin (+7.2), free throw percentage (.728), 3-point field goal percentage (.338), rebound defense (37.1) and defensive rebounds (27.0).
The Bengals are ranked 21st nationally in field goal percentage defense (34.8), 36th in scoring defense (54.4), 46th in 3-point field goal percentage (33.8), 57th in turnovers (14.8), 61st in free throw percentage (72.8), 68th in blocks (4.2), 70th in scoring margin (7.2) and 98th in turnover margin (1.66).
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 contests are available at
www.gogriz.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 contests can be viewed on-line at
www.americaonesports.com/bigsky.asp.
OAKES, VELLA EARN ALL-CONFERENCE HONORS
The Big Sky Conference has announced that Idaho State seniors
Ashleigh Vella and
Kaela Oakes have been named Second Team All-Conference.
This is the third all-conference honor for both Oakes and Vella. Oakes was a first team selection in 2012 and was named honorable mention in 2011. Vella was an honorable mention selection in 2011 and 2012.
Vella was also named College Sports Madness Second Team All-Big Sky Conference this season.
WINNING BIG
ISU won three straight games by 20 or more points in the final weeks of February and beginning of March. That marked the first time the program had done that since November 29 through December 5, 2003. During that stretch, ISU defeated Lehigh 95-52, defeated Southern Utah 98-65 and Denver 95-61. The 2003-04 squad actually started the year 5-1 with all five wins coming by 20 or more points.
Seton Sobolewski has now had 16 games with a winning margin of 20 or more points in his career.
ISU has had seven games (so far) this year where it won by 20 or more points. That is the most 20-plus scoring margin wins in a single season since 2006-2007. That team had nine wins by 20 or more points.
SETTING THE FIELD FOR BIG SKY CHAMPIONSHIP
The field for the Big Sky Championship Tournament has been set.
Montana (16-4) earned the regular-season title, the No. 1 seed and will host.
Northern Colorado (15-5) is second and Eastern Washington is third (14-6).
Sacramento State and Idaho State are tied with 13-7 records but the Bengals get the tiebreaker for the No. 4 seed.
Montana State (11-9) is the No. 6 seed while Southern Utah rounds out the postseason pool of contestants with a 9-11 record.
TOURNAMENT TICKET PRICES
Prices for all-session passes for the women's conference tournament are as follows:
Reserved Premium: $35 Adult, $25 BSC Student
Reserved Preferred: $30 Adult, $20 BSC Student
Reserved: $25 Adult, $15 BSC Student
Reserved Discount: $20
General Admission: $15 Adult, $10 BSC Student
Call 888-666-8262 for more ticket information.
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 1,317 points, 737 total rebounds and has the fourth most made free throws in program history with 347. 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 sixth in program history in career points (1,317) and rebounds (737). She is 10th in field goal percentage (44.0). She is ninth in blocks (77), field goals made (442) and free throw percentage (.756). She is eighth in career steals (144).
SOBOLEWSKI MOVING UP IN COACHING RECORDS
With an 86-66 career record, ISU Head Coach
Seton Sobolewski has been at the helm of the ISU women's basketball team for 152 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 (86) 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.
OAKES NAMED SENIOR CLASS AWARD FINALIST
Senior
Kaela Oakes was 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 (1/24). Oakes now has 1,155 career points.
Oakes, who played her 100th game as a Bengal against Portland State on Dec. 20, currently has 307 total rebounds, 306 assists and 110 steals. For her career, she is shooting 37.5 percent from the field and 36.1 percent from 3-point range.
Oakes is currently seventh in program history in career free throw percentage (78.6) and fifth in 3-point field goals made (129). She is eighth in assist to turnover ratio (1.20) and career assists with 306. She is seventh in career free throws with 272.
Oakes is fifth in the conference in free throw percentage (.786).
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 (1/24).
Horton is currently fifth in ISU history in career blocks with 116, surpassing Natalie Doma's 110 career blocks.
During the 2011-12 season, Horton posted the seventh most single-season blocks in program history as she tallied 47 in her sophomore campaign. This season she has tallied 45, the ninth most in a single season.
Horton currently has 45 blocks this season and is fifth in the conference, averaging 1.7 blocks per game. She is 71st in the nation in the same category.
REED STEPPING UP
Junior guard
Lindsey Reed has become an offensive force for Idaho State this season.
Reed averages 10.3 points per game and 9.9 points in conference contests.
With 486 career rebounds and 950 career points, Reed is well on her way to becoming the 13th player in ISU history to record 500 rebounds and 1,000 points.
SOBOLEWSKI CLOSING IN ON 50TH CONFERENCE WIN
ISU Head Coach
Seton Sobolewski recorded his 50th career Big Sky win Thursday, Feb. 21 against Weber State.
Sobolewski is 53-31 all-time in Big Sky play and has defeated every Big Sky team at least once.
53 conference wins is tied for the second best all-time for any ISU head coach. Jon Newlee leads with 54 conference wins. Sobolewski and McInelly follow with 53.
ABOUT SACRAMENTO STATE
Sacramento State earned the No. 5 seed in the conference tournament with an 13-7 Big Sky record. The Hornets have won two straight with an 84-50 win over Montana State and 80-71 upset over regular season champion Montana at home last weekend. SAC is 18-11 overall on the season and the team's 18 wins this season is a program Division I best.
SAC is leading the conference in scoring offense (73.0), blocks (6.1), assists (17.1), steals (11.8), defensive rebounds (27.6) and 3-point field goals (188). The Hornets are second in rebounding offense (42.0), turnover margin (+3.62) and assist to turnover ratio (1.1).
Kylie Kuhns leads the Hornets in scoring with 13.1 points per contest. She is leading SAC and the conference in rebounds (10.9) as well as offensive rebounds (3.8). She is second in the Big Sky in field goal percentage (.554) and defensive rebounds (7.1). Kuhns set the Big Sky Conference career rebound record earlier this season.
Alle Moreno follows Kuhns in scoring with 12.5 points per contest. Moreno is leading the Big Sky in 3-point field goals made (70).
Megan Kritscher leads the Big Sky in blocks. She has tallied a Big Sky single season record 109 blocks so far this season.
Fantasia Hilliard is first in the Big Sky in assists, averaging 6.1 per contest. Hilliard is also third in steals (2.3) and assist to turnover ratio (1.5).
SERIES INFO AND LAST MEETING WITH THE HORNETS
Idaho State leads the series 34-2 and the Bengals have won three straight against the Hornets including ISU's contest against Sacramento State at the 2012 Big Sky Tournament. ISU defeated the Hornets 70-57 in the semifinals.
ISU is 1-0 against Sacramento State in neutral games.
Idaho State won the last contest with the Hornets 81-61 on March 2 in Pocatello, Idaho.
Ashleigh Vella nearly had a triple-double as she recorded 17 points with 12 rebounds and eight assists while senior forward
Jessa Jeppesen recorded her second career double-double with 17 points and career-high 13 rebounds. Vella's double-double was the eighth of her career.
