Game Notes
POCATELLO, Idaho – On Thursday night the Bengals welcome the league-leading Portland State Vikings into Reed Gym for the second meeting this month. With the regular season winding down, the game will play a large role in the shaping of the top-four seeds for the Big Sky Conference Tournament. The contest begins at 7:05 p.m.
Both teams have 11 wins in conference play though PSU has one less loss than ISU. The Bengals became one of just three BSC teams to top the Vikings this season with a 58-57 victory in the Viking Pavilion earlier this month. This week is the final full slate of home games for the Bengals who host their senior night next Thursday, Feb. 28, against Northern Colorado.
How to Follow
Both of this week's games with be shown on
Watch Big Sky TV and
Pluto TV Channel 243.
Mark Liptak and
Brad Bugger will be on the call on KISU 91.1 FM and
Stretch Internet with pregame starting 25 minutes before the tip. Live stats will also be
available here.
Scouting Portland State
Overall: 19-4 | BSC: 11-3 | Home: 13-2 | Away: 6-2 | Streak: W4
Portland State is riding a four-game winning streak and jumped to the top of the Big Sky standings with wins over Northern Arizona and Southern Utah last week. The last loss the Vikings suffered came against the Bengals on their home court.
The loss to ISU was the only home loss in conference play for PSU. The team's other two losses in BSC play occurred on the road.
Portland State is number one in the conference for a reason. The Vikings lead all Big Sky squads in 13 categories including scoring margin and field-goal percentage defense. In field-goal percentage defense, they boast the seventh-best mark in the nation. Opponents have shot just 34.4 percent against them while shooting 27.8 percent from three-point range.
PSU's scoring margin is also among the best in the nation at No. 24 with a 14.6 differential. The Portland State defense compliments its strong offense well. The Vikings have more steals and blocks than any Big Sky team and force twice as many turnovers as they commit.
Courtney West is three-points shy of giving Portland State four starters averaging double figures. Sidney Rielly is the leading scorer for the Vikings with 15.7 points per game. She is the conference's leading three-point shooter with a 43.0 conversion rate from long range. She is second among Big Sky players in field-goal percentage at 48.0.
Ashley Bolston and Kylie Jiminez trail closely with 12.7 and 12.1 points per game respectively. Bolston is third on the team in rebounding with 5.2 boards per contest and second on the team with 107 assists. Jimenez leads the team with 116 assists. The two are the league's top-two pick pockets with 120 combined steals.
West is averaging 9.9 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. Only Jordan Stotler has tallied more rebounds with 7.0 per game. The duo poses a formidable front down low with a combined 99 blocks on the season; West is No. 17 in the nation and leads the conference with 59 blocks.
Portland State is coming off a dominant 81-56 win over Southern Utah on the road. Rielly tallied 22 points and five rebounds and Savannah Dhaliwal netted 16 points. PSU posted a 54.4 field goal percentage while going 9-16 from three-point range.
The Vikings are coached by former ISU assistant coach Lynn Kennedy. He is in his fourth season with Portland State and carries a 58-60 overall record.
Team Averages
|
Points |
Rebounds |
Assists |
Steals |
Blocks |
Turnovers |
| ISU Overall |
65.0 |
35.1 |
15.4 |
6.6 |
3.6 |
14.9 |
| PSU Overall |
73.0 |
40.3 |
18.3 |
9.9 |
5.6 |
14.6 |
| ISU Big Sky |
65.7 |
36.1 |
15.4 |
7.3 |
4.2 |
13.7 |
| PSU Big Sky |
71.3 |
39.0 |
16.9 |
8.4 |
5.9 |
13.0 |
All-Time Series
Overall: 36-20 | Home: 20-6 | Away: 13-13 | Neutral: 3-1 | Streak: W15
Last Meeting: ISU won 58-57 in Portland, Ore.
The first meeting between these two squads was a thriller that came down to the wire. ISU's defense prevented the Vikings from netting a field goal over the final 6:28 and the offense chipped away at the lead. After
Estefania Ors hit a three-pointer with four seconds remaining, the Bengal defense remained strong to seal the 58-57 victory.
The Bengals hold a 16-game advantage in the all time series and have won 15 consecutive games against the Vikings. Portland State has not secured a win against Idaho State since 2011 and the last time PSU defeated ISU inside Reed Gym was in 2009.
