Bobcat Women Cruise by North Dakota in Final Non-Conference Game

Thursday, December 22

Bozeman, MT

6:05 p.m.

Montana State University

NORTH DAKOTA

Sophomore Emily Allen notched eight points and hauled down a game-high 11 rebounds in MSU's 70-54 victory over North Dakota on Thursday night.

Photo by: R. Dean Hendrickson

Bobcat Women Cruise by North Dakota in Final Non-Conference Game

12/22/2011 9:11:00 PM | Women's Basketball

By: Tom Schulz

Montana State junior Rachel Semansky notched a game-high 19 points, while sophomore Emily Allen came off the bench to pull down a game-high 11 rebounds to lift the Bobcats to a 70-54 win over North Dakota, Thursday night in MSU's final non-conference contest of the season.

Semansky, a 6-foot forward, scored seven points in the opening five and a half minutes, her last giving the Bobcats a lead they would never relinquish.

Montana State (8-4) built a 19-point lead in the first stanza and entered intermission with a 39-23 advantage.

In the second half, the Bobcats took its largest margin of the contest at 54-31 following an Ashley Albert layup. North Dakota (6-6) chipped the lead down to 10-points with 7:02 remaining, but would get no closer.

“I think the biggest thing we improved upon since playing North Dakota a few weeks ago was our rebounding,” said MSU head coach Tricia Binford. “The area we need work on is putting a team away. We had a lull and were very stagnant for a stretch in the second half, but we got our tempo going and finished it out.”

Semansky finished the game connecting on 8-of-15 from the field, including one three-pointer. Also in double-digits for MSU were Katie Bussey 14 and Albert 11.

For the game, MSU shot 43 percent from the field, while holding UND to 32 percent. The Bobcats also held a 43-35 rebounding advantage.

North Dakota was led by Carly Rothfusz with 10 points.

Montana State will break for the Christmas holiday and will return to action in its Big Sky Conference opener, Dec. 29 at Eastern Washington.