Bobcat Women Upset Portland State
1/31/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Perry, a junior from Lynwood, Calif., converted 12-of-22 from the field and added three assists and three steals. She posted 16 points in the second stanza, including three in the overtime period.
Trailing 90-89 with 2:32 left in overtime, Perry gathered up a loose ball and converted a fastbreak layup to give MSU the lead for good. On the ensuing in-bounds, the Vikings turned the ball over. MSU's next shot was blocked out-of-bounds with three-seconds left on the shot clock. Following a Bobcat timeout, freshman Katie Bussey nailed a 15-footer as the clock expired to give Montana State (9-11, 3-5) a 93-90 advantage.
MSU missed the front end of two one-and-one situations in the final 22-seconds, but junior Jenny Heringer's free throw make with 17-seconds left gave the Bobcats their final four-point cushion.
"Words can't describe how proud I am of this team," said MSU head coach Tricia Binford. "Following our loss at Eastern Washington we had some heads hanging down, but they responded with a great effort. We had great intensity and a desire to win the game."
The win was Montana State's first overtime victory of the season in four tries, and also snaps a nine-game road losing streak.
Portland State (14-7, 7-1) entered the game leading the Big Sky Conference following its win over Montana on Thursday night.
"We've known all along that we are a good team," Binford said. "However, we just weren't coming out on the right end. Hopefully, this win will give us some momentum heading into the second half of league play."
Bussey, a native of Alamosa, Colo., matched a career-high with 20 points, connecting on eight-of-16 from the field, including a pair of three-pointers.
Also posting double-digits for Montana State (9-11, 3-5) were Nubia Garcia 16, and Heringer 10.
Garcia also paced the Bobcats under the glass with eight rebounds, while Heringer chipped in seven boards.
The fist half featured eight ties, with MSU taking its biggest lead of the opening stanza at 33-27 at the 3:14 mark on a Heringer 3-pointer. Mara Hoefer's layin at the buzzer gave the Bobcats a 37-35 lead at intermission.
"Jumping out early and matching Portland State step-for-step was crucial," Binford said. "You could see us gaining confidence, and Erica Perry was leading us on both ends of the court."
Perry finished the first half five-of-seven from the field and two steals.
"Erica really gets up for this game," Binford said. "There are great point guards in the league, and she gets overlooked. But, (today) she was on her game at the right time."
In the second stanza, MSU held the lead until a Kelsey Kahle layup gave the Vikings a 60-58 advantage with 10:40 remaining. The Bobcats countered with a 7-2 run. The lead then changed hands three times, before Kelli Valentine's old-fashioin three-point play with 1:59 left gave the Vikings an 83-80 margin.
Perry quickly answered with a bucket, and then converted a three-point play to give MSU an 85-82 advantage with 1:17 left.
Kahle converted a pair of throws with 19-seconds left to force overtime.
"I love these small gyms," Perry said. "We had a great crowd and we finally put together a full 45-minutes. We came in with a win or die attitude and it was a great team effort. Words can't describe how this feels."
PSU was led by Claire Faucher with 25 points and 12 assists, while Kahle added 24 and Valentine 18.
For the game, MSU shot 49 percent from the field, while holding PSU to 41 percent, including 17 percent (3-18) from long distance.
MSU will begin the second half of the Big Sky season when it hosts intra-state rival Montana on Saturday at 2 p.m., in Worthington Arena.
Montana State-Portland State boxscore available by clicking the 'PDF Version Available' link at the top of this page.
Trailing 90-89 with 2:32 left in overtime, Perry gathered up a loose ball and converted a fastbreak layup to give MSU the lead for good. On the ensuing in-bounds, the Vikings turned the ball over. MSU's next shot was blocked out-of-bounds with three-seconds left on the shot clock. Following a Bobcat timeout, freshman Katie Bussey nailed a 15-footer as the clock expired to give Montana State (9-11, 3-5) a 93-90 advantage.
MSU missed the front end of two one-and-one situations in the final 22-seconds, but junior Jenny Heringer's free throw make with 17-seconds left gave the Bobcats their final four-point cushion.
"Words can't describe how proud I am of this team," said MSU head coach Tricia Binford. "Following our loss at Eastern Washington we had some heads hanging down, but they responded with a great effort. We had great intensity and a desire to win the game."
The win was Montana State's first overtime victory of the season in four tries, and also snaps a nine-game road losing streak.
Portland State (14-7, 7-1) entered the game leading the Big Sky Conference following its win over Montana on Thursday night.
"We've known all along that we are a good team," Binford said. "However, we just weren't coming out on the right end. Hopefully, this win will give us some momentum heading into the second half of league play."
Bussey, a native of Alamosa, Colo., matched a career-high with 20 points, connecting on eight-of-16 from the field, including a pair of three-pointers.
Also posting double-digits for Montana State (9-11, 3-5) were Nubia Garcia 16, and Heringer 10.
Garcia also paced the Bobcats under the glass with eight rebounds, while Heringer chipped in seven boards.
The fist half featured eight ties, with MSU taking its biggest lead of the opening stanza at 33-27 at the 3:14 mark on a Heringer 3-pointer. Mara Hoefer's layin at the buzzer gave the Bobcats a 37-35 lead at intermission.
"Jumping out early and matching Portland State step-for-step was crucial," Binford said. "You could see us gaining confidence, and Erica Perry was leading us on both ends of the court."
Perry finished the first half five-of-seven from the field and two steals.
"Erica really gets up for this game," Binford said. "There are great point guards in the league, and she gets overlooked. But, (today) she was on her game at the right time."
In the second stanza, MSU held the lead until a Kelsey Kahle layup gave the Vikings a 60-58 advantage with 10:40 remaining. The Bobcats countered with a 7-2 run. The lead then changed hands three times, before Kelli Valentine's old-fashioin three-point play with 1:59 left gave the Vikings an 83-80 margin.
Perry quickly answered with a bucket, and then converted a three-point play to give MSU an 85-82 advantage with 1:17 left.
Kahle converted a pair of throws with 19-seconds left to force overtime.
"I love these small gyms," Perry said. "We had a great crowd and we finally put together a full 45-minutes. We came in with a win or die attitude and it was a great team effort. Words can't describe how this feels."
PSU was led by Claire Faucher with 25 points and 12 assists, while Kahle added 24 and Valentine 18.
For the game, MSU shot 49 percent from the field, while holding PSU to 41 percent, including 17 percent (3-18) from long distance.
MSU will begin the second half of the Big Sky season when it hosts intra-state rival Montana on Saturday at 2 p.m., in Worthington Arena.
Montana State-Portland State boxscore available by clicking the 'PDF Version Available' link at the top of this page.
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