Bobcat Women Open Big Sky Season at Home
1/3/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
NEXT UP: The Montana State women’s basketball team will open its Big Sky Conference season when it hosts a pair of games in Worthington Arena. MSU will open on Thursday, Jan. 4 against Eastern Washington at 7 p.m. The Bobcats will conclude action on Saturday, Jan. 6 at 2 p.m. against Portland State. The opener versus Eastern Washington will be Montana State’s 19th as a member of the Big Sky Conference. MSU is 12-6 overall in league openers.
ON THE AIR: All Montana State women’s basketball games will be carried live on My 103.5 FM. Veteran broadcaster Mark Martello will handle play-by-play duties for his second straight season. Martello will begin his broadcast with the Bobcat Pregame Show, originating 15-minutes prior to tip-off.
SERIES FACTS: The Bobcats hold a narrow 31-28 advantage in its all-time series with Eastern Washington, dating back to the 1975-76 campaign. Last year, the Eagles swept the Bobcats. MSU will try to snap a four-game losing streak, as it last victory over Eastern Washington came on March 6, 2004. MSU holds a 22-13 lead in its all-time series with Portland State, going back to the 1975-76 campaign. The Vikings defeated the Bobcats twice last year, including a two-point victory at PSU and an 88-82 decision in Bozeman. Montana State’s last win in the series came on Feb. 24, 2005 as the Bobcats handed the Vikings at 68-58 setback in the Stott Center.
FAST BREAKS: Montana State ended its non-conference schedule with an 81-53 loss at Gonzaga…the game against the Bulldogs marked the first time this season that the Bobcats have been out of a game with five minutes remaining…at this time last season, the Bobcats ranked last or second to last in all defensive categories in the Big Sky Conference. Heading into this week’s action, MSU ranks between third and fifth in the league in the same defensive categories...to date, the Bobcats are averaging 1,255 fans per game, which is slightly down from last year’s average of 1,615 fans per contest.
BOBCAT PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Senior Alyssa Nelson was named Montana State Player of the Week for the second straight time. Nelson recorded ten points, five steals and four assists in MSU’s loss at Gonzaga. Against the Zags, Nelson converted 8-of-12 from the free throw line. On the season, the Edina, Minn., native is second on the team in scoring, averaging 12 points per contest. She leads the squad with 32 steals and is second in assists, averaging 2.7 per outing. Nelson is currently shooting 42 percent from the field and 76 percent from the charity stripe. She has notched 17 treys on the season, which also puts her tops on the squad. For her career, Nelson has notched 229 assists, which is tenth on the all-time Bobcat list. Her career mark of 82 three-pointers ranks tenth, as well.
WHO’S HOT:
*Alyssa Nelson has averaged 13.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.0 steals and 2.7 assists in Montana State’s last three games. The Edina, Minn., native notched a season-high 17 points at Utah Valley State, which also included a career-matching seven assists.
*Whitney Connolly has come off the bench in all 12 games this season and is averaging 10.6 points per game, which ranks third on the squad. She has posted seven games in double-figure scoring. Connolly’s current total of 84 career blocks ranks third all-time at MSU.
*Nubia Garcia has had the ‘hot-hand’ for the Bobcats this season. Garcia currently leads the team shooting 54 percent from the field. In her last five games, she has averaged 55 percent from the floor, while averaging seven points and six rebounds per game. Garcia collected a career-high 11 rebounds against UM-Western.
SHORING UP THE ‘D’: Last winter, Montana State ranked last in the Big Sky in scoring margin, rebounding offense, rebounding margin, scoring defense and defensive rebounds. Heading into this season, MSU head coach Tricia Binford placed emphasis on shoring up the Bobcat defense. Here’s a look at where the Bobcats currently rank in the same categories entering the Big Sky Conference season: scoring margin (3rd), rebounding offense (3rd), rebounding margin (3rd), scoring defense (4th), and defensive rebounds (4th). The Bobcats currently lead the Big Sky in 3-point field goal percentage defense, allowing its opponents to hit at an icy 25 percent from beyond the arc.
IT TAKES A THIEF: Montana State is second in the Big Sky averaging 10.58 steals per game. The Bobcats have three players ranked among the top 10 in the league for steals. They include: Alyssa Nelson (2nd, 2.67), Erica Perry (4th, 2.25), and Nubia Garcia (6th, 2.00).
A WELL BALANCED DIET: The Bobcats do not have a player ranked among the top 10 in the Big Sky in scoring; however, MSU has four players ranked from Nos. 11-21. They include: Rebecca Mercer (12th, 12.2), Alyssa Nelson (13th, 12.0), Whitney Connolly (17th, 10.6) and Nubia Garcia (21st, 9.6).
A VIEW FROM THE PINE: Montana State has received excellent support from its bench this season. MSU’s eight players coming off the pine are averaging 20.6 points per game. The group is led by senior Whitney Connolly, who is averaging 10.6 points and 4.5 rebounds per contest.
