Bengals Battle Griz in Big Sky Quarterfinals

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THIS WEEK IN IDAHO STATE BASKETBALL
The Bengals enter the Big Sky Conference tournament as the No. 8 seed having qualified for the post-season for the 12th consecutive year.  They will take on No. 1 seed and tournament host Montana in the quarter-finals.

ABOUT MONTANA
This will be the 77th meeting between Idaho State and Montana and the 7th time they have met in the Big Sky Tournament.  The Griz hold a 68-8 advantage overall and have won five of the six meetings in post-season play. The teams last met in the 2011 Big Sky tourney, a game the Griz won 66-53.

UM defeated ISU in each of the two meetings this season. The Griz won 77-65 in Missoula in February before picking up a 69-51 victory in Pocatello in March.

Montana comes into the tournament as the top seed but lost the last game of the regular season at Montana State.

Kellie Rubel (14.0 ppg) leads three players that average in double-figures.

The Griz lead the Big Sky in scoring defense allowing just 56.9 points/game.

EXECUTION DOWN THE STRETCH
The Bengals are 3-1 this season in games decided by one possession.  ISU has won 15 of their last 22 games in that category.

In games decided by five points or less they are 25-13 over that same span.

NEVER GIVE UP HOPE
The Bengals have won three games this season (3-15) when they have trailed with one minute left in regulation.  They were 0-34 over the last three seasons under that same circumstance.

HIT THE BOARDS
The Bengals are 10-6 this season when they have equal or more rebounds then their the opponent but are just 2-10 when the other team has more rebounds.

MAGIC NUMBER IS 70
ISU is 7-2 when they score at least 70 points in a game this season.  They are 28-3 in the last four seasons when they reach that mark.

On the reverse side the Bengals are 1-9 when they allow 70 or more points this year and 13-54 under Coach Sobolewski when allowing 70+.

WORKING INSIDE
ISU has attempted and made the fewest amount of three-pointers in the Big Sky Conference this season.  


ALL THAT JAZZ
Point guard Jasmine Lemon is coming off a career-high in points (27) against Montana State including hitting the game-tying buzzer-beating shot to send the game into overtime.  She has scored in double figures in seven of the last 11 games.  She had reached the double-digit plateau just five times in the other 18 games on the season.


DOUBLE-FIGURES FOR WOODS
Apiphany Woods has scored in double-figures in every game but six this season including a career-high 23 against Drake, Sacramento State and North Dakota.  

In Big Sky Conference games this season she is fifth in scoring at 16.7 ppg. She is shooting 48.8% in conference play.

BLOCK PARTY
Anna Lee Policicchio has blocked a shot in 23 of the last 26 games.  She had a  career-high five against the University of Houston and Utah Valley.

Her 53 blocks so far this season are tied for fourth most in ISU single-season history.

1    Mandi Ortega        84    1996-97
2    Lori Heeter        71    1991-92
3    Mandi Ortega        69    1997-98
4    Anna Lee Policicchio    53    2014-15
5.    Mandi Carver        50    2001-02
    Mandi Carver        50    1999-00

Policicchio's 74 career blocks ranks 10th in ISU history.


FAB FRESHMAN
Grace Kenyon is the top freshman in the Big Sky in scoring,rebounding and assists.

Her 306 points are the most scored by a freshman since Lindsey Reed's 319 in 2010-11. ISU's career scoring leader Natalie Doma poured in 332 during her freshman season in 2004-05.

COACHING RECORDS
 Wednesday's game against Montana will be the 215th coached at Idaho State for Head Coach Seton Soboewski.  This will give him the record for most overall games coached in ISU history.  He already owns the records for overall wins and conference wins.