Bengals Host Portland State Thursday in Holt Arena

Men's Basketball | 2/9/2016 9:50:00 AM

Notes | Audio | Video | Tickets | Live Stats

POCATELLO, Idaho- The Idaho State men's basketball team returns home to ICCU Court at Holt Arena to host Portland State and Sacramento State. The Bengals host Portland State on Thursday, Feb. 11 and Sacramento State on Saturday, Feb. 13. Both games begin at 7 p.m. Jerry Miller and Brad Bugger will call the action live on 101.1 KEIR. Fans can follow the game online with live video, audio and stats by logging onto isubengals.com. Tickets are on sale by calling 208-282-FANS.

Series vs. Portland State
Portland State leads the series 28-19. The Bengals have won four of the last five meetings. In
the only meeting of the season last year, ISU beat the Vikings 80-76. During the 2013-14 season
ISU lost 78-74 in overtime at Portland and and won 87-76 in Pocatello. March 9, 2013 was the
Bengals last victory in Portland, winning 72-71. ISU is 5-18 in Portland but three of the wins have
come in the last five years as ISU won 84-79 on Feb. 10, 2011.

Scouting Portland State
Portland State is 8-13 and 4-6 in Big Sky Conference play.  Cameron Forte is averaging 17.2  points a game and 8.9 rebounds while shooting .555 percent from the field. Isaiah Pineiro is scoring 12.4 points, averaging 5.9 rebounds and shooting .533 percent from the field. Bryce White is scoring 11.5 points. Portland State is averaging 75.6 points a game and giving up 75.5. The Vikings are shooting .465 from the field and averaging 36.3 rebounds. In conference play, Forte is scoring 17.8 points and averaging 9.8 rebounds. Pineiro is netting 13.1 points and 5.9 rebounds. PSU is scoring 72.9 in league, giving up 74.4 and shooting 46.7 percent.

Series vs. Sacramento State
Idaho State leads the series 27-18. The Bengals are 15-8 vs. Sacramento State in Pocatello and
11-10 on the road. Sacramento State has won four of the last five meetings with three of the four
losses being decided by six points or less. ISU lost 62-59 in in Pocatello last year and 84-78 in
Sacramento on Jan. 30, 2014. The Bengals also lost 53-52 in Sacramento on March 2, 2013. The
last win at Sac State was Jan. 14, 2012 (68-67). This year's loss in Sacramento was decided by 11 points.

Scouting Sacramento State
Sacramento State is 10-11 and 3-7 in Big Sky Conference play. Justin Strings leads the Hornets in scoring at 14.4 points and 6.3 rebounds. He is averaging 15.5 points and 7.3 rebounds in conference play. Marcus Graves is scoring 13.7 points overall and 13.5 in league. Cody Demps is averaging 12.4 points a game. Sac State is scoring 73.2 points overall and 70 in conference play while shooting .455 percent from the field. The Hornets are averaging 35.8 rebounds a game and 33.8 in Big Sky action.

Notes From the Win at Northern Colorado
- The 90-57 win was the largest margin of victory for a Bengal team on the road since beating Colorado Mines 82-42 on Feb. 27, 1959.
-  57 points was the fewest points ISU has allowed an opponent to score this year.
- Northern Colorado's two made 3-pointers was the fewest an opponent made this season and the Bears 11.1 percentage (2-18) was the worst by a Bengal opponent.
- Geno Luzcando's five steals was a season-high.
- The 33 point win was the largest margin of victory over a Division I team since beating Montana State 87-51 in Pocatello on Feb. 14, 2013.
- ISU shot 65 percent from the three-point line (13-20), its best percentage of the season.

Fewer Shot Attempts = More Points
The Bengals have attempted 55 shots or fewer six times this season. In four of the games ISU has had its second, third, fourth and sixth highest point totals of the season while shooting better than 50 percent from the field.
                            Attempts  Score        Percentage
ISU vs. SUU            47        87-66        .596
ISU vs. N. Col.        48        83-78        .500
ISU vs. NAU           49        86-66        .551
ISU at N. Col.         55        90-57        .582

Telfair to the Line
Ethan Telfair has gone to the free throw line eight times or more in 12 games. In the last 11 games he has gone 87-99 (.879) from the line. For the season he is the teams top free throw shooter at .850 percent (136-160).

Battle of the Boards
ISU is averaging 34.6 rebounds a game, the most since averaging 37.7 during the 2005-06 season. On the flip side of things the Bengals are giving up 37.8 rebounds, the most the 2003-04 team gave up 40.4 boards a game.

Improved Defense
After the loss to Utah Valley, the Bengals were giving up 83.8 points a game.  Since the UVU game  ISU has only allowed 71.8 points a game.  In the 14 game stretch ISU has held its opponents to 69, 64, 67, 79, 78, 84, 82, 70, 76, 68, 66, 57and 77 points.  ISU is 7-6 during the last 13 games.

Bengal Bites
- Idaho State is 9-0 when shooting 45 percent or better from the field. ISU has shot
better than 50 percent seven times, six times coming in Big Sky Conference play.
- The 6-4 mark in Big Sky Conference play ties for the best start in the last nine years. The 2006-07 and 2007-08 teams were all 6-4 at this point in Big Sky play.
- Idaho State's 11-11 record is tied for the second best start since the 1994-95 season. The 2006-07 team was 11-11 at this point and the 1994-95 team was 16-6.  
- Idaho State is 5-0 this season when hitting 11 3-pointers or more in a game.
- In the last 10 seasons the most road games ISU has won is five in  2005-06. This year the Bengals have three.
- This year Geno Luzcando has scored in double figures in 12 of the last 14 games and in every game but four.
- The last time ISU had a winning record in conference was during the 2008-09 season. ISU was 9-7 in league.
- Prior to this season, ISU has had 10 wins or more in a season five times in the last 10 years. ISU was 13-14 in 2005-06, 13-17 in 2006-07, 12-19 in 2007-08, 13-19 in 2008-09 and 11-18 in 2013-14.