Idaho State University’s men’s basketball team will travel to Boise this week to compete in the Holiday Hoops Classic, hosted by the University of Idaho at Idaho Central Arena. The Bengals are scheduled to play Sam Houston State on Wednesday, November 26, and CSUN on Friday, November 28. Both games will begin at 4:30 PM Mountain Time and will be available for viewing on ESPN+ and listening on KISU 91.1 FM.
Head Coach Ryan Looney leads the Bengals into the tournament with a 3–3 record after their recent 89–51 win over Justice University. The team has shown progress defensively and has benefited from strong contributions off the bench as well as balanced scoring during the first six games of the season.
Sam Houston State comes into the event with a 3–2 record. The Bearkats have eight players averaging at least five points per game. Veljko Ilic leads their interior play with averages of 10.8 points and 4.4 rebounds per game while shooting over 65 percent from the field. Freshman Isaiah Manning has added an average of 10.6 points per game and seven three-pointers in five games. Damon Nicholas Jr., Jacobe Coleman, Justin Begg, and Kashie Natt round out a roster known for depth and physicality.
This will be only the second meeting between Idaho State and Sam Houston State; their previous encounter was during the 2002-03 season when Sam Houston State won 65-58.
CSUN enters the Holiday Hoops Classic also holding a 3–3 record. Guard Larry Hughes II leads CSUN with an average of 18 points per game while making more than half his three-point attempts (54.3 percent). Joshua O’Garro contributes both offensively and defensively with averages of 15 points and ten rebounds per game. Josiah Davis adds playmaking abilities with an average of over thirteen points per game and leads his team in assists, while Mahmoud Fofana and Aleks Szymczyk provide support inside.
Historically, Cal State Northridge leads Idaho State in their all-time series nine games to eight, but Idaho State has won four out of their last five matchups against CSUN. This week’s contest marks their first meeting at a neutral site.
Through November 22, Idaho State averages just over seventy-one points per game while allowing opponents just under sixty-nine points per contest. They shoot nearly forty-six percent from the field and hold a rebounding margin advantage over opponents (+8.2). Notable individual performers include Caleb Van De Griend (16.2 PPG), Connor Hollenbeck (13.5 PPG), Martin Kheil (12 PPG), Jamison Guerra (6.7 PPG/4.3 APG), Evan Otten (1.3 BPG), and Cheikh Sow (1.4 SPG).
The Bengals rank first in Big Sky Conference for bench points (37 per game) and fouls committed per game (13.7), among other top-four rankings in several statistical categories nationally and within their conference.
Jamison Guerra is currently ranked twenty-fourth nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio (5.20) and fifth in total assists within Big Sky play, while Caleb Van De Griend ranks thirty-seventh nationally in field goal percentage.
Fans can follow both upcoming games via ESPN+, KISU radio, or live stats on isubengals.com.
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