ISU Hosts Montana Thursday with Big Sky Title and Tournament Hosting Rights on the Line :: Bengals wrap up regular season with two at home this week

Feb. 28, 2006

Quickly: Idaho State (15-11, 9-3) hosts Montana (20-5, 9-3) Thursday night in a showdown for the top spot in the Big Sky Conference. The Bengals need two wins this week to secure the league title and rights to host the Big Sky Conference Tournament. Tip-off is set for 7:05 p.m. A Montana win over ISU on Thursday night would give the Lady Griz rights to host the tournament.

Special Ticket Promotion: The Idaho State University athletic department is sponsoring a special "Combo Pack" ticket deal for this week's women's basketball games against Montana and Montana State. A pair of wins this week over the Lady Griz and Bobcats would help the Bengals clinch the Big Sky Conference regular season championship and the rights to host the upcoming Big Sky Conference Tournament (March 9-11). For $10 Bengal fans will receive a ticket to both the Montana game on March 2 and the Montana State game on March 4. Besides tickets to both games, the $10 promotion also includes free popcorn for each game as well. Tickets will be available at the Reed Gym ticket office during the ISU men's game against Eastern Washington on Feb. 27. Tickets will also be available at the Holt Arena ticket office.

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Idaho State: With just two games remaining in regular season play, Idaho State moved into a tie with Montana for first place in the Big Sky standings after defeating Weber State 84-66 last week. Last Thursday's win helped the Bengals clinch no lower than a third seed at the upcoming Big Sky Conference Tournament, and put them in the driver's seat with two games at home this week to win the Big Sky Conference title and the rights to host the Big Sky Tournament. The win over Weber State last week marks the first time ISU has swept the Wildcats since the 2000-01 season---the same year the team won the Big Sky Tournament title and made its first-ever trip to the NCAA tournament. Idaho State has now won five straight, including seven of its last eight. The team features the Big Sky's two leading scorers in Andrea Lightfoot (18.4 ppg.) and Natalie Doma (17.8 ppg.). The Bengals also have two of the top three rebounders in the league in Doma (8.2 rpg.) and Joanna Hixon (8.2 rpg.). ISU is one of the top scoring teams in the nation, averaging 78.0 points a game. The Bengals are also one of the top three-point shooting teams in the country, averaging 7.8 threes a game.

Montana: The Lady Griz have won six straight games and now hold a 20-5 overall record. The team is tied with Idaho State for first place in the Big Sky at 9-3. Montana can clinch hosting rights for the 2006 Big Sky tournament and at least a share of the Big Sky regular season title with a win over the Bengals on Thursday night. UM took down both Eastern Washington (79-54) and Portland State (89-77) at home last week. The team wraps up regular season play on the road this week at Idaho State on Thursday and at Weber State on Saturday. Montana has won two straight Big Sky titles and has now reached the 20-win plateau for the 24th time in the past 28 years. Mandy Morales leads the Lady Griz in scoring (15.6 ppg.), assists (85), and steals (46). Senior guard Katie Edwards ranks second on the team in scoring at 14.7. Edwards, UM's all-time leading 3-point field goal leader, fronts the team with 46 made threes this season.

ISU - Montana Series Information: Idaho State and Montana meet for the 55th time Thursday night. Montana holds an all-time 51-4 advantage over the Bengals, including 11 straight. ISU got three of its four wins over UM during the 2000-01 season. The only other win over the Lady Griz was a victory during the 1980-81 season.

Last Time vs. Montana: Montana matched a single-game high with points scored in a 105-55 win over Idaho State Feb. 4 at Dahlberg Arena in Missoula. The game marks just the sixth time in Idaho State's history that it has lost a game by a margin of 50 or more points. Andrea Lightfoot fronted the Bengals with 20 points on 8-of-15 shooting. Natalie Doma helped with 16 points and a career-high 16 rebounds. Trailing by just two points, 13-11 with 15:53 remaining, UM went on an commanding 32-2 run over the next 11:03 to go up by 32, 45-13, with 4:50 to play in the first half. The Lady Griz took 54-25 halftime lead, and then continued to build on that in the second half. Montana recorded a single-game record 16 three-point field goals on 24 attempts. Mandy Morales led Montana with a game-high 24 points. She also knocked down a team-high six threes. Idaho State shot 31.3 percent from the field compared to UM's 52.7 percent. The Bengals knocked down 7-of-22 threes and hit 66.7 percent of its free throws.

