Women's Basketball Hosts Sacramento State Thursday

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POCATELLO, Idaho – The Idaho State women's basketball team is back at home this week for a couple of conference matchups against Sacramento State Jan. 14 and Portland State Jan. 16. The Bengals are in search of their first conference win after dropping two road games last weekend at Northern Colorado and at North Dakota by a combined four points.

SCOUTING SACRAMENTO STATE
Sacramento State is a fast-paced, high-scoring team and currently ranks second in the nation in scoring offense at 87.3 points per game. On the flip side, the Hornets are second-to-last in the conference in scoring defense, giving up an average of 87.2 points per game.

Currently, CSUS is 5-9 overall this season with a 2-1 mark in conference play picking up wins against Portland State and Montana. The Hornets were picked to finish third in the BSC in both the coaches and media polls. Sac State averages 87.3 points and 40.9 rebounds per game while shooting 35.7 percent from the floor. Four players average double-figures for the Hornets, led by Adella Randle-El with 15.0 per contest. Maranne Johnson leads the effort on the glass with 4.5 per game.

The Hornets are coached by Head Coach Bunky Harkleroad who is in his third year.

SERIES REVIEW: 65 AND UNDER
Idaho State leads the series 35-5, and the Bengals have won six of the last 10 meetings. However, the Hornets have proved victorious in three of the last five games, winning by an average of 15.7 points per game. In each of ISU's wins against the Hornets in the last four seasons, the Bengals have kept Sac State below 65 points five times and have  limited them to under 60 points in four of those five games.

SLOWING THE HORNETS
Sacrament State ranks second in the country in scoring offense at 87.3 points per game. In the Hornets' nine losses, they have averaged just over 77 points at 77.1 points per game. The Bengals, conversely, average 62.7 points per game but rank sixth in scoring defense at 63.1 points per game.

A LOOK BACK: THIS DATE IN HISTORY
This is the 11th time ISU has played on Jan. 14 in program history. On this day, the Bengals carry a 7-3 record, including a 4-3 conference record. This will be the second time ISU has faced Sacramento State on Jan. 14; the last time, ISU defeated the Hornets 78-57 in Pocatello.

A REY OF LIGHT
Freshman guard Isabel Vara de Rey has been solid for the Bengals during the first three games of conference play. Her production is up, averaging 8.3 points per game during conference play and 2.7 rebounds as opposed to 5.6 points and 1.4 rebounds per game during nonconference play. Vara de Rey has also become more efficient on the floor, shooting 50 percent from the field and 57.1 percent from long range, up from 40.4 percent from the floor and 42.1 percent from long range during nonconference.

BOARD CONTROL
Five Bengals are averaging over 4.5 rebounds per game in conference play, led by senior forward Anna Policicchio with 8.3. This season, Idaho State has out-rebounded its opponent eight times and has won five of those games. Currently the Bengals rank second in the conference in rebounding margin at +4.7, while Sacramento State ranks last at -9.9.