Bengals Travel to Ogden for Rematch with Wildcats

POCATELLO, Idaho- The Idaho State men's basketball team takes their talents down the I-15 from Pocatello, Idaho to Ogden, Utah, taking on the Weber State Wildcats for the second time this season. The Bengals will look to avenge their loss to the Wildcats from earlier this year.

The game will be streamed on ESPN+, you can listen along live with Scott Gross on KISU, or you can follow along with LiveStats.

Weber State University (9-15) (3-7)
Home (4-7), Away (3-8), Neutral (2-0)
ISU Recent Series vs. WSU
1/11/2025     H         L          77-69
2/24/2024     H         W         80-62
1/27/2024     A         W         74-64
2/4/2023        H         L          72-71 (2OT)
1/7/2023        A         W         67-57
 
Idaho State is 56-86 All-Time vs. Weber State and 14-52 when playing on the road, however, Ryan Looney is 3-0 All-Time when coaching inside Dee Events Center. WSU defeated the Bengals last time out on Jan. 15^th, 77-69.
 
Weber State brings in a 9-15 overall record on the season and 2-6 in conference play, with wins over Bowling Green, Pepperdine, and Northern Arizona.
 
Weber State is lead in scoring by Blaise Threatt (18.4), Miguel Tomley (11.2), and Dyson Koehler (10.1). Blaise Threatt also leads the team in rebounding, averaging 5.7 boards per game, followed by Nigel Burris (5.2) & Dyson Koehler (5).
 
Northern Colorado Recap
The Bengals would bet out to an early eight-point lead, 14-6, following a Dylan Darling layup just five minutes in the ballgame. Idaho State and Northern Colorado would play each other closely the rest of the half, but with less than a second on the clock, Dylan Darling would draw the and-1 foul and put the Bengals up five heading into the halftime break, 41-36.
 
In the second half the Bengals immediately grew their lead to eight points again, 46-38, however it would be short lived as ISU would struggle to find the bottom of the net, missing their next nine shot attempts in a row, and letting the Bears go on a 21-2 run. Idaho State would now find themselves trailing by nine, 48-57, with 13:43 to play. Idaho State managed to cut the UNC lead down to four, 59-63, following a Jackson Greene tip in layup with 7:56 to play, however, the Bears would go on a 15-3 run over the next 3 minutes to put the game out of reach, now leading 78-62 with 4:10 left to play. Once the final horn sounded, Idaho State would end up losing to the Northern Colorado Bears by a final score of 72-86.
 
Idaho State will fall to 10-11 overall, and 5-5 in Big Sky play. Northern Colorado will move to 17-6 overall & 9-1 in Big Sky Conference play.
 
Jake O'Neil led the game in scoring, tying his career high with 21 points on 7-16 shooting from the field, 10 rebounds, and two assists, tallying his 12th double-double on the season (Top-10 in the nation). Dylan Darling put up 20 points on 6-15 shooting from the floor, four rebounds, four assists, and two steals. Isaiah Griffin would total six points on 2-6 shooting from beyond the arc, and Connor Hollenbeck was held to five points on 1-3 shooting from the floor, while also adding two rebounds, and two assists. The final Bengal to start tonight was big man Evan Otten. Otten put up eight rebounds, three blocks, and two points.
 
AJ Burgin came in off the bench and stayed scorching hot from deep, finishing with 12 points on 4-7 shooting from three-point range, two rebounds, one assist, and one steal in 16 minutes of play. Jackson Greene would play 19 minutes off the bench for ISU, ending his night with four points, two rebounds, two blocks, and one steal. Blake Daberkow would be the final Bengal to get into the scoring column in this one, totaling two points to go along with two assists, one rebounds, one block, and one steal in seven minutes played.
 
The Bengals finished the game shooting 37.5 percent from the field, and 38.9% from deep, finishing 7-18 from three-point land. Idaho State ended the game with 30 rebounds, 11 assists, and 5 steals.
 
Northern Colorado finished the game shooting 61.1 percent from the field and 50 percent from three-point territory, going 10-20. The Bears would finish with 14 assists, 37 boards, and 4 steals.