Idaho State Defeats Weber State 84-66: Andrea Lightfoot scored a game-high 29 points and Jeni Boesel added 19 as Idaho State defeated Weber State 84-66 Thursday night at Reed Gym. With the win, ISU (15-11, 9-3) moves a half game ahead of Northern Arizona (18-8, 8-3) for first place in the Big Sky Conference standings. The Bengals improve to 15-11 overall, 9-3 in Big Sky play, while Weber State falls to 12-13 overall, 6-6 in league play. The win is the fifth straight for the Bengals. Tied 56-56 with 7:46 to play, Lightfoot connected on a shot from beyond the arc, sparking a 20-6 Bengal run. The run gave ISU a 76-62 lead with under two minutes to play. Lightfoot and Boesel combined for five three-point field goals and 17 points during the stretch. Lightfoot collected her 29 points on 10-of-18 shooting from the field, including a 4-of-9 clip from beyond the arc. She was also a perfect 5-of-5 from the free throw line. The sophomore guard also collected four rebounds and three assists in 40 minutes of play. Boesel connected on 5-of-10 shots from the field for her 19 points, just one point shy of her career-high. She also notched three shots from long range, and was a perfect 6-of-6 from the charity stripe. Natalie Doma netted a quiet 18 points on 6-of-14 shooting from the field. She also connected on a perfect 5-of-5 shots at the free throw line. The sophomore guard, who was double and triple teamed for most of the game, was just one rebound shy of a double-double with nine. Doma also notched four steals and two blocks on the night. Joanna Hixon scored 12 points and was just one rebound shy of a double-double. Hixon collected four assists, two blocks, and two steals. Danica Boyce rounded out the scoring for ISU with six points. Idaho State shot nearly 47 percent from the field, including a 34.6 percent clip from long range (9-of-26). The Wildcats shot 39 percent from the field and connected on 35.7 percent of their threes (5-of-14). Laura Porter led Weber State with a team-high 17 points. Chelsey Warburton was the only other Wildcat in double figures with 13 points.

Wake-Up Call: Since the 105-55 loss at Montana on Feb. 4, Idaho State has rattled off five straight wins.The loss at Montana earlier this season was the sixth-worst loss in team history. The last time ISU had given up 105 or more points was when the team allowed Ohio State to score 119 during the 1994-95 season. However, since that game, Idaho State has given up an average of 66.0 points a game. The Bengals also recently held a team to 60 points or under for just the second team this season when ISU held Sacramento State to 60 on Feb. 11. Since the loss at Montana, Idaho State has held opponents to 37 percent shooting from the field and just 29 percent from beyond the arc. In its last five games Idaho State has out-scored opponents by an average of 13.4 points.

Lightfoot Gets Third Big Sky Player of the Week Award: Andrea Lightfoot has been named the Big Sky Conference Women's Player of the Week after leading the Bengals to an 84-66 win over Weber State last Thursday, helping the team to a share of first place in league standings. The award marks the third time Lightfoot has received the award this season. Lightfoot becomes just the third Idaho State women's basketball player to receive the weekly honor three times in a single season. Prior to Lightfoot, Mandi Carver was awarded the weekly honor three times during the 2000-01 season. Holly Togiai did it during the 1997-98 season, and Mandi Ortega received the honor three times during the 1996-97 campaign. Lightfoot scored a game-high 29 points in the win over Weber State last week, her second-best effort of the season. The sophomore guard connected on 10-of-18 shots from the field, including a 4-of-9 clip from beyond the arc. The Omaha, Neb., native was a perfect 5-of-5 from the charity stripe and also collected four rebounds and three assists, helping to keep ISU in the hunt for a Big Sky title. In a stretch of just 5:48 and tied at 56 against WSU last in the second half, Lightfoot connected on three shots from long range, scored 11 points, went 2-of-2 from the free throw line, and collected three assists and a rebound. The award also marks the fifth time this season that an ISU player has received the Big Sky Player of the Week honor. It also marks just the second time that Idaho State has received five Big Sky Conference POW's in a single season. The last time ISU was given five POW's was during the 2000-01 season.

