#BigSkyWBB Weekly Notebook - Feb. 26
WEEKLY NOTEBOOK (PDF)
OGDEN, Utah (February 26, 2019) -- With only two weeks remaining in the regular season, Idaho has emrged as the leader in the standings. Three teams still are on thier heels as each team is fighting for seeding in the conference tournament.
- Idaho has emerged at the top of the standings this week with a 13-3 record in conference play. The Vandals will face a tough opener this week when they face Portland State. Idaho won the previous meeting 80-78.
- Three teams sit with four losses in conference play with Idaho State sitting at 13-4 and in second place. The Bengals will face Northern Colorado this week in a game that is sure to have postseason seeding implications.
- Portland State and Northern Colorado both have 12-4 records in league play and sit tied third play.
- Mikayla Ferenz is on the cusp of overtaking the top spot as the league’s career leading scorer. Ferenz is currently 13 points shy of the mark and is expected to break the old record of 2,296 points this week.
- Idaho and Idaho State are the only two teams so far to clinch a first-round bye in the conference tournament. Seeding is still in question as both teams could see their seeding drastically change depending on the outcome of the next two weeks.
Eastern Washington
- The Eagles picked up a pair of victories against Southern Utah and Northern Arizona this week. Eastern Washington scored 80+ points in both of their outings this week.
- Saturday’s matchup against Portland State is set to be a crucial game for both teams. The Eagles are fighting for a first round bye in the conference tournament and find themselves one game behind the fifth spot held by Montana State.
- Violet Kapri Morrow continues to lead the Eagles in their success this season and this week she averaged 15.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game. She has also scored double figures in 26 straight games.
Idaho
- Idaho moved into first place after a week were they went 2-0 in games against Southern Utah and Northern Arizona. The Vandals now have a 13-3 record in conference play.
- Mikayla Ferenz and Taylor Pierce continue to be a double threat for teams behind the three point line. Pierce currently leads the country in three pointers made per game this season and is averaging 4.56 made three pointers a game. This ranks her No. 1 in the country in this category. Ferenz is also in the top-10 in the same category and is averaging 3.40 three point field goals per game.
- Ferenz is 13 points shy of taking over as the Big Sky’s top points scorer. Ferenz sits at 2,284 points in her career and should be able to take over the top spot be the end of the season.
Idaho State
- Idaho State secured a first round bye in the conference tournament with their victories this week. The Bengals picked up a crucial win to start the week against Portland State which gave the sole possession of second place in the standings.
- The Bengals are leading the conference in scoring defense this season and are currently ranked 47th nationally in the same category. Idaho State is holding oponents to 58.5 points per game this season.
- Saylair Grandon became a member of the 1,000 career points club this past weekend. Grandon becomes the second player on the current roster to achieve this mark and joins Grace Kenyon who reached this same mark last season
Montana
- The Lady Grizz struggled this week and lost both of their games including a home match up with Montana State on Saturday.
- Jace Henderson is among the leagues leading rebounders this season and is fourth in the conference in rebounds per game. Henderson is averaging 8.3 rebounds per game this season.
Montana State
- The Bobcats played just one game this week and that was against their in-state rivals Montana. MSU picked up the hard fought win 75-71 to win the season series.
- Montana State is playing without their leading scorer Claire Lundberg who suffered a season ending injury earlier this month.
- The Bobcats boast one of the top scoring defenses in the conference and are holding opponents to an average of 66.7 points per game this season.
Northern Arizona
- Northern Arizona faced a pair of tough opponents this week with Idaho and Eastern Washington on the schedule. The Lumberjacks were defeated in both games and fell to 5-12 on the season.
- The Lumberjacks were led this week by Khiarica Rasheed who scored 16 points against Idaho and then followed that up with a 23 point performance against Eastern Washington.
Northern Colorado
- The Bears played in one game this week when they hosted Montana on Monday night. Northern Colorado picked up a 79-61 victory to improve to 12-4 and remain in a tie for third place in the league standings.
- Savannah Smith went off for 40-points in the game and set a new program record for the Bears for points scored in a game. Smith’s 40 point performance was also the second time this season that a player has scored 40 points in a game.
Portland State
- Portland State was 1-1 on the week and ended the week tied for third place with Northern Colorado at 12-4.
- The Vikings faced a tough game to start the week when they went up against Idaho State. The Vikings were defeated 72-54 by the Bengals.
- Courtney West as moved her into fourth place in the all-time career list for the conference in blocks with 240 career blocks. Here total is also more than double that of any other player in Vikings history.
Sacramento State
- The Hornets went 1-1 this week after picking up a victory over Weber State to start the week and then were defeated by Portland State in their final game on Saturday.
- Hannah Friend has emerged as the team’s leader the last couple of weeks and is playing an important role for the Hornets. Friend averaged 19.2 points and 8.5 rebounds per game andis ranked third and fourth in the league respectively.
Southern Utah
- Southern Utah went 0-2 this week against Idaho and Eastern Washington. SUU is now 3-14 in conference play.
- The Thunderbirds are currently third in the conference in steals per game and are currently averaging 8.2 steals per game.
Weber State
- The Wildcats went 0-2 after dropping a pair of games to Sacramento State and Idaho State this week.
- Jaiamoni Welch-Coleman continues to lead the Wildcats and this week she averaged 24.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.