POCATELLO, Idaho – Big Sky Conference squads are facing a tough challenge heading into week two of conference play as each team lost two days of preparation and rest with the New Year's Eve games falling on a Monday. The Bengals are on the road during the short turnaround with games against Southern Utah on Thursday (6:30 p.m.) and Northern Arizona on Saturday (2:05 p.m.).
Thursday's game will be streamed on
Watch Big Sky TV and
Pluto TV channel 236.
Mark Liptak will provide play-by-play coverage on KISU 91.1 FM and
Stretch Internet with pregame coverage beginning 20 minutes before the tip. Live stats will be provided by Southern Utah Athletics and are
available here.
Last Time Out
Idaho State split a pair of home games to open Big Sky Conference play last week. The Bengals fell to Idaho 86-72 in their conference opener before rebounding with a 63-48 win over Eastern Washington.
Grace Kenyon led ISU against Idaho, tying her career-high with 27 points; she concluded the weekend with 46 points after scoring 19 against EWU. Kenyon also had 12 rebounds, with six coming on the offensive end of the court, and five assists in the two contests.
Saylair Grandon shot 50 percent and matched
Estefania Ors with 12 points per game.
Nuria Barrientos saw extended action against Idaho and posted career highs in rebounds and points with six and eight respectively. Meanwhile,
Sai Tapasa led the team with 15 rebounds between the two games.
Key Figures
Despite the loss to Idaho, ISU posted a season-low nine turnovers.
ISU shot 51.0 percent in its win over Eastern Washington.
Idaho State This Season
The Bengals are 6-5 overall and 1-1 in Big Sky Conference play. They have won four of their last five games and have a chance to improve their 1-3 away record this week.
Idaho State has used efficiency to win games. The team ranks No. 82 in field goal percentage and No. 79 in three-point field goal percentage. ISU has also been protecting the ball with 176 turnovers this season which ranks No. 87.
Kenyon (14.2), Grandon (12.4) and Ors (11.6) are all averaging double-digit points. The senior duo of Kenyon and Grandon also leads the team in assists and steals. They have combined for 64 assists and 25 steals with Grandon holding a slight lead in both categories.
Both players average five-plus rebounds with Kenyon leading the team at 5.9 per contest. Tapasa has contributed 5.5 rebounds per game while adding 8.4 points per contest. Kenyon ranks second on the team in blocks with seven after
Delaney Moore made the leap to the No. 1 spot with three blocks against Eastern Washington.
Six players are shooting 40 percent or better from the field, led by Moore at 65.5 percent. Kenyon, who has the second most field goal attempts, ranks third on the team with a 48.7 field goal percentage.
The team went just 9-16 from the free-throw line against Eastern Washington but is still shooting 70.7 percent on the year. Four of ISU's starters are shooting 74 percent or better from the charity stripe, led by Tapasa at 85.7 percent.
Just six players have played every game for ISU while eight players average 10-plus minutes. Kenyon joined Grandon, Hinrichs and Ors in the 30-plus club last week.
Idaho State is shooting 42.9 percent from the field and 34.2 percent from three this season. Opponents have shot 40.4 percent from the floor and 38.4 percent from the three-point line against ISU. The Bengals average 64.4 points, 33.8 rebounds, 14.9 assists, 5.8 steals, 2.6 blocks and 16.0 turnovers per game.
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 177-147 overall record. He has led the team to two postseason tournament appearances: one NCAA tournament berth and one WNIT tournament appearance.
All-Time Series
Overall: 37-13 | Home: 22-4 | Away: 13-9 | Neutral: 2-0 | Streak: ISU W2
Last Meeting: 2018 Big Sky Conference Tournament First Round, Reno, Nev., ISU won 59-49
Idaho State holds a notable advantage in the all-time series with 37 wins and just 13 losses. The Bengals have fared well in Cedar City, Utah, though nine of SUU's 13 wins against ISU have come on its home court.
The Bengals have won the last two meetings and five of the past six. Last year, both teams won when hosting before meeting in the first round of the Big Sky Conference Tournament. Idaho State ended Southern Utah's season with a 59-49 victory in Reno, Nev.
Scouting Southern Utah
Southern Utah is 3-8 overall and 0-2 after dropping road games against Montana and Montana State last week. All three of the Thunderbirds' wins have come on their home court. SUU is currently on a four-game losing streak dating back to the second week of December.
The Thunderbirds have not shot at a high enough percentage to stay in most games, but they do take care of the ball and play disciplined basketball. Southern Utah is No. 87 in fewest turnovers with 176 (tied with Idaho State) and No. 15 in fewest fouls with just 159 this season.
Two players have surpassed 100 points for SUU with Harley Hansen leading the team at 11.4 points per contest. She also holds the team lead in steals with 30. Breanu Reid is close behind with 10.4 points per game and is second on the team with 34 assists.
Rebecca Cardenas is another key player for SUU with 9.7 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. Ashley Larsen has a team-high 15 blocks and is the only other player averaging more than five boards, though Hannah Robins collects 4.6 rebounds on average.
Southern Utah is shooting 36.2 percent from the floor, 30.6 percent from three-point range and 66.3 percent from the free throw line. Opponents shoot 45.2 percent against SUU though they are just 27.1 percent from behind the arc, giving SUU the 47th best three-point field goal defense in the nation.
The Thunderbirds average 59.3 points, 35.4 rebounds, 10.3 assists, 8.8 steals, 3.1 blocks and 15.7 turnovers per game. They have played from behind for much of the season with their largest point differential coming in the first quarter of games (190-137).
Southern Utah is led by first-year Head Coach Tracy Sanders who was previously an associate head coach at Saint Mary's College.
Big Sky Conference Standings
Idaho State is currently fifth in the Big Sky Conference standings. Southern Utah is one of three 0-2 teams in BSC play along with Northern Arizona and Weber State. Montana, Northern Colorado, Montana State and Idaho are all 2-0 in conference play. To view the full standings,
click here.