And Down the Stretch they Come!: A lot of unanswered questions will come to light this week as Big Sky regular season play heads into its final week. It has become very simple for Idaho State. With two wins this week at home over Montana and Montana State, Idaho State would stand alone as the Big Sky's regular season champion and would host the Big Sky Conference Tournament March 9-11. However, if Idaho State falls to Montana, the tournament would then be hosted by Montana. If ISU defeats Montana and then falls to Montana State, the tournament would either be held at Idaho State, Montana or Northern Arizona, depending on how other teams in the league finish. For a complete breakdown of possible scenarios, see the Big Sky Conference's weekly release.

Vs. Montana in Big Games: The most important games in Idaho State history have been played against the Lady Griz. Probably the most poignant game was the Big Sky Tournament championship win over Montana during the 2000-01 season. The Bengals also met up with Montana in the Big Sky Tournament championship game in 2004 with UM edging ISU 66-62. The Bengals last "Big Game" against the Lady Griz was a matchup against the team in the semifinals of last year's Big Sky Conference Tournament in Missoula when UM defeated ISU 78-67.

Doma Receives Another Big Sky Player of the Week Honor: Natalie Doma was named the Big Sky Conference Women's Player of the Week after leading the Bengals to a pair of road wins at Portland State and Eastern Washington over the week of Feb. 19-25, helping the team to a share of first place in the Big Sky standings. The honor marks the second time this season that Doma has received the award. Over the two games, Doma averaged 22 points, 14 rebounds, 1.5 blocks, and 2 steals. On the week, the sophomore center connected on nearly 40 percent of her shots from the field, 75 percent from beyond the arc, and 76 percent from the charity stripe. Doma, who sat most of the first half with foul trouble against Portland State, finished with 16 points and 21 rebounds in just 26 minutes of play. The 21-rebound effort is a career high for Doma, and is just five shy of the all-time ISU single-game record of 26, set by former Bengal Charly Bond during the 1977 season. Doma went 1-of-1 from downtown and 7-of-10 from the free throw line, while also blocking one shot and adding two steals against the Vikings. Against Eastern Washington, Doma paced the Bengals with 22 points on 7-of-18 shooting, including a 2-of-3 mark from long range. She also connected on 6-of-7 shots from the free throw line and collected seven rebounds, two assists, two blocks, and a steal.

Despite Injuries, Idaho State Continues to Roll: Despite three injuries to three different players this season, Idaho State has endured and now sits in a tie with Montana for the top spot in the Big Sky Conference. After playing the season opener against Boise State, Danica Boyce went down with a knee injury the next day in practice. The injury required surgery, and Boyce sat out the next 11 games to recover. Chelsey Chambers tore a ligament in her knee against South Dakota State on Jan. 2, and has played just six minutes since sustaining the injury. Jenna Brown also tore a ligament in her knee on Feb. 9 against Northern Arizona, and is out for the remainder of the season.

Team Manager Called to Action, Again: Idaho State team manager Dana Beechie lived a dream last season, suiting up to play for the Bengals due to numerous ISU injuries last year. Well, it's happened again, and Beechie will be dawning the Orange and Black for a second straight season after a torn ligament ended the season of Jenna Brown. However, after suiting up as number three last year, Beechie will now wear number 12.

