POCATELLO, Idaho – Idaho State continues its 2025–26 campaign on the road Saturday evening, traveling south to face Grand Canyon at Global Credit Union Arena. Tipoff is set for 6:00 p.m. MT, with live coverage on the Mountain West Network. Mark Liptak will have the call on KISU.org and the KISU Radio Network.
HOW TO FOLLOW
Tipoff: 6:00 p.m. MT
Location: Global Credit Union Arena – Phoenix, Ariz.
Watch: Mountain West Network (https://www.themw.com/watch/)
Listen: KISU.org (https://www.kisu.org/) – Play-by-play with Mark Liptak
Live Stats: StatBroadcast (https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=617512)
TIPPING OFF
Idaho State heads to Phoenix for its first road test of the 2025–26 season, facing Grand Canyon on Saturday evening inside Global Credit Union Arena. The Bengals opened the season with a 99–47 win over Westminster on Tuesday and look to carry that momentum into their first Division I matchup of the year.
The Bengals' 99 points were their most in a season opener since 2021, and they shot 59.3 percent from the field in the win, their best single-game mark since shooting 62.3 percent on March 5, 2021, against Eastern Washington to clinch the Big Sky regular season title.
Tasia Jordan picked up right where she left off last season, leading Idaho State with 26 points on 11-of-13 shooting in the win. Piper Carlson recorded the Bengals' first double-double of the season with 13 points and 11 rebounds, while freshman Maeva Gauffrenet added 16 points and five assists in her debut.
The Bengals return four of their top five scorers from last season's 14–17 campaign, highlighted by Jordan, Carlson, Sophia Covello, and Kacey Spink. ISU closed 2024–25 with wins in six of its final nine contests and ranked among the Big Sky's top defensive teams, holding opponents to 40.0 percent shooting.
Grand Canyon opened its season on the road at No. 1 South Carolina, falling 94–54 in its debut under new head coach Winston Grandy. The Lopes enter their first year as members of the Mountain West Conference, bringing in 14 newcomers and 11 transfers to rebuild a roster that went 32–3 last season and reached the NCAA Tournament.
Saturday's matchup marks Idaho State's first trip to Phoenix since the two programs met during the pandemic-altered 2020–21 season, a 62–54 Bengal victory.
SCOUTING THE LOPES
Grand Canyon begins a new era in 2025–26 under first-year head coach Winston Grandy, joining the Mountain West Conference this past July. The Lopes are coming off a historic 32–3 season that included a perfect 19–0 home record, a Mountain West title, and an NCAA Tournament appearance where they fell to Baylor 70–63 in the first round.
This year's GCU roster looks almost entirely different, featuring 14 newcomers and 11 Division I transfers from programs such as Oklahoma State, Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, Indiana, and Ohio State. Only two players return from last season's 32-win team, headlined by #0 Chloe Mann, the Mountain West's reigning Newcomer of the Year and a Preseason All-Conference selection after averaging double figures and earning national attention.
The Lopes add immediate experience across the board, including #3 Ale'Jah Douglas (formerly of Clemson and Oklahoma State) and #6 Izzy Paea, a versatile forward whose mother played in the WNBA. The roster also features six international players from Mexico, Australia, Rwanda, Spain, and France, including #1 Anisa Jeffries, #8 Inezia, and #33 Zouniz, each of whom represented their countries on youth national teams.
Under Grandy, GCU is expected to shift away from the full-court, high-tempo style of previous seasons, playing through its forwards and centers more often while maintaining an emphasis on defensive rebounding and half-court execution. The Lopes opened the season at No. 1 South Carolina, falling 94–54 against the defending national champions, with Mann scoring 15 points and Douglas adding 16 in the debut.
BY THE NUMBERS
|
Category
|
Idaho State
|
|
Grand Canyon
|
|
Points Per Game
|
99.0
|
PPG
|
54.0
|
|
Field Goal Percentage
|
59.3%
|
FG%
|
27.4%
|
|
Three-Point Percentage
|
62.5%
|
3FG%
|
20.6%
|
|
Free Throw Percentage
|
63.3%
|
FT%
|
70.0%
|
|
Rebounds Per Game
|
35.0
|
|
31.0
|
|
Assists Per Game
|
24.0
|
|
6.0
|
|
Blocks Per Game
|
5.0
|
|
2.0
|
|
Steals Per Game
|
17.0
|
|
7.0
|
|
Scoring Defense (PPG)
|
47.0
|
|
94.0
|
|
Field Goal % Defense
|
32.8%
|
|
52.9%
|
|
Three-Point % Defense
|
26.3%
|
|
40.9%
|
|
Rebound Margin
|
+7.0
|
|
–7.0
|
|
Assist-to-Turnover Ratio
|
4.8
|
|
0.3
|
RECORD WATCH – KACEY SPINK
Senior guard Kacey Spink continues to climb Idaho State's all-time steals leaderboard. With 196 career steals, she is now just seven away from second place and within striking distance of the program record held by Greta Garver (227). A two-time Big Sky All-Defensive Team selection, Spink has averaged more than 60 steals per season during her ISU career.
IDAHO STATE CAREER STEALS LEADERS
1. Greta Garver – 227 (1987–91)
2. Angela Munger – 203 (1996–00)
3. Kacey Spink – 196 (2022–Present)
4. Theresa Mallak – 170 (1995–98)
5. Shelley Hand – 165 (1981–85)
6. Nancy Imhoff – 164 (1985–89)
7. Callie Bourne – 158 (2018–23)
8. Dora Goles – 157 (2017–22)
9. Estefie Ors – 156 (2016–22)
10. Chelsea Pickering – 153 (2007–12)
T11. Lindsey Reed – 152 (2010–14)
Diaba Konate – 152 (2018–22)
12. Ash Vella – 151 (2009–13)
13. Nancy Espeseth – 145 (1980–84)
T14. Stacy Nelson – 142 (1994–97)
Grace Kenyon – 142 (2013–19)
WHAT'S NEXT
Idaho State returns home to Reed Gym on Wednesday, Nov. 12, to host UC Irvine at 7:00 p.m. MT. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+ with radio coverage on KISU 91.1 FM and KISU.org.
