Montana State-Weber State Boxscore (pdf)
Montana State freshman Rachel Semansky posted her first collegiate double-double with a team-high 16 points and 11 rebounds to guide the Bobcats to a 76-59 win over Weber State at the Dee Events Center on Saturday night to complete a Big Sky weekend road sweep- its first of the season.
Semansky, a 6-0 forward from Highwood, connected on seven-of-12 from the field and added two steals and an assist.
Also in double-figures for Montana State (12-11, 5-5) were Sarah Strand, Erica Perry and Katie Bussey all with 14 points, apiece.
“We have played hard in the last three games and are really getting after the boards,” said MSU head coach Tricia Binford. “I thought against Weber State, Semansky, Strand and Janette Jackson really got us going under the glass.”
Weber State (8-15, 2-9) got out to a quick 12-5 lead at the 12:56 mark, but the Bobcats whittled away at the margin outscoring the Wildcats 31-10 the rest of the half to stake a 36-22 advantage at intermission.
“I felt we got a good tempo going in the first half,” Binford said. “Things got a little tighter in the second half, and Weber State was able to cut our lead to under double-figures, but we hit the big shot or pulled down an offensive board when we needed it.”
The Bobcats built their largest lead of the game at 46-29 with 16:07 left following a pair of Semansky free throws. WSU cut the margin to 58-51 with 7:17 remaining, but MSU answered with an 8-1 run to put the game away.
For the game, MSU shot 43 percent from the field and out-rebounded Weber State 49-27. It marked the second straight game the Bobcats out-rebounded their opponent by 20 or more boards.
Strand, a junior from Shoreline, Wash., recorded two blocks to make her the all-time MSU single-season blocks leader. Strand, who now has 46 swats on the season, surpassed the old mark of 44 blocks set by Alaina Bauer during the 1987-88 campaign.
WSU was led in the loss by Caitlin Anderson with 19 points.
Montana State will close out its home season when it hosts Eastern Washington and Portland State, next Thursday and Saturday, respectively.