Idaho State Bengals
Overall: 16-8 | BSC: 11-4 | Home: 8-2 | Away: 7-5 | Neutral: 1-1 | Streak: L1
-Idaho State begins its final three-game home stand against Portland State and Weber State this week. The Bengals have a chance to reach a double-digit win total at home this season with an 8-2 record in Reed Gym. Last week, ISU split a pair of games on the road with a win over Montana State and a loss to Montana.
-The Bengals never trailed as they limited MSU to a season-low 40 field goal attempts and shot 47.9 percent from the field last Thursday. Ors led all scorers with 16 points while grabbing seven rebounds and three steals.
Grace Kenyon finished with 15 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.
Delaney Moore was 5-6 from the floor as she finished in double figures off the bench for the third-consecutive game.
-The Bengals narrowly dropped their contest against the Grizzlies 60-59.
Saylair Grandon scored 19 points and collected six rebounds.
Madison Hinrichs scored a career-high 12 points which all came in the second half. Kenyon secured another double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds, and Ors tallied 10 points and three assists.
-In conference play, Idaho State is shooting 44.8 percent from the floor, 35.5 percent from three and 63.4 percent from the free-throw line. Opponents have shot 33.4 percent against the Bengals while averaging 55.5 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 187-150 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. 19, 2019)
As a team, Idaho State ranks:
-No. 66 in assist to turnover ratio at 1.03 (No. 3 BSC)
-No. 74 in assists with 370 (No. 2 BSC)
-No. 60 in assists per game with 15.4 (No. 2 BSC)
-No. 90 in fewest turnovers with 358 (No. 6 BSC)
-No. 38 in field-goal percentage at 44.3 (No. 1 BSC)
-No. 28 in field-goal percentage defense at 36.0 (No. 2 BSC)
-No. 56 in scoring defense at 58.8 (No. 2 BSC)
-No. 93 in scoring margin at 6.2 (No. 2 BSC)
-No. 57 in three-point field goal percentage at 34.7 (No. 3 BSC)
-No. 83 in win-loss percentage at 66.7 (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 15 games. Moore leads all shooters in conference play with a 54.5 field goal percentage (Min. 50 attempts).
Like A Well-Oiled Machine
Idaho State has been one of the most efficient teams in the Big Sky Conference this season. The Bengals ranked first in field goal percentage and second in field goal percentage defense entering play this week. Portland State is ranked second and first in those categories respectively.
Doing It All
Kenyon leads the team in nearly every statistical category including steals (32), blocks (24), assists (78), points per game (14.3) and rebounds per game (7.0). Grandon ranks second on the team in each of those categories except blocks.
Downtown Sharpshooter
Ors is currently the second-most accurate three-point shooter in Idaho State history. She has a career 42.0 three-point field goal percentage and ranks sixth in school history for three-pointers made with 131. She has also been efficient from the free throw line with an 88.1 success rate.
Dual Threat Down Low
Tapasa is averaging 8.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game this season. She has been solid from the floor with a 48.3 field goal percentage and even better from the free throw line with a 76.3 percent conversion rate.
Speed Limit, 60
The Bengal defense has allowed less than 60 points to an opponent on 13 occasions this season. They are 13-0 in those games. ISU has allowed between 60-69 points five times with a 3-2 record. All six times an opponent has tallied 70 or more points the Bengals have lost.
To pair with that statistic, Idaho State has held its opponent under a 40 percent field goal percentage 15 times with a 14-1 record. ISU is 2-7 when an opponent shoots at least 40 percent from the floor.
Streaking
Wins are not the only thing Idaho State is stringing together this season.
Kenyon has:
69 consecutive starts
Scored in 72 consecutive games.
Grandon has:
56 consecutive starts
Recorded at least one made field goal in 28 consecutive games
Scored in 61 consecutive games.
Bourne has an assist in 22 straight games.
Tapasa has:
41 consecutive starts
Secured a rebound in every contest but one this season.
The team has:
Recorded at least one block in 31 straight games
Double-digit assists in 21 of 24 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. 6 spot in three pointers made with 131 and is the second-most accurate 3-point shooter in ISU history. Meanwhile, Grandon ranks 10th in three-point field goals made and ninth in 3-point field goal percentage at 37.4 percent.
-Tapasa recently shot her way into the record books. She currently holds a 45.9 career field goal percentage which ranks 10th 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.
Road Warriors
ISU's win against Montana State was its sixth on the road in conference play, matching its highest total since 2012-13. The last time the Bengals won more than six conference road games, they went on to win the Big Sky Conference Tournament.
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.
