ISU men’s, women’s basketball open seasons with wins; other Bengal tidbits

POCATELLO — The Idaho State men’s and women’s basketball teams opened their respective regular seasons Tuesday with a pair of home victories.

The men’s team snatched an 81-71 victory over Park University Gilbert (AZ) behind Connor Hollenbeck and Quin Patterson. The women’s team, led by Piper Carlson’s double-double and Tasia Jordan’s outburst, bested Westminster (UT), 99-47.

Jordan, who spent the last two seasons as ISU’s go-to bench scorer, started Tuesday and erupted for a game-high 26 points on just 13 shots — 11 makes. The graduate student added three rebounds, one assist, two blocks and two steals.

She was one of four Bengals who scored double-digits, including Carlson, who put up 13 points to go with 11 rebounds.

Jordan, Carlson and the Bengals will be on the road Saturday, at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix. They will be back at Reed Gym next week, with home games against UC Irvine on Wednesday and South Dakota on Sunday.

The men’s team was led by matching game-highs from Hollenbeck and Patterson, who scored 18 apiece. Hollenbeck added 10 rebounds, while Caleb Van De Griend scored 16 to go with eight rebounds, one block and two steals.

They will not be back in Pocatello until Nov. 21, when they host Justice University. Before that, though, the Bengals will have four straight road games, beginning with a Friday night showdown with the University of San Diego.

Two Bengals get earn soccer All-Conference honors

The 2025 Bengal soccer team improved on its win total from a year ago, from two wins to five. That steady improvement was marked by a senior co-captain Mary Za and freshman Tess Livingston, each whom earned All-Conference honors this week.

Za, a midfielder, was second on the team in points with nine, including one game-winning goal. She was named as an All-Conference Honorable Mention

Livingston, a defender, was second on the team in minutes with 1,511 across 17 matches. She earned an All-Conference Second-Team nod, becoming the first ISU freshman to be named a second-team or better All-Conference performer since 2009.

ISU finished the season with a 4-4-2 record at home, including a 1-1 draw against Boise State and a 1-0 victory over CSU Bakersfield of the Big West Conference.

Bengals sweep Big Sky honors following massive football victory

The Bengals bounced back from three consecutive losses by traveling to Davis, Calif. and upsetting a nationally ranked UC Davis team.

The No. 6 Aggies entered Saturday’s matchup with ISU having already beaten a No. 14-ranked Northern Arizona team that handed the Bengals a loss at homecoming last week.

Dason Brooks and the Bengals proved too much for the Aggies, though, as the Bengals snagged a 38-36 upset victory.

Brooks finished the game with 219 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries, earning Big Sky Conference Offensive Player of the Week honors.

Linebacker Nathan Reynolds earned the conference’s Defensive Player of the Week nod after recording seven tackles to go with one interception.

And for the third time this season, sophomore kicker Trajan Sinatra was named Special Teams Player of the Week after going 5-for-5 on extra points and connecting on a 50-yard game-winner with less than a minute remaining.

The Bengals are back home for the next two weeks, hosting Cal Poly this Saturday and Weber State next Saturday.