Live Stats vs. Cal Baptist |
Watch Live vs. Cal Baptist here or on the
WAC Digital Network | Listen Live on KISU 91.1 FM or
Stretch Internet
POCATELLO, Idaho – The wait for ISU women's basketball is nearly over with the 2018-19 season opener just a day away. The Bengals head to Riverside, Calif. to begin the season against the California Baptist Lancers Wednesday, Nov. 7 at 7 p.m.
Mark Liptak will have the call on KISU 91.1 FM which can also be heard on
stretch internet. The pregame show begins a half hour prior to the tip.
Idaho State
• Idaho State returns eight letter winners and four starters from last season's squad that finished fifth in the regular season with a 21-11 overall record. The Bengals tallied an 11-7 mark in conference play and made it to the semifinals in the conference tournament before falling to eventual champion Northern Colorado 73-66.
• The Bengals return three players that averaged double-digit points a season ago:
Grace Kenyon (12.9 ppg),
Saylair Grandon (10.9 ppg) and
Estefania Ors (11.0 ppg). Idaho State will look for ways to produce the 13.2 points per game that departed
Brooke Blair brought to the team. However, ISU returns the majority of its contributors in blocks and rebounds including Kenyon who led the team in both categories. Kenyon earned preseason All-Conference Team honors earlier this month.
• The team also has a wealth of fresh talent in redshirt freshmen
Nuria Barrientos,
Ellie Smith and
Kaitlyn Bell; transfer
Melisa Kadic; and true freshmen
Montana Oltrogge and
Callie Bourne.
• This season, the Bengals were picked to finish third in the Big Sky Coaches' Preseason Poll and fourth by the media.
• Head Coach
Seton Sobolewski is in his 11th season with the program and carries a 171-142 overall record (.546). He has led the team to two postseason tournament appearances: one NCAA tournament berth and one WNIT tournament appearance.
Scouting California Baptist
• Cal Baptist finished the 2017-18 season with a 17-12 overall record including a 14-6 record in conference play. The Lancers placed third in the Pacific West Conference last season.
• Cal Baptist joined the Western Athletic Conference this season and now begins its journey as a Division I team. The squad was tabbed for an eighth-place finish by the media in the WAC pre-season poll. Â
• The Lancers have dominated in Division II basketball the last few years with a 126-37 record the past four seasons. The team also won two West Regional Championships and made a D-II championship game run in 2015.
• The Lancers return five players that played every game last season and brought in three junior college transfers. Cal Baptist lost its leading scorer and rebounder, Tori Mitchell, to graduation last season. They do however, return Lexy Ram, Ane Olaeta, Blaysen Varnadoe and Georgia Dale who all averaged more than 10 points per game a season ago.
• Last season the Lancers averaged 77.8 points per game while shooting 44.3 percent from the floor and 34.7 percent from three. They also averaged 46.0 rebounds, 6.5 steals and ranked No. 11 in Division II with 17.8 assists per game.
• Cal Baptist is coached by Jarrod Olson who carries a 151-43 record in six seasons.
• This will be the first meeting between these two teams.
