Women's Basketball Readies for Conference Road Games This Week

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POCATELLO, Idaho – The Idaho State women's basketball team hits the road again this week with games at Southern Utah and Northern Arizona. The Bengals stop first in Cedar City, Utah Jan. 28 to face Southern Utah at Centum Arena at 7 p.m. MST. ISU is searching for its first win against the Thunderbirds since Jan. 18, 2014.

SCOUTING SOUTHERN UTAH
Southern Utah carries a 2-15 record overall including a 0-7 record in Big Sky conference play so far this season. The Thunderbirds are one of two Big Sky teams in search of its first win, with the other being Portland State with a 0-6 record. SUU has lost four games by less than 10 points this season, including an 85-82 loss to league-leading Eastern Washington on Jan. 14.

Picked to finish 11th in the conference by both media and coaches, Southern Utah averages 56.1 points per game and 40.8 rebounds per game. The Thunderbirds are led by junior forward Jessica Richardson in both points and rebounds at 12.2 points per game and 8.1 rebounds per game. Richardson ranks 17th in the conference in scoring and is tied for fifth in rebounding.

Southern Utah is coached by Head Coach Chris Boettcher who is in his second season at the helm of the program.

SERIES REVIEW: KEEPING IT CLOSE
Idaho State has lost its last three meetings with the Thunderbirds with its last win coming Jan. 18, 2014 with a 69-65 victory on the road. Each of the last six games in the series have been decided by 10 points or less, with each of the last three being decided by an average of four points.

A LOOK BACK: THIS DATE IN HISTORY
This is only the second time in program history that the Bengals have played on Jan. 28. The last time the Bengals suited up on this date was in 2012 at Weber State which resulted in a 54-52 win.

FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE CLOSE-UP
During conference play, ISU has limited each of its Big Sky opponents to fewer than 40 percent shooting from the field. The Bengals rank fourth in the conference in field goal percentage defense, forcing their opponents to an average of 37.2 percent shooting. ISU ranks second in three-point field goal percentage defense, forcing opponents into shooting an average of 27.7 percent from beyond-the-arc. The Bengals are also one of the best shooting teams in the conference, shooting an average of 41.7 percent from the floor.

INSIDE DOMINANCE
In each of ISU's last four games, the Bengals have outscored their opponent in the paint; over the last two games, the Bengals have outscored their opponents by an average of 12.0 points inside including a lopsided 42-24 margin against Weber State on Jan. 23.
 
BALANCED SCORING = ISU VICTORY
So far this season, Idaho State is 8-3 when three or more Bengals reach double-figures. When two or fewer players score 10 or more points, Idaho State is 1-5.