Game Notes
POCATELLO, Idaho – The Idaho State women's basketball team is traveling north to Montana for matchups with Montana State and Montana this week. The Bengals face Montana State at 7 p.m. Thursday night and Montana at 2 p.m. Saturday afternoon.
How to Follow
Both games will be streamed on
Watch Big Sky TV and Thursday's contest will be shown on
Pluto TV 238.
Mark Liptak will have the call on KISU 91.1 and
Stretch Internet with pregame coverage starting 20 minutes before the tip. Montana State will also provide
live stats for the game.
Scouting Montana State
Overall: 12-11 | BSC: 7-6 | Home: 6-4 | Road: 5-7 | Neutral: 1-0 | Streak: L1
-Montana State enters the week ranked fifth among Big Sky teams. The Bobcats are 12-11 overall with a 7-6 conference record and have earned half of their wins at home.
-MSU is coming off a 90-65 loss to Idaho on the road. Since sweeping the opening weekend of conference play the Bobcats have split each pair of BSC games.
-Montana State has earned more trips to the free throw line than any team in the Big Sky. MSU ranks first in free throw attempts (389) and free throws made (291) and has a 74.8 percent conversion rate this season. The Bobcats also rely on the deep ball to stay in games. They make up for their 29.0 three-point field goal percentage with volume, ranking third in both three-point attempts and three-point field goals made.
-It was recently announced by Montana State that its top player, Claire Lundberg, would miss the remainder of the season. The Bobcats will need to find a way to replace the 17.0 points per game she brought to the table.
-Oliana Squires has averaged 11.0 points per game and dished out a team-high 86 assists. Martha Kuderer is the final player averaging double figures for MSU with 10 points per contest. She and Madeline Smith each average 5.0 rebounds per game.
-Blaire Braxton is another key player for Montana State. She is shooting 57.9 percent from the floor this season and grabs a team-leading 6.1 rebounds per game. Braxton records 6.8 points per game and has challenged opposing offenses this year with 23 blocks.
-Montana State averages 65.6 points per game while shooting 39.5 percent overall. Opponents have a collective 41.6 field goal percentage and have averaged 67.0 points per contest.
-Montana State is coached by Tricia Binford who has been with the Bobcats for 14 seasons. She carries a 224-192 record with the team.
Team Averages
|
Points |
Rebounds |
Assists |
Steals |
Blocks |
Turnovers |
| ISU Overall |
65.4 |
35.2 |
15.7 |
6.5 |
3.8 |
14.9 |
| MSU Overall |
65.6 |
37.0 |
13.4 |
7.3 |
2.3 |
14.8 |
| ISU Big Sky |
66.5 |
36.4 |
15.8 |
7.2 |
4.7 |
13.5 |
| MSU Big Sky |
68.1 |
38.6 |
14.1 |
7.5 |
2.4 |
13.0 |
All-Time Series
Overall: 37-44 | Home: 23-14 | Away: 12-26 | Neutral: 2-4 | Streak: W1
Last Meeting: ISU won 61-43 in Pocatello
In the first meeting of 2019, ISU snapped its three-game skid against MSU with a 61-43 win on its home court. The Bengals held MSU scoreless for almost 14 minutes in the second half while allowing just three baskets to lock up the win.
-
Grace Kenyon was the top player with 19 points and 11 rebounds.
Callie Bourne was one point shy of a double-double and had a career-high 10 rebounds, and
Estefania Ors scored 14 points.
-Idaho State limited Montana State to an opponent season-low 21.7 field goal percentage and forced a season-high 23 turnovers.
-Overall MSU has a seven-game edge over ISU in the all-time series. The Bobcats fare well when hosting the Bengals with a 26-12 record when playing in Bozeman, Mont.
Idaho State Bengals
Overall: 15-7 | BSC: 10-3 | Home: 8-2 | Away: 6-4 | Neutral: 1-1 | Streak: W1
-Idaho State split its home games last week and now sits at 15-7 and 10-3 in conference play. The Bengals have lost just one road game during Big Sky play but will face a tough challenge with both MSU and UM boasting high attendance figures. One win during this trip would give Idaho State its most conference wins on the road since the 2012-13 season.
-The loss to NAU came despite ISU shooting at a higher clip. Kenyon led ISU with her fourth double-double and Ors,
Saylair Grandon and
Delaney Moore also reached double-digit scoring totals.
-Idaho State had 10 players score and 11 players grab a rebound in Saturday's 80-47 win over Southern Utah. The Bengals shot over 50 percent from the field for the fifth time this season. Kenyon, Moore and Ors nearly outscored SUU with 44 combined points.
