Montana State University
Portland
Montana State Women Fall Short in Portland
12/21/2009 10:26:10 PM | Women's Basketball
The Bobcats twice overcame an 11-point deficit only to fall to Portland, 78-75, Monday night in the Chiles Center.
MONTANA STATE-PORTLAND BOXSCORE
The Montana State women's basketball team twice battled back from 11-point deficits only to come up short in a 78-75 loss to Portland, Monday night in the Chiles Center.
Portland (9-3) took an 11-point advantage in the opening period at the 8:21 mark and held a 40-33 margin at intermission.
In the second half, the Pilots again built the lead to 11 points, before Montana State (6-6) rallied to take a four-point lead with 9:37 remaining. Both teams traded leads down the stretch, but Portland received baskets from Jessica Clemens and Laiken Dollente in the final minutes to maintain its three-point lead.
MSU's Katie Bussey hit a three-pointer with 39-seconds remaining, but the Bobcats didn't convert in the waning minutes.
“It's a tough one to lose,” said MSU head coach Tricia Binford. “However, I really liked our energy and tempo. We were a completely different team then the one that played in Denver.”
Bussey, who was mired in a shooting slump, led MSU with 15 points, including a three-of-six effort from three-point range. Also in double-figures for the Bobcats were Erica Perry 12, Sarah Strand 12, Ashley Albert 12, and Lyndi Seidensticker 10.
For the game, MSU shot 47 percent from the field and went two-of-two from the line, while UP hit 46 percent and connected on 12-13 from the free throw stripe.
“We need to learn to put an offensive and defensive game together on the same night,” Binford said. “As we move closer to the Big Sky Conference season, we need to cut down on the errors and take care of the details.”
Montana State won the battle of the boards, out-rebounding Portland 39-31. The Bobcats were paced under the glass by Perry and Bussey with eight and seven rebounds, respectively.
The Pilots were led in the win by Dollente with a game-high 31 points, including a five-of-eight effort from beyond the arc.
MSU will host UC Riverside, Sunday, Dec. 27 at 5 p.m., in Worthington Arena.