Bengals on the Prowl for Big Sky Title: With five straight wins, Idaho State has positioned itself into a tie with Montana for first place in the Big Sky. ISU and UM are tied at 9-3 followed by Northern Arizona in third place at 8-4. Weber State is fourth (6-6), Eastern Washington (5-7) and Portland State (5-6) are tied for fifth, Sacramento State (4-8) is seventh, and Montana State (2-19) ranks eighth. The winner of the regular season will host the Big Sky Tournament, which takes the top six teams from the league. ISU will wrap up league play with two at home this week. In order to win the regular season title and host the Big Sky Tournament, Idaho State needs to win both games this week.

Making Her Mark on the Arc: With 56 made three-point field goals on the season, Andrea Lightfoot has put herself in the third spot on the all-time Idaho State single season mark for made threes. Jeni Boesel's 46 threes this season ranks her sixth all-time on the single season charts at ISU.

Lightfoot Receives Second Big Sky Player of the Week Nod for Week of Feb. 5-11: Idaho State's Andrea Lightfoot was named the Big Sky Conference's Women's Basketball Player of the Week after leading the Bengals to a 2-0 record Feb. 5-11. The honor marks the second time this season that Lightfoot has received the award. In an 84-71 win over league-leading Northern Arizona, Lightfoot put up 23 points on 6-of-14 shooting, including a perfect 2-of-2 clip from beyond the arc, and a perfect 9-of-9 mark from the free throw line. The Nebraska native also collected four steals and an assist in the win. Against Sacramento State, the sophomore guard scored a game-high 17 points on 6-of-18 shooting and tallied a career-high 12 rebounds to record her first career double-double. Lightfoot connected on two trey's and all three of her free throws against the Hornets, and now has a streak of 16-straight free throws. For the week, Lightfoot averaged 20 points, 8.5 rebounds, three steals, two assists, and two threes per game, while shooting 37.5 percent from the field and 66.7 percent from long range. Lightfoot and the rest of the Bengals continue play this week at Portland State and Eastern Washington. ISU returns home to host Weber State on Feb. 23.

Newlee Gets Win Number 50: Idaho State head coach Jon Newlee picked up his 50th win as a head coach on Feb. 9. Newlee, now in his fourth year with Idaho State, holds a 54-56 (.490) overall record. He is .537 in conference play with a 29-25 record. Newlee currently ranks fourth all-time in overall wins at Idaho State.

The Return of Chambers: Chelsey Chambers returned to the Bengal line-up for the first time in over a month. Chambers, who suffered a torn ligament in her knee on Jan. 2 against South Dakota State, came into the Feb. 9 game against Northern Arizona and recorded a rebound and an assist in six minutes of play. Chambers entered the game to a standing ovation from the Reed Gym crowd. She entered the game in the second half with 14 minutes remaining in the game and ISU trailing by a score of 45-46. With Chambers in the game, ISU outscored NAU 16-9 to take a 62-54 lead by the time she left the game.

One, Two, Punch: Andrea Lightfoot and Natalie Doma are combining for an average of 36.2 points a game this season. Lightfoot's 18.4 points per game average currently ranks as the top point average ever in a single season at ISU. Doma's 17.8 points per game average ranks second, just behind Lightfoot. In Big Sky play, the two are combining for 39.2 points a game.

Big Sky Road Warriors: Idaho State wrapped up road play with a 5-2 conference mark, surpassing last year's 3-4 Big Sky road mark. The Bengals finished road play with a 5-5 overall road mark. ISU's only two Big Sky road losses this season were a 74-64 loss to league-leader Northern Arizona and a 105-55 loss at Montana.

Doma Matches Career High with 31 Points against Montana State and Grabs a Career-High 21 Rebounds against Portland State: Natalie Doma matched a career high with 31 points against Montana State on Feb. 2. She also set a career high with 21 rebounds against Portland State on Feb. 16. The sophomore center last put up 31 points against Eastern Washington at last year's Big Sky Tournament quarterfinal matchup. Doma has been impressive in conference play, averaging 21.1 points and 10.4 rebounds a game. She has scored 20 or more points in six of her last eight games.

