POCATELLO, Idaho – The Idaho State women's basketball team continues it's 2023-24 campaign this weekend on the road at BYU. The Bengals are in Provo taking on the Cougars with tip-off set for 2:00 PM in the Marriott Center.
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- The Idaho State Bengals have a new roster heading into the 2023-24 season. Of the 14 total Bengals on the squad, seven are new to the program this season.
- Returning for the Bengals is all-conference forward Laura Bello and newcomers to keep an eye on are NJCAA all-American Tasia Jordan and sharpshooter Maria Dias from Lisbon, Portugal.
- This is a young Bengal team, there are no seniors on the squad this season.
- 97 points scored against Park University is the most since Feb. 10, 2022, when the Bengals defeated the Idaho Vandals 103-68 in Reed Gym
- The Bengals had a +30 rebound margin over the Park Buccaneers, outrebounding Park 57-27. The Bengals had 21 offensive boards to Park's 6
- In the Bengal's 70-64 win over UC Santa Barbara, the Bengals and Gauchos had an extremely even contest with 15 ties and 16 lead changes.
- The Bengals shot 90.5 percent from the free throw line against UCSB, the best in a game with 10+ Free throw attempts since 12/30/2021 when the Bengals went 10-for-10 against Montana
- The Bengals have only been out-rebounded once this season, a -5 40-to-35 at Arizona State
- Idaho State went 1-2 at the 2023 Rainbow Wahine Showdown. In their 3rd game, facing Air Force, the Bengals came back from a 29-20 halftime deficit to win the game.
- Maria Dias was named to the Rainbow Wahine Showdown all-tournament team posting 10.3 PPG, 3.7 rebounds per game and shooting 400 from the field.
- The Bengals lead the Big Sky Conference on the glass, holding a +7 rebound margin and averaging 41.14 rebounds per game.
- After the Utah Valley game, Kacey Spink ranks 27th in the nation in offense rebounds per game and 41st in the NCAA in total rebounds per game (9.4)
- After the win over UVU the Bengals are now 14-3 all-time vs the Wolverines.
Quick Look – BYU
- This is the 16th all-time meeting between the Idaho State Bengals and the BYU Cougars. The official series goes back to the teams' first modern meeting on Feb. 22 1975 when the Cougars beat the Bengals 66-42 in Provo. Prior to the addition of women's varsity basketball, the two schools have faced off in multiple contests dating back to the early 1900s.
- BYU leads the all-time series 13-3 with the Bengals' previous win coming in 2000, a 58-56 win in Pocatello.
- This is the first meeting of the two programs since the 2013 season when the Bengals and Cougars met in the postseason at the WNIT tournament. The Cougars came away with the 69-54 win over the Bengals.
- BYU Is 8-2 on the season with losses coming to Wyoming and #12 Utah. The Cougars have picked up wins against Weber State, Utah Valley, Montana State, Wake Forest, Saint Louis, LMU, Utah State and Boise State this season.
- The Cougars' largest margin of victory against a DI opponent this season came against Weber State on November 10. a 28-point, 77-49 win over the Wildcats in Provo
- At home in the Marriott center the Cougars are 5-0 while on the road they are 1-2 and 2-0 at neutral sites.
- #12 Lauren Gustin leads the Cougars offensively averaging 16.8 ppg with 71 FGM on the season
- Three Cougars are scoring double-digit averages with a fourth sitting at 9.7 ppg on the season
- #12 Lauren Gustin leads the nation in rebounds grabbing 15.5 per game.
Next Up
It's time for Big Sky Conference play. The Bengals next hit the court on December 29 taking on the Bobcats of Montana State in Bozeman in the 2023-24 conference opener.
