POCATELLO, Idaho – With the women's basketball season opener less than a week away, the Bengals will look to fine-tune their skills and solidify their chemistry with an exhibition against Chico State. Idaho State welcomes the Wildcats to Reed Gym this Saturday, Nov. 2, at 2 p.m. before embarking upon a six-game road stand to open the 2018-19 season.
The Bengals return four starters and eight letter winners from last year's squad that ended the season 21-11 overall and 11-7 in conference play. The team welcomes one transfer and two freshmen to the team. Freshmen
Nuria Barrientos,
Ellie Smith and
Kaitlyn Bell also rejoin the program after taking a redshirt last year.
Among the four returners is senior
Grace Kenyon who was recently named to the Big Sky Preseason All-Conference Team. Kenyon, a 2017-18 All-Big Sky Second Team selection, was one of two Bengals to eclipse 400 points last season and led the team with 99 assists, 38 blocks, 44 steals and 217 rebounds.
Saylair Grandon is also back in the mix after leading all ISU players with 31.1 minutes of playing time a season ago. The senior averaged 10.9 points per game (ppg) and shot 40.2 percent from three-point range. She was also a force for the ISU defense with 5.0 rebounds per contest and 40 steals overall.
Sai Tapasa returns to ISU after shooting at a higher clip (.498) than any Idaho State player that started at least one game last season. As a sophomore, she averaged 9.2 points and 5.9 rebounds per event and was second on the team in blocks with 19.
Estefania Ors is another important returner for the Bengals. She averaged 11.0 ppg while coming off the bench and was one of the conference leaders from the free throw line with an 83.3 conversion rate. She picked up Big Sky Top Reserve honors for her effort.
Delaney Moore will also look to expand her role after shooting .643 on 70 attempts as a freshman.
The Bengals were recognized as one of the most accurate shooting teams in the nation with the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Most Improved Field Goal Shooting Award. The team shot 45.7 percent from the field and 36.5 percent from beyond the arc. Seven ISU players had a shooting percentage above 40 percent and Kenyon, Tapasa and Moore all flirted with the 50 percent mark. Ors led all Big Sky players with 45.9 percent of her three-pointers falling through the cylinder.
Last season, ISU averaged 71.0 points and 36.9 rebounds per game with a 7.9 point scoring margin.
The Bengals have yet to face an opponent with the exception of a closed scrimmage last weekend. The team officially opens the season against California Baptist Nov. 7. ISU's first six games are on the road against several strong nonconference opponents. This will be the only time to see the Bengals in action prior to their home opener against Benedictine University at Mesa Nov. 29.
Scouting Chico State
Chico State is a member of the California Collegiate Athletic Association. The Wildcats were 17-11 last season with a 14-8 record against conference opponents.
Chico State returns three starters and eight letter winners but will need to replace 30 points per game after losing its top-two scorers from last season. Returner McKena Barker is the only Wildcat on roster that averaged more than 10 ppg a season ago. She had the second-highest field goal and free throw percentages for the Wildcats last season at 43.8 and 85.7 percent respectively. She was also named All-CCAA Honorable Mention in 2017-18.
As a team, Chico State averaged 68.6 points and 32.6 rebounds per game while shooting 43.3 percent from the floor and 37.0 percent from three. They took advantage of the charity line last season, making 82.5 percent of their free throw attempts. Chico State is led by Brian Fogel who enters his 11th season with the Wildcats. He is 166-117 at Chico State.
Follow the Action Live
While no video stream or live stats will be available, fans can follow the action on KISU 91.1 with
Mark Liptak and
Brad Bugger on the call.