Doma Garners Big Sky Player of the Week Honors for the Week of Jan. 30: Natalie Doma was named the Big Sky Conference Women's Basketball Co-Player of the Week after leading Idaho State to an 82-81 overtime victory over cross-state rival Weber State on Jan. 26. The award marks the first Big Sky Player of the Week honor for Doma. It also marks the second such honor that ISU has received this season as Andrea Lightfoot received the award earlier in the season. Doma helped ISU to its first win in Ogden since the 2001 season, connecting on 12-of-19 shots from the field for a 63.2 clip, and hit 5-of-7 free throws in 45 minutes of play. The sophomore center was just one rebound shy of a double-double, and also collected two assists in the win.

LIGHTing it Up in the Clutch: Andrea Lightfoot has become ISU's go-to player in the clutch. The sophomore guard hit a shot from beyond the arc with 45 second remaining in overtime to put Idaho State up by three points against Weber State on Jan. 26. The shot proved to be the game-winner. In the last two minutes of games, Lightfoot leads ISU averaging 2.0 points a game. She has connected on 13-of-26 shots from the field, including a 8-of-15 mark from long range in the final two minutes of games this year. In the final two minutes, she is a perfect 19-of-19 from the charity stripe. As a team, ISU has connected on 35.8 percent of its shots from the field and 78.6 (77-98) percent from the free throw line over the last two minutes of games.

Playing Overtime: For the first time in school history, Idaho State has gone to overtime in three games in a single season. The Bengals opened the season with a double-overtime 91-89 loss to Boise State. ISU then won a 99-89 overtime decision over Idaho on Dec. 10. The team went to a third overtime this season in Ogden, defeating Weber State 82-81.

Big Crowds: In seven games this season Idaho State has played in front of more than 1,000 people. Three of those games were played at Reed Gym, where ISU got 1,042 fans for the Eastern Washington game and a season-best 1,212 fans for the Portland State game, and recently 1,076 for the Weber State game. The Bengals average 830 fans a game at home this season, up from 617 a game last season.

Fountain of Youth: Idaho State's line-up features five freshmen, two sophomores, two juniors, and one two seniors. ISU's lone senior with experience (Chelsey Chambers) averages 12.8 points per game, but has been sidelined with a torn ligament in her knee. Juniors currently account for an average of 20.1 points a game, sophomores 36.2, and freshmen 6.2. Freshman Jenna Brown averaged 4.2 points a game before her season came to an end with a knee injury.

Bombs Away!: ISU is quickly approaching a plethora of three-point field goal records. The Bengals, who already have made 203 three-point field goals a game are now just 16 threes short of the ISU all-time single season record. With 572 attempts from beyond the arc, the Bengals are now 55 attempts shy of the single season all-time mark. Andrea Lightfoot has jumped into the single season record books with 56 threes this season. She now ranks 3rd all-time on the single season chart.

Double Your Pleasure: Natalie Doma and Joanna Hixon have combined for 12 double-doubles this season. Doma is tied with Kelsey Kahle of Portland State for a Big Sky best seven double-doubles, while Joanna Hixon is tied for second in the league with five. As a team, Idaho State has 17 individual double-double efforts this season, the best mark in the Big Sky.

Charitable Acts: Andrea Lightfoot has connected on 96-113 free throws this season. She has hit 41-of-44 free throws in her last eight games. Lightfoot connected on a season-best 17 straight free throws until recording a miss against Portland State on Feb. 16. The Bengals connected on a perfect 11-of-11 shots from the line against Montana-Western, a mark which carried over into the Wyoming game as the Bengals had a streak of 17 straight made free throws. As it stand, Lightfoot has connected on 12 straight.

Did You Know: Idaho State is a perfect 4-0 this season when the team scores 90 or more points. On the flip side, ISU is 0-5 when scoring under 69 points. The team is 11-2 when scoring 80 or more points.

Record Watch: Idaho State will come close to breaking the single-season all-time total points record. ISU needs to average 92.5 points a game throughout the rest of the regular season in order to break the record at the completion of the regular season slate. If the team plays at least one post season game, ISU would need to average just 61.6 points a game throughout the end of the season. The current single-season all-time points record is 2,212 points, collected during the 1980-81 season. Andrea Lightfoot and Natalie Doma are on track to break her way into the single-season record books. Lightfoot's 18.4 points per game average ranks first all-time in a single season at ISU. Her current free throw percentage of 85.0 currently ranks second all-time on the single season charts.