The Returning 4
4          Jaedyn Brown           G         R-Fr.   6-4      185     Pullman, WA
12        Isaiah Griffin             F          Sr.       6-6      210     Knightdale, NC
13        AJ Burgin                   G         Sr.       6-3      205     San Diego, Calif.
30        Evan Otten                C         R-Fr.   6-11    235     Redmond, OR                       
 
Hello My Name Is
0          Joey Madimba          G         Jr.       6-5      205     Mansfield, TX          
1          Dylan Darling            G         R-So.  6-1      180     Spokane, WA            
2          Nick Ghetie               G         Fr.       5-11    175     Portland, OR 
3          Quentin Meza           G         So.      6-0      180     West Valley City, UT
5          Cheikh Sow               G         Jr.       6-7      195     Theis, Senegal                     
8          Jake O'Neil                G         Gr.       6-4      210     Fruitland, ID             
10        Connor Hollenbeck  F          Gr.       6-7      225     Rapid City, SD
14        Covy Kelly                 G         Jr.       6-2      182     Garden Valley, ID
21        Jackson Greene       F          Jr.       6-7      215     Atlanta, GA               
24        Justin Graham         F          Sr.       6-7      200     Colorado Springs, CO
32        Blake Daberkow       C         Jr.       6-10    235     Lincoln, NE 


 
Bengal Bites

• The Bengals rank 1^st in the Big Sky in:
  • Free Throw Attempts Per Game (20.7) & Free Throw's Made Per Game (15.2)
  • Rebound Margin (+9.8) (7^th in NCAA) & Offensive Rebounds Per Game (14.52) (7^th in NCAA)
  • Blocks Per Game (5.1) (18^th in the NCAA)
• Idaho State ranks 2^nd in Rebounds Per Game (38.95) (40^th in the Country)
• The Bengals are 2^nd in the Big Sky in Scoring Defense, holding opposing teams to just 69.3 PPG
• Jake O'Neil recorded his 12^th double-double of the season (21 points & 10 rebounds) in Idaho State's Feb. 3^rd loss vs. Northern Colorado (2^nd in the Big Sky & 7^th in the NCAA in Double-Doubles)
• Jake O'Neil has been a beast on the glass this season, ranking:
  • 1^st in the Big Sky and 7^th in the Country in Offensive Rebounds Per Game (3.95)
  • 2^nd in the Big Sky and 11^th in the Country in Rebounds Per Game (10.4)
  • 2^nd the Big Sky and is 16^th in the Country in Total Rebounds (219)
• Evan Otten ranks 5^th in the Big Sky in Offensive Rebounds Per Game (2.3) and 6^th in Rebounds Per Game (6.1)
• Evan Otten leads the Big Sky in Blocks and Blocks per Game, Otten ranks 11^th in the entire Country in Total Blocks (52) and is 11^th in the Country in Blocks per Game (2.48)
• The Bengals have 3 players inside the Top-20 in the Big Sky in Points Per Game
• Dylan Darling – 3^rd (17.6), Jake O'Neil – 13^th (13.2), Isaiah Griffin – 18^th (11.5)
• Dylan Darling is 3^rd in the Big Sky in Assists (111) and 2^nd in the BSC and 26^th in the Nation in Assists per Game (5.8)
• Dylan Darling leads the Big Sky and 54^th in the NCAA in Assist to Turnover Ratio (2.52)
• In Conference play, Dylan Darling leads the Big Sky in Scoring (21.5 PPG) and is 2^nd in Assists (6)
• In conference play, Dylan Darling is T-2^nd in Steals (1.5) & Jake O'Neil in T-4^th (1.4)
• Evan Otten now ranks 5th All-Time in a Single Season in Blocks at Idaho State (52), needing just 6 more to pass Bengal great, Steve Hayes (57) for 4th 
• Head Coach, Ryan Looney, sits at 393 career wins, needing just 7 more to reach #400

 
Looking Ahead
Following Idaho State's game in Ogden against the Wildcats, they will travel to the Montana's for Valentine's Day weekend dates with the Griz on Thursday, Feb. 13^th at 7 P.M. & with the Bobcats on Saturday, Feb. 15^th at 6 P.M.
 
Follow the Bengals
Follow along at ISUBengals.com to keep up to date with the team. Fans can also follow the Bengals on social media  (Twitter: @IdahoStateMBB | Instagram:@Idahostatembb | Facebook:@IdahoStateMensBasketball)