Game Notes
POCATELLO, Idaho – With the Big Sky Conference Tournament less than a week away, the Bengals head north to wrap up the regular season. Idaho State faces Eastern Washington at 7 p.m. Thursday before playing Idaho in a Battle of the Domes matchup at 3 p.m. Saturday afternoon.
How To Follow
Both games will be shown on
Watch Big Sky TV. Thursday's game will also be streamed on
Pluto TV channel 234.
Mark Liptak will have the call for each game on KISU 91.1 FM and
Stretch Internet. Pregame commentary will begin 20 minutes before the tip. Live stats will also be
available here.
Scouting Eastern Washington
Overall: 10-17 | BSC: 9-9 | Home: 4-8 | Away: 6-7 | Neutral: 0-2 | Streak: L1
Eastern Washington is a team peaking at the right time. After starting conference play 4-7, the Eagles have gone 5-2 in their last seven games. That includes a road win over Northern Colorado and a one-point loss to Idaho.
However, EWU has not done well on its home court. Six of EWU's nine conference wins have come on the road. The Eagles are just 3-5 in Cheney, Wash. during conference play, and had just one home win in nonconference play.
Eastern Washington has the third-most blocked shots in the Big Sky with 102 on the season. EWU has also kept itself in games with strong shooting from long range. The Eagles are 26th in the nation for three-point field goals made per game with 8.4 on average.
Eastern Washington's offense is led by one of the top-five scorers in the league, Violet Kapri Morrow. The senior has leveraged her 44.2 field goal percentage to tally 18.7 points per game. She also leads the team with 6.3 rebounds per game and 35 steals.
Grace Kirscher is the only other Eagle averaging more than 10 points per game with 10.6 per contest. She is also shooting over 40 percent from the field and ranks second on the team with 32 steals.
Meanwhile, Bella Cravens has been a disrupting force for opposing offenses. She ranks third among her Big Sky peers with 1.59 blocks per game and has secured 4.2 boards per game.
Eastern Washington is scoring 63.1 points per game while shooting 38.6 percent from the field. Opponents have shot 43.5 percent against EWU and scored 69.8 points per game.
The Eagles are led by longtime Head Coach Wendy Schuller who is entering her 18th year at the helm of the program. Schuller carries a 264-276 overall record with Eastern Washington.
Team Averages
|
Points |
Rebounds |
Assists |
Steals |
Blocks |
Turnovers |
| ISU Overall |
65.7 |
35.5 |
15.5 |
6.5 |
3.6 |
15.1 |
| EWU Overall |
63.1 |
34.1 |
12.7 |
7.1 |
3.8 |
17.2 |
| ISU Big Sky |
66.7 |
36.6 |
15.6 |
6.9 |
4.1 |
14.2 |
| EWU Big Sky |
67.4 |
34.5 |
13.5 |
6.9 |
4.1 |
15.9 |
All-Time Series
Overall: 37-41 | Home: 22-15 | Away: 12-25 | Neutral: 2-2 | Streak: ISU W1
Last Meeting: ISU won 63-48 in Pocatello
Eastern Washington holds a four-game edge in the all-time series and has held the upper hand in the matchup since the 2012-13 season. Since that year, Eastern Washington has twice as many wins in the series as Idaho State. The Eagles have also won five of the last seven meetings.
However, Idaho State earned a commanding win over EWU in the first contest this season. The Bengals trounced the Eagles 63-48 on New Year's Eve inside Reed Gym.
Grace Kenyon led ISU with 19 points and five rebounds.
Saylair Grandon and
Estefania Ors also reached double figures, combining for 21 points and nine rebounds. EWU's Morrow led all players with 21 points.
Idaho State Bengals
Overall: 18-9 | BSC: 13-5 | Home: 10-3 | Away: 7-5 | Neutral: 1-1 | Streak: L1
The Bengals have not lost back-to-back games since November and will look to bounce back against the Eagles. Idaho State lost its only matchup 61-59 against Northern Colorado last week.