It's Raining Threes: The Bengals picked right up where they left off last season from beyond the arc. ISU launched 32 three-point field goal attempts, connecting on 11 against Boise State to open the season. The 32 attempts was just seven shy of 39, which is the all-time ISU single game three-point field goal attempts record. The Bengals ranked seventh in the nation last season, averaging 7.6 threes a game. Currently, the Bengals have launched a league-best 572 shots from beyond the arc. ISU ranks first in the Big Sky with 203 three-point field goals made. ISU has connected on 10 or more shots from long range in seven games this season. ISU connected on a season-high 13 treys against both Saint Martin's and Idaho. The team most recently put in 11 threes in a win at Eastern Washington on Feb. 18. The team currently ranks fourth nationally, averaging 7.8 threes a game.

On Top of the Nation: As of Feb. 27, Idaho State ranks in the top-11 in three statistical categories. ISU ranks fourth in the nation in 3-point field goals per game at 7.8 a contest. Santa Clara ranks first in the nation in threes per game, averaging 8.6 treys a game. The Bengals also rank 8th in the nation in scoring offense, averaging 78.0 points a game. Duke holds the nations to scoring offense at 88.9 points per game. ISU ranks 11th in free throw percentage at 75.6 percent. UNI ranks first in the country in free-throw in percentage, shooting 79.6 percent from the line on the season.

Stars of the Sky: As of Feb. 27, Idaho State ranks first in three statistical categories and second in five others in the Big Sky Conference. ISU ranks first scoring offense (78.0 points per game), free throw percentage (75.6), and three-point field goals per game (7.8). Individually, Idaho State ranks first in three individual statistical category. Andrea Lightfoot ranks first in scoring at 18.4 points a game and first in three-point field goal percentage at 41.2. Natalie Doma ranks first in defensive rebounds per game at 6.00.

Sharp Shooting: Jeni Boesel connected on a game-tying three-point shot to beat the buzzer against Idaho on Dec. 10 to send the game to overtime. The shot led to ISU's eventual 99-89 win over the in-state rival. Boesel finished two games during the week of Nov. 28 perfect from both the three-point line and the free throw line. Boesel was a perfect 6-of-6 from beyond the arc and a perfect 9-of-9 from the charity stripe over the two-game span. Boesel also connected on 9-of-14 shots from the field over the two games. She netted 17 points against St. Martin's before notching 16 more against Utah State. As a team, Idaho State connected on 34-of-37 free throws against Utah State on Dec. 2, just missing the all-time single season made free throws mark of 35, which was set back in 1984. Michelle Grohs leads the Bengals in the field goal percentage category, connecting on 45.5 percent of her shots. Boesel has connected on a three-point field goal in 21 of ISU's 26 games this season.

The Play: A lot of the talk after ISU's win over Eastern Washington on Jan. 19 was about the play. With the shot clock winding down, Jenna Brown drove into the lane and lobbed a pass over a defender towards the basket to Michelle Grohs, who jumped up for the women's version of the alley-oop. Brown said of the play, "Michelle can jump out of the gym. Everyone was counting down the shot clock, so I just thought I'd throw it up and let her get it." Jenni Boesel and Grohs nearly connected on the same type of play against Sacramento State on Feb. 11.

Quick Learners: True freshmen Jenna Brown and Michelle Grohs have been a pleasant surprise. Grohs leads a group of talented freshmen on ISU's roster this season, averaging 3.9 points and 3.5 rebounds a game. Grohs has played in all 26 of ISU's games this season. Brown played in 22 games for the Bengals, making seven starts before going down with a torn ligament. Brown scored a career-high 15 points in her first collegiate game against Boise State on Nov. 18. Brown put in 14 points in the win over Montana-Western on Dec. 20, and 11 more against Portland State. She put in a pair of threes in the overtime win over Weber State on Jan. 26. Brown averaged 4.2 points a game before going down with injury.

