Preview: Women's Basketball Faces Arizona in WNIT Thursday Night

 Related Articles: Bengals Fall to Arizona | WBB Set to Make Fifth WNIT Appearance
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POCATELLO, Idaho – The Idaho State women's basketball team will make the program's fifth appearance in the Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) this Thursday against Arizona. The Bengals and Wildcats will square off for the second time this season at 7:30 p.m. (MT) in Tucson, Ariz.
 
How To Follow
Details on how to follow the game will be posted on the ISU women's basketball team schedule found at https://isubengals.com/schedule.aspx?path=wbball as they become available.
 
Idaho State WNIT Quick Hits
-The Bengals have earned four WNIT bids prior to this season. ISU bowed out of the tournament in the first round on all four occasions.
-Idaho State has advanced to the WNIT twice under Head Coach Seton Sobolewski. The team also earned a bid to the NCAA Tournament in 2012 under his leadership.
-This will be the first postseason game for each player on Idaho State's roster.
-Idaho State will look to secure its first WNIT win and snap a four-game streak of double-digit losses in the tournament.
-2013: 69-54 loss to BYU
-2008: 77-54 loss to Boise State
-2006: 88-68 loss to Kansas State
-2004: 72-59 loss to Iowa State
 
Scouting Arizona
Overall: 18-13 | Home: 11-5
Arizona enters the matchup at 18-13 overall. The bulk of those wins came in nonconference play where the Wildcats finished 11-2 with three wins against Big Sky Conference teams including Idaho State, Montana and Northern Arizona; the Wildcats finished 7-11 in PAC-12 games. Arizona has played well at home all season with an 11-5 record inside the McKale Center.
 
The Wildcats have prided themselves on being an efficient team this season with top-50 ranks in fewest turnovers (No. 42) and field-goal percentage (No. 42). The team has committed just 13.2 turnovers per game while shooting 43.7 percent from the field.
 
Arizona is led by Aari McDonald who is the third-highest scoring player in women's Division I basketball this season. The redshirt sophomore has averaged 25.0 points per game while adding 6.3 rebounds per contest. She has been solid from the floor with a 45.9 field-goal percentage despite shooting just 28.0 percent from three-point range. McDonald also ranks No. 29 in steals (81) and No. 81 in assists (138).
 
Freshman Cate Reese is second on the team with 11.4 points per game and leads the Wildcats in rebounding with 6.9 boards per game. In her first year, she is shooting 47.7 percent overall and 33.3 percent from behind the arc.
 
Sam Thomas and Dominique McBryde combine for an additional 16.6 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. Both are shooting over 41 percent from the floor and 32 percent from long range.
 
The Wildcats have averaged 68.9 points per game while shooting 43.7 percent from the field. Opponents have scored 62.6 points per game with a collective 38.9 field-goal percentage.
 
Arizona is led by Head Coach Adia Barnes. The Wildcats are 38-53 under her leadership.
 
This is the first postseason appearance for Arizona since the team made the WNIT in 2011. It is the first time Arizona has hosted a postseason game since 2001. That year, the Wildcats beat Pepperdine on their home court.
 
The Matchup On Paper

	Points	Rebounds	Assists	Steals	Blocks	Turnovers
Idaho State	66.2	35.7	16.0	6.7	3.6	15.1
Arizona	68.9	35.2	12.5	8.2	3.8	13.2

 
All-Time Series vs. Arizona
Overall: 0-1 | Streak: L1
Idaho State met Arizona for the first time in program history last November in the Wildcats' season opener. Arizona topped ISU 71-46 inside the McKale Center, where the WNIT matchup will be held.
 
Saylair Grandon was the only ISU player to eclipse 10 points with 17 on the night. She also added a team-high seven rebounds in the return to her home state. Callie Bourne and Madison Hinrichs both had nine points and combined for nine rebounds. Grace Kenyon followed with seven points and six boards.
 
McDonald and Reese led all players in the game with 22 and 21 points respectively. Both Wildcats posted a double-double after collecting 10 rebounds apiece.
 
Idaho State finished below 30 percent from the field for its lowest field-goal percentage of the season. The Bengals also had one of their worst three-point efforts with just one make on 18 attempts. The defense forced 23 turnovers, but Arizona shot 40 percent from the floor and 45 percent from three to claim the win.
 
Idaho State Bengals
Overall: 20-10 | Away: 9-5 
Idaho State's stellar season has been extended with an at-large WNIT bid. After going 20-10 this season, the Bengals found out they would have a second shot at taking down Arizona.
 
This season, Idaho State has averaged 66.2 points per contest while shooting 44.9 percent from the floor. Opponents have managed 58.7 points per game with a collective 36.2 field-goal percentage.
 
