Three observations from the Bengals’ game Saturday

The women’s basketball season is underway — sort of.

In the past week or so, Big Sky schools feasted on cupcakes in exhibition contests or “warm-up” games that don’t affect a team’s record. In other words, a chance to stop hip checking each other in practice and finally put something on the floor for fans to see.

For the most part, absolutely nothing should be deduced from these games. For example, Sacramento State beat somebody called the Academy of Art Urban Knights 78-59, and Northern Colorado blasted the Regis Rangers by 29 points.

The Idaho State women took on the Division II ThunderWolves from Colorado State-Pueblo. Never heard of ’em before Saturday? Me either.

But, still, it was real, live basketball to watch. A chance to see the preseason No.1 pick by both the media and coaches strap on sneakers and take the floor since last March.

And while I just wrote that we can’t take too much away from these games it doesn’t mean they’re completely worthless.

With that, here are three takeaways from the Bengals’ game versus Colorado State-Pueblo.

One

The offense was less than stellar. In fact, it was downright putrid in the second half scoring only 15 points. But head coach Seton Sobolewski said himself that they didn’t look to score 80 points against the ThunderWolves.

Instead, Sobolewski juggled lineups and inserted personnel combinations on the floor Bengal fans won’t see for the rest of the season. All 14 players who suited up for the game had time on the floor.

It was clear Idaho State didn’t need to use the CSU-Pueblo as a punching bag to prove that ISU deserves the preseason recognition. Those days will come.

Besides, as the Bengals cruised to a 14-2 conference record in 2011-12, it wasn’t like they were an offensive juggernaut. Only two teams in the Big Sky scored less points per game than ISU.

Two

Yes, that offense was ugly, stale and helter-skelter as the Bengals were 20-of-60 from the floor with 16 turnovers. But by the same token, the defense was staunch, active and nasty. Exactly what Sobolewski wants from his team.

Take a ton of defense, add in a skosh of offense, a decent amount of execution and you have a winning combination for ISU. In Sobolewski’s first four seasons, the Bengals are 46-3 when allowing fewer than 59 points in a game.

Three

The third observation is the most obvious after Saturday. Sobolewski and his team want to repeat. They’re hungry. They seem to crave another championship. One game in the NCAA tournament — a 29-point loss to Miami — wasn’t enough.

All offseason, the defending Big Sky champs heard how great they were and how amazing their run to the NCAA tournament was to watch. After losing only one starter, surely the Bengals will have no problem reaching the same lofty heights — so they were told.

But the adulation didn’t get to the Bengals. They played like a team with something to prove.