Idaho State led for 33 minutes in the loss before allowing Northern Colorado to sweep in for the win in the fourth quarter. Kenyon led the team with 19 points and added seven rebounds. Ors followed with 15 points and seven rebounds. Grandon also finished strong with 12 points and five rebounds, and
Sai Tapasa led ISU on the boards with 10 rebounds. UNC's Savannah Smith brought the Bears back with a 33-point effort.
In conference play, Idaho State is shooting 45.2 percent from the floor, 38.1 percent from three and 64.2 percent from the free-throw line. Opponents have shot 33.5 percent against the Bengals while averaging 55.8 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 189-151 overall record. He has led the team to two postseason tournament appearances: one NCAA tournament berth and one WNIT tournament appearance.
What to Watch For
Kenyon became the 18th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points on Feb. 28, 2018. Grandon followed in her footsteps with 19 points against Weber State on Feb. 23. Now Ors, though only a junior, is just 34 points away from giving the Bengals three 1,000-point scorers.
Delaney Moore is one field goal attempt away from making a huge jump in the single season records. The sophomore has gone 57-99 from the field this season, giving her a 57.6 field goal percentage. The single season ISU record (min. 100 attempts) is 55.9 percent, set by Coryna Truitt during the 1987-88 season.
Madison Hinrichs also has a shot at making the list with a 51.2 field goal percentage over 86 attempts.
National Ranks (As of March 4, 2019)
As a team, Idaho State ranks:
-No. 72 in assist to turnover ratio at 1.03 (No. 4 BSC)
-No. 79 in assists with 419 (No. 2 BSC)
-No. 54 in assists per game with 15.5 (No. 2 BSC)
-No. 91 in fewest turnovers with 408 (No. 8 BSC)
-No. 31 in field-goal percentage at 44.6 (No. 1 BSC)
-No. 19 in field-goal percentage defense at 35.8 (No. 2 BSC)
-No. 49 in scoring defense at 58.6 (No. 1 BSC)
-No. 82 in scoring margin at 7.1 (No. 2 BSC)
-No. 27 in three-point field goal percentage at 36.5 (No. 2 BSC)
-No. 84 in win-loss percentage at 66.7 (No. 3 BSC).
Hot Shooting
The lowest field goal percentage of Idaho State's 12 players to appear in Big Sky play is still a respectable 34.5 percent. Ten of ISU's players are shooting over 40 percent, led by Moore at 54.7 percent.
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. Idaho State also has the best scoring defense in the league with only 58.6 points allowed per game.
Doing It All
Kenyon and Grandon lead the team in nearly every statistical category. Kenyon holds the lead in points per game (14.2), rebounds per game (7.1), steals (36) and blocks (27). Grandon is ISU's top player in assists (87) and ranks second in rebounds per game (5.5) and steals (35).
Downtown Sharpshooter
Ors is currently the second-most accurate three-point shooter in Idaho State history. She has a career 42.5 three-point field goal percentage and ranks fifth in school history for three-pointers made with 137.
Dual Threat Down Low
Tapasa is averaging 8.4 points and 5.1 rebounds per game this season. She has been solid from the floor with a 48.3 field goal percentage.
Speed Limit, 60
The Bengal defense has allowed less than 60 points to an opponent on 15 occasions this season with a perfect 15-0 record in those games. ISU has allowed between 60-69 points six times with a 3-3 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 18 times with a 16-2 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:
72 consecutive starts
Scored in 75 consecutive games.
Grandon has:
Recorded at least one made field goal in 31 consecutive games
Scored in 64 consecutive games.
Bourne has an assist in 25 straight games.
Tapasa has:
44 consecutive starts
Secured a rebound in every contest but one this season.
The team has:
Recorded at least one block in 34 straight games
Double-digit assists in 24 of 27 games.
In The Record Books (Idaho State Top-10)
Kenyon has made several leaps into the record books. She currently ranks: eighth in blocks; seventh in free throws made, games played and double-doubles; fifth in points and assists; fourth in rebounds and field goals made and is tied for first in triple-doubles. She also became the eighth player in ISU history to reach 100 career blocks earlier this season.
Ors holds the No. 5 spot in three pointers made with 137 and is the second-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 38.1 percent.
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.
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
With two games remaining in the season, the Bengals have already won 76 games 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.
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.