-In conference play, Idaho State is shooting 44.9 percent from the floor, 35.6 percent from three and 63.9 percent from the free-throw line. Opponents have shot 33.1 percent against the Bengals while averaging 55.7 points per contest.
-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 186-149 overall record. He has led the team to two postseason tournament appearances: one NCAA tournament berth and one WNIT tournament appearance.
National Ranks (As of Feb. 11, 2019)
As a team, Idaho State ranks:
-No. 56 in assist to turnover ratio at 1.06 (No. 3 BSC)
-No. 67 in assists with 345 (No. 2 BSC)
-No. 56 in assists per game with 15.7 (No. 2 BSC)
-No. 91 in fewest turnovers with 327 (No. 7 BSC)
-No. 37 in field-goal percentage at 44.3 (No. 1 BSC)
-No. 30 in field-goal percentage defense at 36.0 (No. 2 BSC)
-No. 65 in scoring defense at 59.1 (No. 2 BSC)
-No. 58 in three-point field goal percentage at 34.6 (No. 3 BSC)
-No. 78 in win-loss percentage at 68.2 (No. 2 BSC).
Hot Shooting
Just one of Idaho State's 12 players to appear in Big Sky play is shooting below 38 percent through 13 games.
Sai Tapasa leads all shooters in conference play with a 54.3 field goal percentage.
Like A Well-Oiled Machine
Idaho State has been one of the most efficient teams in the Big Sky Conference this season. The Bengals rank first in field goal percentage and second in field goal percentage defense entering play this week.
Going Out With A Bang
Kenyon and Grandon, both seniors, hold the lead in nearly every statistical category. Kenyon leads ISU in steals (30), blocks (24), points per game (14.4) and rebounds per game (6.9). Grandon leads the team in assists (76) and is second in steals (27) and rebounds per game (5.7).
Downtown Sharpshooter
Ors is currently the second-most accurate three-point shooter in Idaho State history. She has a career 41.5 three-point field goal percentage and ranks seventh in school history for three-pointers made with 125.
Dual Threat Down Low
Tapasa is averaging 9.0 points and 5.1 rebounds per game this season. She has been solid from the floor with a 48.8 field goal percentage and even better from the free throw line with an 76.3 percent conversion rate.
Streaking
Wins are not the only thing Idaho State is stringing together this season.
Kenyon has:
67 consecutive starts
Scored in 70 consecutive games.
Grandon has:
54 consecutive starts
48 consecutive games with at least one assist
Recorded at least one made field goal in 26 consecutive games
Scored in 59 consecutive games.
Bourne has an assist in 20 straight games.
Tapasa has:
39 consecutive starts
Secured a rebound in every contest but one this season.
The team has:
Recorded at least one block in 29 straight games
Double-digit assists in 19 of 22 games.
In The Record Books (Idaho State Top-10)
Kenyon has made several leaps into the record books. She currently ranks: eighth in blocks, games played and double-doubles; seventh in free throws made; fifth in points and assists; fourth in rebounds and field goals made and is tied for first in triple-doubles.
-Ors holds the No. 7 spot in three pointers made with 125 and is the second-most accurate 3-point shooter in ISU history. Meanwhile, Grandon ranks 10th in three-point field goals made and eighth in 3-point field goal percentage at 37.8 percent.
-Tapasa recently shot her way into the record books. She currently holds a 46.0 career field goal percentage which ranks ninth in the ISU all-time records.
Just Like The Old Days
Idaho State did not need a three-pointer to defeat Northern Arizona on the road this year. It was the first time since Jan. 12, 2017 the Bengals failed to make a long ball. Ironically, the last win ISU had without a three-pointer was against Northern Arizona on Jan. 17, 2015.
Bengals Make School History
The 2018-19 team made program history on Dec. 6, 2018. The Bengals shot 66.0 percent from the floor in an 80-68 win over Utah Valley to set a program record for field goal percentage.
The Bengals made history again on Jan. 24 against the Montana Grizzlies. ISU held UM to 34 points which is an all-time opponent low against a Division I squad.
Hot Start
ISU's 5-1 start to conference play was the program's best since the 2011-12 season. That year, the Bengals went on to win the Big Sky Championship.
Stellar Saylair
Grandon has tallied two Ready Nutrition Big Sky Player of the Week awards this season.
Bigger Than Idaho State
Kenyon is a name to know in the Big Sky Conference. The senior earned a spot on the Big Sky Preseason All-Conference Team earlier this season.
