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MOSCOW, Idaho—After suffering their first lost in Big Sky Conference play on the season, the University of Idaho Women's Basketball team will travel to Bozeman, Montana to face Montana State on Thursday, Jan. 9^th at 7 p.m. (PT).

Thursday's game against Montana State will mark the 54^th time each team has faced off against each other and will be streamed live on Pluto TV Chanel 538. You can listen to the game at govandals.com/listen and on KMAX 840 AM. 

SCOUTING IDAHO

Idaho enters the matchup 7-5 overall on the season, including a 2-1 mark in conference play, following a road loss to Portland State last week, 74-53.

Sophomore Gina Marxen leads the Vandals offensively, averaging 14.0 points per game. Marxen has been on a tear lately, averaging 19 points per game over the past three games. Against Portland State Marxen totaled a team-high 18 points, including six made three-pointers. Marxen also is leading the Big Sky in several three-point shooting categories, three-pointers made (40), three-pointers made per game (3.3), and is second in three-point percentage (34.6%). She has made 40 threes on the season including 16 in the last three games.
 Beyonce Bea is averaging 12.3 points per game while Lizzy Klinker is averaging 11.0. Bea also leads Idaho on the boards with 6.7 per game and is third in the Big Sky in field-goal percentage, shooting 42.6 percent from the floor this season.
Marxen and Klinker have each earned Player of week recognition by collegesportsmadness.com this season, while Marxen also earned Big Sky Player of the Week honors earlier in the year.

Idaho leads the Big Sky Conference defensively, holding its opponents to 58.8 points per game. The Vandals are holding opposing teams to a conference-best 35.2 percent field-goal percentage as well as a conference-best 24.5 percent three-point percentage. Although having struggled on the boards at times this season, Idaho leads the Big Sky in defensive rebounds with 28.8 per game. The Vandals have also protected the ball well this season only turning the ball over an average of 12.3 times per game, a conference best. In addition, Idaho has only committed 147 turnovers this season which is the fewest in the Big Sky and third fewest in the NCAA.

SCOUTING MONTANA STATE


Portland State enters the matchup 8-5 on the season and 5-1 in the Big Sky following four consecutive wins to open Big Sky play.  For the Bobcats, three players lead the offensive effort scoring in double-figures per game this season. Freije Fallyn leads the way with 13.2 points per game, followed by Oliana Squires and Darian White with 11.6 and 10.9 respectively. Freije is also the rebounding leader for Montana State, averaging 7.2 per game.
In addition to sitting atop the Big Sky Conference standings, the Bobcats are also averaging a conference-best 72.7 points per game this season and just behind the Vandals defensively, averaging 59.8 points per game to opponents. The Bobcats also lead the Big Sky on the boards, averaging 41.5 rebounds per game.

LAST TIME OUT VS MONTANA STATE

Montana State and Idaho last met on Feb. 9^th, 2019 in Cowan Spectrum Arena. The Vandals topped the Bobcats 90-65 in a record-setting shooting performance of 19 made three-pointers, a program record.
The Bobcats lead the series all-time 34-19 and 15-10 in Bozeman, however the Vandals are currently on a four-game win streak in the series. Idaho has downed Montana State four times since 2015, however the four wins are part of only five wins by Idaho in the past 20 years over the Bobcats. Between 2007 and 2017 Montana State defeated the Vandals eight consecutive times.
 
FOLLOW: Fans can follow the Vandals all season long on Twitter and Instagram, @VandalsWBB and with the Voice of the Vandals, Doug Taylor, at GoVandals.com/Listen. The game will air on PlutoTV channel 542. Visit GoVandals.com/Tickets for more information on season