Bengals Head West for Matchup Against Portland State

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POCATELLO, Idaho – The Idaho State women's basketball team hits the road this week with games at Portland State Feb. 11 at 1 p.m. MST and at Sacramento State Feb. 13. at 3:05 p.m. MST. Currently, ISU sits in ninth place in the Big Sky with eight games remaining.

SCOUTING PORTLAND STATE
Portland State carries a 3-18 overall record this season with a 1-9 mark in conference play. The Vikings earned their first conference win against previously undefeated Eastern Washington, downing the Eagles 81-79 in Portland, Ore. on Jan. 28.

This season, Portland State is averaging 68.8 points per game and 44.4 rebounds per game while shooting 35 percent from the field. Kian McNair leads the Vikings in scoring at 11.5 points per contest while Cici West leads the squad in rebounds at 9.7 per contest to lead the Big Sky.

In the last meeting, ISU started the fourth on an 11-5 run for a 65-56 advantage with 5:43 to go. PSU answered scoring six unanswered to slice the lead to three. ISU would twice more extend the lead to five, each time answered by the Vikings with free throws or a jumper. Woods hit ISU's final jumper with 32 seconds left, but back-to-back jumpers from Pia Jurhar made it a one possession game with nine seconds left. PSU's final attempt fell short to give the Bengals the 71-70 victory.

Portland State is coached by Head Coach Lynn Kennedy who is in his first season with the Vikings.

SERIES REVIEW: ALL ISU IN LAST FIVE SEASONS
The Bengals have dominated the series against Portland State over the last five seasons, winning the last nine contests dating back to Feb. 10, 2011.

A LOOK BACK: THIS DATE IN HISTORY
This is the third time in program history that the Bengals have taken the court on Feb. 11. ISU is 2-0 on this date, including a 70-59 victory at Portland State during the 2011-2012 championship season.

FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE CLOSE-UP
During conference play, ISU has limited all but two of its Big Sky opponents to under 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 37.7 percent shooting. ISU ranks second in three-point field goal percentage defense, forcing opponents into shooting an average of 28.4 percent from beyond-the-arc. The Bengals are also one of the best shooting teams in the conference, shooting an average of 42 percent from the floor, good for third in the conference.

INSIDE DOMINANCE
In each of ISU's last six games, the Bengals have outscored their opponent in the paint; over the last six games, the Bengals have outscored their opponents 176-104 inside including a lopsided 32-14 margin against Northern Colorado on Feb. 6.

LIMITING OPPORTUNITIES
In conference play, the Bengals are limiting their opponents to an average of 60 points per contest, the lowest conference average since the 2012-13 season in which they limited opponents to just 54.5 points per game. However, ISU is averaging just 57.2 points per game, the lowest conference scoring average for the Bengals since the 2008-09 season in which they averaged 61.8 points per game.

TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT
So far this season, the Bengals have played in 10 games decided by five points or less and nine games decided by three points or less. ISU carries a 5-5 record in games decided by five points or less and a 4-5 record in games decided by three points or less. ISU has been part of a school-record five games decided by one point this season, winning three. Seven of ISU's last eight games have been decided by four points or less.

Idaho State has played in the most games decided by five points or less in conference play, carrying a 3-5 record in those games. Northern Colorado is the next closest team in conference play with five-point games, playing in six with a 3-3 record so far.