Game Notes | Live Stats | Audio | Stream
POCATELLO, Idaho – At 2-1 in Big Sky games, Idaho State women's basketball has a chance to secure its best start to conference play since the 2011-12 season. The Bengals take on the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks in Flagstaff, Ariz. Saturday afternoon at 2:05 p.m.
Hot Start
Idaho State started the 2011-12 conference season with eight-consecutive wins before going on to win the Big Sky Championship. Since that championship season, the Bengals have not finished higher than .500 through the first two weeks of BSC play.
How To Follow
Saturday's game will be streamed on
Watch Big Sky TV and
Pluto TV channel 239.
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 Northern Arizona Athletics and can be
found here.
All-Time Series
Overall: 40-28 | Home: 23-10 | Away: 16-18 | Neutral: 1-0 | Streak: ISU W4
Last Meeting: Feb. 1, 2018 in Pocatello, ISU won 76-59
Idaho State is 40-28 against Northern Arizona thanks to a recent decade of dominance. Since the 2009-10 season, ISU has lost just three times in 17 meetings. The Bengals are on a four-game streak against the Lumberjacks and have not allowed them to score 60 points in the past three meetings.
-ISU's last loss to Northern Arizona was in 2016. The Lumberjacks escaped with a 63-62 victory in Flagstaff, Ariz.
Scouting Northern Arizona
Overall: 5-7 | BSC: 1-2 | Home: 3-1 | Away: 2-5 | Neutral: 0-1 | Steak: W1
-Northern Arizona snapped a six-game skid with its first Big Sky win over Weber State on Thursday night. The Lumberjacks have secured wins in pairs of two so far this season and have played much better at home with a 3-1 record.
-The Lumberjacks shoot and defend the three well. They are third in the conference with a 32.6 3-point field goal percentage and lead the Big Sky in three-point defense; opponents are shooting just 26.3 from beyond the arc against NAU's defense.
-Northern Arizona has used the block to disrupt offenses. The team ranks third in the BSC with 42 stuffs so far.
-A trio of starters are averaging double figures including Kaleigh Paplow, Khiarica Rasheed and Lauren Orndoff. Paplow averages 15 points while the two others hover around 10 points per game. Paplow is also among the top-10 players in the conference for rebounds per game at 7.5.
-In addition to boasting the third-best field goal percentage on NAU, Rasheed pulls down 6.0 rebounds per game and has nearly as many boards on the offensive half as the defensive half of the court. She and Orndoff are equally as skilled on defense with 19 blocks and 21 steals between the two.
-Jacey Bailey and Caitlin Malvar have each started six games and have collectively averaged 10 rebounds and 15 points per contest. They are the only players with more than 40 three-point attempts.
-Northern Arizona is shooting 37.9 percent from the field, 32.6 percent from three and 67.4 percent from the free-throw line this season. Despite defending the three-point line well, opponents are shooting 41.4 percent from two-point range. The 'Jacks average 64.5 points, 39.0 rebounds, 14.1 assists, 6.8 steals, 3.5 blocks and 17.6 turnovers per game.
-NAU is coached by Loree Payne who is in her ninth season and carries a 142-88 record.
Idaho State
Overall: 7-5 | BSC: 2-1 | Home: 4-1 | Away: 2-3 | Neutral: 1-1 | Streak: W2
Starting Five
Idaho State's starting five has carried a heavy load this season. Tapasa is the only player with multiple starts averaging less than 28 minutes of play per game at 25.7. Kenyon, Grandon and Ors are all playing more than 31 minutes per contest.
-The six players with multiple starts have scored 85 percent of ISU's points this season. The starting five's contribution climbs to 89 percent through the three conference games with Kenyon contributing 33 percent herself.
Going Out With A Bang
The senior duo of Kenyon and Grandon holds the lead in nearly every statistical category. Kenyon leads the team in steals (15) and points (14.8) and rebounds (6.2) per game. Grandon leads the team in assists (42) and ranks second in steals (14), points per game (12.3) and rebounds per game (5.5).
Downtown Sharpshooter
Ors is on pace to be the most accurate three-point shooter in Idaho State history. She has a career 43.3 three-point field goal percentage and ranks ninth in school history for three-pointers made with 109. This season she is shooting 40.5 percent from downtown.
Dual Threat Down Low
Tapasa has averaged 8.8 points and 5.5 rebounds per game this season. She has been solid from the floor with a 42.6 field goal percentage and even better from the free throw line with an 82.6 percent conversion rate.
Hot Shooting
The Bengals are shooting 44.0 percent from the floor this season with eight players shooting 40 percent or better (including Gradon at 39.7).
Delaney Moore leads all players with a 61.3 field goal percentage.
-Kenyon, who has more shot attempts than anyone except Grandon, ranks third on the team with a 51.6 field goal percentage.
Team Averages
Idaho State is averaging 64.8 points, 34.2 rebounds, 14.9 assists, 5.8 steals, 2.8 blocks and 16.0 turnovers per game. They have shot 44.0 percent from the field, 32.9 percent from three and 69.3 percent from the free throw line. Opponents are shooting 39.6 percent against them.
-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 178-147 overall record. He has led the team to two postseason tournament appearances: one NCAA tournament berth and one WNIT tournament appearance.
National Ranks
-ISU is No. 95 in assists per game with 14.9.
-ISU is No. 55 in field-goal percentage at 44.0.
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Grace Kenyon is No. 70 and leads the conference in field-goal percentage at 51.6.
*
Delaney Moore and
Madison Hinrichs do not meet the minimum attempt criteria.