SMART COOKIES: The 2005-06 Montana State women’s basketball team ranked 5th in the nation for cumulative grade-point average by the WBCA. All ten players on the roster garnered All-Big Sky Conference Academic honors.
For this week's complete women's basketball release, click on the 'PDF Version Available' link at the top of this page.
ON THE AIR: All Montana State women’s basketball games will be carried live on My 103.5 FM. Veteran broadcaster Mark Martello will handle play-by-play duties for his second straight season. Martello will begin his broadcast with the Bobcat Pregame Show, originating 15-minutes prior to tip-off.
SERIES FACTS: The Bobcats hold a narrow 31-28 advantage in its all-time series with Eastern Washington, dating back to the 1975-76 campaign. Last year, the Eagles swept the Bobcats. MSU will try to snap a four-game losing streak, as it last victory over Eastern Washington came on March 6, 2004. MSU holds a 22-13 lead in its all-time series with Portland State, going back to the 1975-76 campaign. The Vikings defeated the Bobcats twice last year, including a two-point victory at PSU and an 88-82 decision in Bozeman. Montana State’s last win in the series came on Feb. 24, 2005 as the Bobcats handed the Vikings at 68-58 setback in the Stott Center.
FAST BREAKS: Montana State ended its non-conference schedule with an 81-53 loss at Gonzaga…the game against the Bulldogs marked the first time this season that the Bobcats have been out of a game with five minutes remaining…at this time last season, the Bobcats ranked last or second to last in all defensive categories in the Big Sky Conference. Heading into this week’s action, MSU ranks between third and fifth in the league in the same defensive categories...to date, the Bobcats are averaging 1,255 fans per game, which is slightly down from last year’s average of 1,615 fans per contest.
BOBCAT PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Senior Alyssa Nelson was named Montana State Player of the Week for the second straight time. Nelson recorded ten points, five steals and four assists in MSU’s loss at Gonzaga. Against the Zags, Nelson converted 8-of-12 from the free throw line. On the season, the Edina, Minn., native is second on the team in scoring, averaging 12 points per contest. She leads the squad with 32 steals and is second in assists, averaging 2.7 per outing. Nelson is currently shooting 42 percent from the field and 76 percent from the charity stripe. She has notched 17 treys on the season, which also puts her tops on the squad. For her career, Nelson has notched 229 assists, which is tenth on the all-time Bobcat list. Her career mark of 82 three-pointers ranks tenth, as well.
WHO’S HOT:
*Alyssa Nelson has averaged 13.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.0 steals and 2.7 assists in Montana State’s last three games. The Edina, Minn., native notched a season-high 17 points at Utah Valley State, which also included a career-matching seven assists.
*Whitney Connolly has come off the bench in all 12 games this season and is averaging 10.6 points per game, which ranks third on the squad. She has posted seven games in double-figure scoring. Connolly’s current total of 84 career blocks ranks third all-time at MSU.
*Nubia Garcia has had the ‘hot-hand’ for the Bobcats this season. Garcia currently leads the team shooting 54 percent from the field. In her last five games, she has averaged 55 percent from the floor, while averaging seven points and six rebounds per game. Garcia collected a career-high 11 rebounds against UM-Western.
SHORING UP THE ‘D’: Last winter, Montana State ranked last in the Big Sky in scoring margin, rebounding offense, rebounding margin, scoring defense and defensive rebounds. Heading into this season, MSU head coach Tricia Binford placed emphasis on shoring up the Bobcat defense. Here’s a look at where the Bobcats currently rank in the same categories entering the Big Sky Conference season: scoring margin (3rd), rebounding offense (3rd), rebounding margin (3rd), scoring defense (4th), and defensive rebounds (4th). The Bobcats currently lead the Big Sky in 3-point field goal percentage defense, allowing its opponents to hit at an icy 25 percent from beyond the arc.
IT TAKES A THIEF: Montana State is second in the Big Sky averaging 10.58 steals per game. The Bobcats have three players ranked among the top 10 in the league for steals. They include: Alyssa Nelson (2nd, 2.67), Erica Perry (4th, 2.25), and Nubia Garcia (6th, 2.00).
A WELL BALANCED DIET: The Bobcats do not have a player ranked among the top 10 in the Big Sky in scoring; however, MSU has four players ranked from Nos. 11-21. They include: Rebecca Mercer (12th, 12.2), Alyssa Nelson (13th, 12.0), Whitney Connolly (17th, 10.6) and Nubia Garcia (21st, 9.6).
A VIEW FROM THE PINE: Montana State has received excellent support from its bench this season. MSU’s eight players coming off the pine are averaging 20.6 points per game. The group is led by senior Whitney Connolly, who is averaging 10.6 points and 4.5 rebounds per contest.
SMART COOKIES: The 2005-06 Montana State women’s basketball team ranked 5th in the nation for cumulative grade-point average by the WBCA. All ten players on the roster garnered All-Big Sky Conference Academic honors.
For this week's complete women's basketball release, click on the 'PDF Version Available' link at the top of this page.
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