The Bengals have five players scoring at least eight points per game, led by Kenyon at 13.8. Kenyon, Grandon and Sai Tapasa are all collecting at least five rebounds per contest as well.
  
Coach Sobolewski is in his 11th season with the program and carries a 191-152 overall record. He has led the team to three postseason tournament appearances: one NCAA tournament berth and two WNIT appearances.

3K Will Play
Idaho State's starting lineup will feature three players with more than 1,000 career points in Kenyon, Grandon and Estefania Ors. Ors was the most recent player to join the club after scoring her 1,000 point against Eastern Washington in the Big Sky Conference Tournament.
 
Records Watch
If Kenyon steps on the court Thursday night, she will log her 124th game played in an ISU jersey, tying Kara Jenkins (2010-14) for the program record.
 
Delaney Moore is chasing the ISU single-season record for field-goal percentage. The sophomore is currently shooting 55.4 percent from the field, placing her just behind Coryna Truitt's 55.9 shooting percentage during the 1987-88 season.
 
ISU in the Top-50 (National Ranks) Entering play this week
As a team, Idaho State ranks:
-No. 37 in assists per game with 16.0
-No. 26 in field-goal percentage at 44.9
-No. 24 in field-goal percentage defense at 36.2
-No. 48 in scoring defense at 58.7
-No. 19 in three-point field goal percentage at 37.0
-Estefania Ors ranks No. 23 in three-point field-goal percentage at 41.8 percent.
 
Triple Threat
Kenyon, Grandon and Ors received Big Sky All-Conference recognition for their efforts this season. It was the second time Kenyon and Grandon's names had appeared on an all-conference team. It was the third time in as many seasons Ors has been recognized by the conference. Kenyon made first team, Grandon made second team and Ors was named honorable mention.
  
Seeing 20-20
Idaho State's victory over Idaho was the program's 20th of the season, marking the first time in ISU history the Bengals have posted back-to-back 20-win seasons. It also gave ISU eight conference wins on the road, matching the program record set during the 2000-01 championship season.
 
A season with 20-plus wins is not a new feat for the program. Idaho State has won at least 20 games in six seasons since the turn of the century with three since Sobolewski took over as head coach.
 
Hot Shooting
No player on ISU's roster has a field-goal percentage below 35.0 percent this season. If a minimum of 100 shot attempts is used to narrow the results, the lowest field goal percentage is a respectable 37.6 percent. No other player with more than 100 attempts is shooting below 41.0 percent this season.
 
Like A Well-Oiled Machine
Idaho State has been one of the most efficient teams in the nation this season. The Bengals rank No. 26 in field-goal percentage and No. 24 in field-goal percentage defense entering play this week. Idaho State also has the 48th-best scoring defense in the nation with only 58.7 points allowed per game.
 
Doing It All
Kenyon has been dominant for Idaho State in her final season. The redshirt senior leads Idaho State in points (13.8) and rebounds (7.0) per game. She also tops the standings in blocks and steals with 30 and 42 respectively.
 
Ors is scoring 12.8 points per game and leads the team with a 41.8 percent conversion rate from behind the arc. Grandon is also in double figures with 12.2 points and 5.4 rebounds per game and has a team-high 102 assists.
   
Speed Limit, 60
The Bengal defense has allowed less than 60 points to an opponent on 16 occasions this season with a perfect 16-0 record in those games. ISU has allowed between 60-69 points eight times with a 4-4 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 19 times with a 17-2 record. ISU is 3-8 when an opponent shoots at least 40 percent from the floor.  
 
In The Record Books (Idaho State Top-10)
Kenyon has made several leaps into the record books. She currently ranks: tenth in steals; eighth in blocks; seventh in free throws made and double-doubles; fifth in points; fourth in assists and field goals made; third in rebounds; second in games played and is tied for first in triple-doubles.
 
Ors holds the No. 4 spot in three pointers made with 146 and is the most accurate 3-point shooter in ISU history. Meanwhile, Grandon ranks eighth in three-point field goals made and eighth in 3-point field goal percentage at 38.3 percent. She also recently climbed into the top-10 for games played with 114.
 
Tapasa currently resides in the top-10 for career field goal percentage. She is currently shooting 46.1 percent.
  
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 UI was its eighth on the road in conference play, matching the program's highest total set in 2000-01.
 
Home Sweet Home
Idaho State's win against Weber State on Feb. 23 was the Bengals' 100th home win since the start of 2009-10 season. The Bengals are 100-31 in Reed Gym since that season. Their 76.3 winning percentage is the best in the Big Sky during that same stretch.
 
Fantastic Four
The Bengals have won 78 contests the past four seasons, marking the best four-year stretch in program history. The previous record was 75 wins from 2009-10 to 2012-13.