Game Notes
POCATELLO, Idaho – Idaho State returns to Reed Gym this weekend after vaulting to the top of the Big Sky standings once again. The Bengals take on the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks at 7 p.m. Thursday and the Southern Utah Thunderbirds at 2 p.m. Saturday.
How to Follow
Both games will be streamed on
Watch Big Sky TV and
Pluto TV channel 242.
Mark Liptak and
Brad Bugger will provide play-by-play commentary on KISU 91.1 FM and
Stretch Internet with pregame coverage beginning 25 minutes before the tip. Live stats will also be
available here.
Scouting Northern Arizona
Overall: 6-14 | BSC: 2-9 | Home: 3-5 | Away: 3-8 | Neutral: 0-1 | Streak: L2
Northern Arizona is 6-14 overall and 2-9 during Big Sky play. Four of NAU's wins came before the end of November and just one of the Lumberjacks' wins came against a team with a winning record.
Northern Arizona has a thin cast of contributors led by senior Kaleigh Paplow. She has started all 20 games and is averaging a team-high 14.4 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. She also leads the team with 34 steals and 68 assists.
Khiarica Rasheed and Lauren Orndoff are also averaging double figures with 11.1 and 10.1 points per game respectively. The duo has combined for 23 blocks and Orndoff ranks second on the team with 6.7 boards per contest.
In all, just seven players score more than three points per game and only five have seen action in all 20 games. Paplow and Rasheed are the only two players with 20 starts.
NAU is averaging 64.8 points while shooting 38.2 percent from the field, 30.5 percent from the three-point line and 69.5 percent from the free throw line. Opponents are scoring 72.0 points per contest while shooting 41.4 percent overall.
Two of NAU's strengths are rebounding and three-point defense. They have the second-most rebounds in the Big Sky with 801 and are third in the BSC in three-point field goal defense at 30.4.
The Lumberjacks are coached by Loree Payne who is in her second season with NAU. She carries a 13-37 overall record with the 'Jacks.
Team Averages
|
Points |
Rebounds |
Assists |
Steals |
Blocks |
Turnovers |
| ISU Overall |
64.1 |
35.6 |
15.3 |
6.5 |
3.9 |
15.1 |
| NAU Overall |
64.8 |
40.0 |
14.3 |
6.8 |
2.9 |
16.6 |
| ISU Big Sky |
64.4 |
37.4 |
15.1 |
7.2 |
4.9 |
13.6 |
| NAU Big Sky |
66.3 |
41.8 |
15.1 |
6.8 |
2.5 |
15.4 |
All-Time Series
Overall: 41-28 | Home: 23-10 | Away: 17-18 | Neutral: 1-0 | Streak: ISU W5
Last Meeting: Jan. 5, 2019 - ISU won 80-69 in Flagstaff, Ariz.
Idaho State holds a 41-28 advantage in the all-time series after a decade of dominance. The Bengals have won five-straight games against Northern Arizona and 16 of the past 19.
ISU led wire-to-wire in the first meeting this season and held off a late run by NAU for the 80-69 win.
Saylair Grandon and
Grace Kenyon controlled the game; Grandon tallied 27 points and 11 rebounds while Kenyon collected 14 points and nine rebounds. The Bengals did not make a three-point attempt for the first time in two years. Now the series shifts to Reed Gym where ISU is 23-10 against NAU.
Idaho State Bengals
Overall: 14-6 | BSC: 9-2 | Home: 7-1 | Away: 6-4 | Neutral: 1-1 | Streak: W4
The Bengals return to Reed Gym where they have gone 7-1 this season. Their only loss at home was in December in the conference opener. The Bengals sit atop the league standings in a tie with Northern Colorado after wins over Sacramento State and Portland State last week.
The Bengals remained firm on defense in the win over SAC, limiting their opponent to a 23.7 field goal percentage and 2-25 shooting from behind the arc. Kenyon led the team with 17 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and a block.
Montana Oltrogge and
Delaney Moore provided 20 points and 11 rebounds off the bench.
Estefania Ors lifted Idaho State past Portland State in the closing seconds of Saturday's contest. The junior nailed a three with four seconds remaining to put ISU on top. The Bengal defense, which held PSU to a 31.0 field goal percentage, made one final stop at the buzzer to seal the win. Ors finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds.
In conference play, Idaho State is shooting 43.6 percent from the floor, 33.3 percent from three and 63.7 percent from the free-throw line. Opponents have shot 31.8 percent against the Bengals while averaging 54.2 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 185-148 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. 6, 2019)
As a team, Idaho State ranks:
-No. 69 in assist to turnover ratio at 1.01 (No. 4 BSC)
-No. 94 in assists with 305 (No. 2 BSC)
-No. 69 in assists per game with 15.3 (No. 2 BSC)
-No. 78 in fewest turnovers with 302 (No. 5 BSC)
-No. 46 in field-goal percentage at 43.5 (No. 1 BSC)
-No. 24 in field-goal percentage defense at 35.6 (No. 2 BSC)
-No. 51 in scoring defense at 58.7 (No. 2 BSC)
-No. 89 in three-point field goal percentage at 33.3 (No. 3 BSC)
-No. 74 in win-loss percentage at 70.0 (No. 2 BSC).
Kenyon is the second-most efficient shooter in the Big Sky Conference. The redshirt senior has compiled a 48.0 field goal percentage this season.
Hot Shooting
Just one of Idaho State's 11 players to appear in Big Sky play is shooting below 38 percent through 11 games.
Sai Tapasa leads all shooters in conference play with a 54.9 field goal percentage.
Starting Five
Idaho State's starting five has produced in a big way this season. Of the six players with multiple starts, Tapasa is the only one averaging less than 30 minutes per game at 26.2.
Those six players have scored 95 percent of ISU's points this season. The starting five's contribution is 85 percent through 11 conference games.
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.
Going Out With A Bang
Kenyon and Grandon, both seniors, hold the lead in nearly every statistical category. Kenyon leads ISU in steals (26), blocks (22), points per game (14.3) and rebounds per game (6.8). Grandon leads the team in assists (67) and is second in steals (23), points per game (12.2) 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 41.2 three-point field goal percentage and ranks seventh in school history for three-pointers made with 120.
Dual Threat Down Low
Tapasa is averaging 9.3 points and 5.2 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 81.8 percent conversion rate.
Streaking
Wins are not the only thing Idaho State is stringing together this season.
Kenyon has:
65 consecutive starts
Scored in 68 consecutive games.
Grandon has:
52 consecutive starts
46 consecutive games with at least one assist
Recorded at least one made field goal in 24 consecutive games
Scored in 57 consecutive games.
Bourne has an assist in 18 straight games.
Tapasa has:
37 consecutive starts
Secured a rebound in every contest but one this season.
The team has:
Recorded at least one block in 27 straight games
Double-digit assists in 17 of 20 games.
In The Record Books (Idaho State Top-10)
Kenyon has made several leaps into the record books. She currently ranks: ninth in games played; eighth in blocks and double-doubles; seventh in free throws made; sixth in assists; fifth in field goals made and points; fourth in rebounds and is tied for first in triple-doubles.
Ors holds the No. 7 spot in three pointers made with 120 and is the second-most accurate 3-point shooter in ISU history. Meanwhile, Grandon ranks 10th in 3-point percentage at 37.1 percent.
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.
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.
