WEEKLY NOTEBOOK (PDF)
EASTERN WASHINGTON (1-2)
The Eagles picked up their first win of the season against Air Force in an overtime thriller on Tuesday. EWU also lost to BYU to finish off the week 1-1. Senior forward Delaney Hodgins scored a total of 35 points last week and now has 1,491 points, which ranks her third on EWU’s all-time scoring list. Hodgins sits 250 points out of second place and 382 points away from becoming Eastern Washington’s all-time leading scorer. As a team, the Eagles blocked 11 shots against Air Force, which leads the Big Sky in total team blocks recorded in a single game this season. Eastern Washington will face #10 Oregon and Utah Valley this week.
IDAHO (1-2)
The Vandals fell in a pair of road contests at #9 Ohio State and at Abilene Christian this past week. Mikayla Ferenz, just a junior, reached 1,000 career points in the loss to the Buckeyes. Ferenz also leads the conference in scoring as she currently averages 22.0 points per game. Along with Ferenz, Geraldine McCorkell is also scoring the ball well, averaging 16.3 points per game, which ranks 10th in the Big Sky. The Vandals will look to get back on track with matchups against Cal State Northridge and the winner of the TCU/Arizona game in the Cal State-hosted Thanksgiving Basketball Classic.
IDAHO STATE (4-0)
The Bengals continued their hot start this past week as they registered wins over the College of Idaho and UC irvine. Idaho State leads the conference in several categories, including scoring offense (80.0 points per game), field goal percentage (.507) and 3-point field goal percentage (.479). Idaho State’s team 3-point field goal percentage of .479 also ranks fifth in the nation. On the defensive side of the floor, the Bengals also top the conference in points allowed (58.0 points per game) and opponent field goal percentage (.332). Senior guard Brooke Blair has been on fire from deep so far this season and scorched the nets last week for a 3-point percentage of 55.5 percent. The Bengals will look to continue their streak of 4-straight wins with games against Pepperdine and Utah State this week.
MONTANA (0-3)
Montana play a pair of high-profile teams last week as they lost at home to both Kentucky and Gonzaga. McKenzie Johnston led the Griz in scoring in both contests as the sophomore guard tallied 12 points in each game. Johnston was very efficient from the free-throw line last week as she knocked down 11 of 13. As a team, Montana ranks fifth in the conference in free-throw percentage (.737). The Griz will travel to Mexico and play Indiana State and Marquette in the Cancun Challenge this week.
MONTANA STATE (2-2)
The Bobcats picked up a win against Providence (Mont.) and then lost to Omaha last week. Madeline Smith was bright spot for Montana State as the freshman post player averaged a solid 13.5 points and an amazing 16.5 rebounds per game last week. in the win over Providence, Montana State extended its home winning streak to 26, which comes in as the third longest home winning streak in the nation. The Bobcats also rank second in the Big Sky in points allowed, giving up just 61.0 points per game so far this season. Montana State will play Montana State Billings this week.
NORTH DAKOTA (
1-2)
North Dakota suffered a loss to South Dakota State, but rebounded in a 30-point victory over UMass last week. junior forward Lexi Klabo was all over the stats as she averaged 22.5 points, 12.5 rebounds and 5.5 blocks per game. Klabo leads the conference in blocks (13), ranks fourth in rebounds per game (9.7) and seventh in points per game (19.0) so far this season. The Fighting Hawks play tough defense and allow opponents to shoot just .353 from the field and .245 from deep. North Dakota will play Lamar and UTSA this week.
NORTHERN ARIZONA (1-3)
The Lumberjacks got their first win of the season on last-second score to lift NAU over Boise State 62-60 on Sunday. Northern Arizona also played Hawai’i and lost to level its record at the Bank of Hawai’i Classic to 1-1. Senior Olivia Lucero was the player that dropped in the game-winning layup against Boise State as the guard averaged 21.5 points per game, shooting 46.9 percent from the field. The Lumberjacks have players who can score the basketball as Lucero, senior Kenna McDavis and junior Kaleigh Paplow all average above 15 points per game and are all ranked in the top 13 in scoring in the Big Sky this year. NAU will just play Antelope Valley this week.
NORTHERN COLORADO (4-0)
Northern Colorado continues to light it up out there as the Bears defeated LSU and San Francisco last week. Additionally, Northern Colorado received votes in the national AP top 25 poll. The Bears have tremendous depth at every position and senior guard Savannah Scott leads the way, scoring an average of 21.3 points per game this year. Sophomore guard Krystal Leger-Walker is tied for the league lead in assists (5.5 assists per game) and Courtney Smith holds down the paint for the bears, blocking 1.3 shots per game, while shooting 61.0 percent from the field. Also, Northern Colorado shares the ball well, dishing out an average of 18 assists per game as a team. Northern Colorado will travel east to take on Quinnipiac and Fordham.
PORTLAND STATE (1-3)
Portland State lost to UC Davis last week, but did pick up its first win of the season against Mountain West foe San Jose State. Sidney Reilly is the Big Sky’s second-best scorer as the junior averages 21.8 points per game. As a team, the Vikings shoot it very well from deep with their 41.3 percent average, which ranks second in the conference. Portland State will face Seattle and Multnomah this week.
SACRAMENTO STATE (0-4)
The Hornets dropped a pair of contests last week at #11 West Virginia and #24 Arizona State. Sacramento State ranks third in the league in team steals, averaging 8.3 per game. The Hornets are led by sophomore guard Hannah Friend, who averages 14.3 points per game. Sacramento State will play at Nevada and a team to be named later at the Reno Classic this week.
SOUTHERN UTAH (0-3)
Southern Utah lost both of its games to San Diego and Binghamton this week. Sophomore guard Rebecca Cardenas continues to be a young leader for the T-Birds. Cardenas ranks third in assists (4.7 assists per game) second in steals (3.0 steals per game) and second in assist/turnover ratio (2.8) in the Big Sky. As a whole, the Thunderbirds are ranked fourth in the league in 3-point percentage (.393). Southern Utah will compete against Utah State and UC Davis this week.
WEBER STATE (2-1)
Weber State lost to Utah and topped Antelope Valley this week. The Wildcats share the ball well, dishing out 16.0 assists per game as team. Weber State’s senior Larryn Brooks leads the Wildcats in scoring with 18.0 points per game. Brooks is also one of the four remaining players in the Big Sky that have not missed a free throw yet. Brooks has made six-of-six free throws on the young season. Weber State will play Westminster College and Incarnate Word this week.