Lightfoot Named Big Sky Player of the Week on Dec. 12: Andrea Lightfoot was named the Big Sky's Player of the Week after leading the Bengals to a 1-1 record during the week of Dec. 4-10. Lightfoot scored 19 points in a loss to Southern Utah and 38 more in a come-from-behind victory over Idaho. The sophomore guard connected on 5-of-17 shots, including 4-of-7 from beyond the arc against Southern Utah. She was also just one rebound shy of a double-double with nine. Against Idaho, Lightfoot notched a school-record 38 points on 12-of-20 shooting. She also connected on 7-of-9 shots from long range. Lightfoot recorded eight rebounds, six assists, and two steals in the overtime win over Idaho. On the week, Lightfoot hit 17-of-37 shots from the field (46 percent), 11-of-16 shots from beyond the arc (68.7 percent), and 12-of-15 shots from the charity stripe (80 percent). She also averaged 8.5 rebounds, 28.5 points, 5.5 assists, and 2.0 steals over the two games.

Lightfoot Breaks Single-Game ISU Scoring Record: Andrea Lightfoot scored a school-record 38 points in a come-from-behind 99-89 overtime win over Idaho on Dec. 10. The 38 points breaks the ISU all-time record for points by an individual in a single game. The previous record was held by Mandi Carver, who put in 37 points against Wyoming on Nov. 20, 1999. The mark also ranks as the fourth-best single game performance in Big Sky history. Lightfoot connected on seven three-point field goals in the game, which is the third-best performance in league history. The 38-point effort is the third-best performance in the country this season. Lightfoot's 7-of-9 effort from long range ranks as the seventh-best performance in the nation this season. The Nebraska native leads the conference in scoring this season at 17.6 points a game.

Chambers' Career Night: Senior forward Chelsey Chambers had a career night in ISU's season opener against Boise State on Nov. 18. Chambers notched career highs in points (23), rebounds (12), and three-point field goals made (5). The 23 points and 12 boards also marks her first career double-double. Chambers matched her career-high 12 rebounds against Southern Utah on Dec. 6.

Vball to Bball: After a four-year career with the Idaho State women's volleyball team, Ali Gorny has decided to give basketball try. The 6-1 center is atop of numerous all-time Idaho State career volleyball records. Gorny ranks as one of the top ISU volleyball players of all-time at ISU, ranking among the school's career record books in kills, kill percentage, kills per game, and digs. Gorny has played in seven games for ISU this season.

Idaho State Picked Fifth in Big Sky Preseason Polls: The Idaho State women's basketball team was selected fifth in both the Big Sky Conference's preseason polls, following a vote by league coaches and media. The Bengals finished with 23 points in the coaches' poll to tie Sacramento State for the fifth spot. In the media poll, ISU was selected fifth with 55 points and one first place vote. Idaho State was selected third in both the Big Sky preseason polls last season. The Bengals head into the 2005-06 season after making a second-straight trip to the Big Sky Tournament semifinals last season. For the third-straight year, Montana was selected as the preseason favorite to win the 2005-06 Big Sky championship in the coaches' poll. The Lady Griz received five first-place votes and 47 points to edge out Northern Arizona, which finished with three first-place votes and 45 points. Eastern Washington was selected third in the coaches' poll with 36 points, Weber State was fourth at 29 points, while Idaho State and Sacramento State tied for the fifth spot with 23 points. Montana State was selected sixth at 22 points, and Portland State was picked to finish eighth with eight points. The media picked Montana and Northern Arizona to win the title, giving both teams five first place votes each and 100 total points. Weber State received two first place votes and finished with 75 points to take the third spot, while Eastern Washington was selected fourth with 74 points and one first place vote. Idaho State was picked fifth by the media with one first place vote and 55 points. Sacramento State finished with 49 points for sixth, while Montana State finished seventh at 32 points. Portland State rounded out the voting with 19 points.