Idaho State University’s women’s basketball team will begin its Big Sky Conference schedule this week, following a non-conference stretch that saw the Bengals post a 7–4 record. The team is set to play Sacramento State on Wednesday, Jan. 1 at 7:30 p.m. Mountain Time and Portland State on Friday, Jan. 3 at 3:00 p.m. Both games will be available for viewing on ESPN+, with radio coverage for the Portland State game provided by KISU.
During non-conference play, Idaho State secured road victories against Grand Canyon, Cal Poly, and Utah Valley, as well as wins over Portland and Omaha. The Bengals also earned home wins against Westminster (UT) and UC Irvine. They enter conference competition on a two-game winning streak.
Idaho State averaged 64.7 points per game in its first 11 contests while holding opponents to an average of 57 points per game. The team has emphasized balanced scoring, rebounding strength, and defensive pressure to control the pace of games.
Head coach Seton Sobolewski commented on the team’s approach: “We’ve focused on playing together and making sure everyone contributes on both ends of the floor.”
Sacramento State comes into Big Sky play with a 6–7 record and Division I wins over Nevada, UC San Diego, Long Beach State, and Cal State Fullerton. The Hornets are averaging 68.2 points per game while allowing opponents just under 60 points per contest. Offensively they are led by Rubi Gray and Natalie Picton; Keanna Salave’a leads in rebounding.
Portland State holds a 4–8 record entering conference action with wins against San Jose State, UMKC, and Seattle U. The Vikings average just over 66 points per game but allow more than 74 to their opponents. Kyleigh Brown leads Portland State in scoring at 18.3 points per game.
For Idaho State, Tasia Jordan is currently leading the team in scoring with an average of 16.2 points per game while shooting nearly 45 percent from the field. Piper Carlson averages more than eight rebounds per contest along with double-digit scoring production; Kacey Spink contributes across multiple categories including steals.
The Bengals have held their opponents to just over 36 percent shooting from the field this season while maintaining a plus-10 rebounding margin—averaging more than forty rebounds each game compared to thirty by their opponents.
In series history between Idaho State and Sacramento State dating back to the late nineties, Idaho State leads with forty-six wins out of fifty-eight matchups overall—including three victories in their last five meetings.
Against Portland State—a rivalry that began in the early eighties—the Bengals hold forty-four wins out of sixty-eight total meetings and have won four of their last six encounters.
Seton Sobolewski said about moving into conference play: “Our focus remains on defense and rebounding as we start league games.”
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