Bobcat Women Host Weber State and Northern Arizona

Montana State Women's Basketball Notes (pdf)

OF WILDCATS AND LUMBERJACKS:
The Montana State women's basketball team will host a pair of Big Sky Conference games this weekend starting with Weber State, Thursday, Jan. 12 at 7:05 p.m., in Worthington Arena. The Bobcats will conclude play when it faces Northern Arizona on Saturday, Jan. 14 at 2:05 p.m.

PILOT OF THE AIRWAVES:
All Montana State women's basketball games - exhibition through postseason - will be carried live on KZMY My 103.5 FM. Tyler Wiltgen is in his fifth year calling the action. Wiltgen's pregame show begins 20-minutes prior to tip off.

FOR YOUR LISTENING/VIEWING PLEASURE:
Montana State women's basketball home and Big Sky Conference games can be seen via free video streaming at www.b2tv.com. In addition, games can be heard on the web by clicking the Bobcat Sports Radio Network button at www.msubobcats.com. Live stats are also available for home games at www.msubobcats.com or at each opponent's website in the case of away games.

CAT CHAT:
Chelsea Banis' jumper with four-seconds remaining bounced off and an offensive put-back fell short as Idaho State rallied for a 59-58 win over MSU last Thursday. MSU scored the first basket of the game and held the lead until Chelsea Pickering's basket with 2:24 left gave Idaho State all it needed to escape with the win. It was all Bobcats in the first half as MSU built a 16-point cushion. ISU closed the gap to 33-26 at intermission. In the second stanza, MSU held a 14-point edge with 8:24 remaining. From that point, Idaho State took over with a 20-6 run to even the score at 55. ISU took a 59-55 lead on two Kaela Oakes free throws with 25-seconds left. Ashley Albert converted a three with 12-seconds left to pull the Bobcats to within one. MSU fouled Pickering on the in-bounds. She missed the front end of the 1-and-1 to setup the Bobcats' final try. MSU was led by Katie Bussey with 14 points, while Albert and Rachel Semansky added 10. Albert notched a double-double pulling down a game-high 11 rebounds.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:
* Katie Bussey, 5-9, Senior, Guard, Alamosa, Colorado

Bussey scored a team-high 14 points in MSU's loss to Idaho State last Thursday night...went 0-fer from three-point range for the first time this season, snapping a 18 game streak of at least one make from beyond the arc...has converted eight straight free throws...first on squad with a season-high 60 assists.

* Ashley Albert, 6-1, Sophomore, Forward, Hamilton, Montana

Albert collected a game-high 11 rebounds in MSU's loss to Idaho State last Thursday, which tied a career-high...in MSU's last four outings, is averaging a whopping 9.0 boards per game...has two double-digit rebounding games (Portland and Idaho State)...has been in double-digit scoring in 12-of-15 games this winter.

TIME TO GET BUSSEY:
Katie Bussey has established herself as Montana State's all-time three-point makes queen. Bussey continues to add on to her school record, which currently stands at 217 treys. The mark ranks fourth on the all-time Big Sky chart. The league mark of 238 is held by Chelsey Warburton (Weber State, 2004-07). Bussey will have a good shot at breaking the conference mark as she will need to average 1.7 makes per game. She is currently averaging 2.3 makes per contest. A two-time All Big Sky performer and the 2008-09 Big Sky Freshman of the Year, she is also moving up the MSU all-time scoring ladder. Her current total of 1,451 points ranks 4th overall at Montana State. Last season, she posted 24 double-figure scoring games. Her career-high of 30 points was set against Pacific, Nov, 15, 2009. Last weekend, the native of Alamosa, Colo., led MSU with a team-high 14 points against Idaho State. ISU held Bussey 0-for-3 from long distance, snapping an 18-game stretch of converting at least one 3-pointer in a game.

THE PRIDE OF HIGHWOOD:
Junior Rachel Semansky, a first-team All Big Sky selection last winter, continued her stellar play against Idaho State last Thursday. For the game, the Highwood native notched 10 points and hauled down nine rebounds, while recording two steals and an assist. She has led Montana State in rebounding in eight games this season. The 6-foot forward is first in the league shooting .571 from the field. She is also third in the Big Sky Conference averaging 8.3 rebounds per game. Semansky recorded a career-high 30 points against the College of Idaho on Nov. 20. The pride of Highwood hauled down a career-best 14 rebounds at Portland State two weeks ago.

CHELSEA, LATELY:
Sophomore Chelsea Banis, who returned to the Bobcat roster this season after missing 15 Big Sky Conference games last winter due to a torn MCL, has worked herself back into MSU's starting rotation. The native of Fairfield went just three-of-11 from the field in MSU's last second loss to Idaho State. She finished the game with seven points and five rebounds. Last winter, Banis established herself as one of the top freshman in the Big Sky averaging 12.6 points and 5.9 rebounds, while shooting 55 percent. Banis recorded a career-high 28 points at Utah Valley on Jan. 1, 2011.

DOUBLE A:
Sophomore Ashley Albert, a 6-foot-1 forward from Hamilton, Mont., returned to the Montana State lineup after missing all of the 2010-11 season with a torn ACL. As a freshman, Albert averaged 6.3 points and 3.0 rebounds, while shooting 42 percent. This season, Albert has been a steady performer for the Bobcats and is currently chipping in 13.0 points and 7.3 rebounds from her small forward spot. Last Thursday, Albert recorded her first-ever double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds against Idaho State. She also posted a career-high six assists and her 3-pointer with 12-seconds remaining helped give MSU one last try at the win. Albert's 11 boards versus Idaho State matched a career-high. Earlier this season, she posted a career-high 20 points against Big-10 foe Wisconsin. Overall, she has registered 12 games in double-figure scoring.

SWISHA:
Junior Latisha Adams has transitioned into the starting point-guard role, which gives the Bobcats added size at the spot. Last season, the 5-foot-9 native of Albuquerque, New Mexico, averaged 2.8 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists. Adams recorded a career-high 11 points at Weber State on Jan. 17, 2011. In addition, she pulled down a career-high seven rebounds against Sacramento State and dished out a season-high six assists against the Hornets, as well. Last week, Adams notched five points, including one 3-pointer. In addition, she added one rebound and a steal.

AUSHA BY-GOSHA:
In her second season, Ausha Cole, a 5-foot-6 point guard, is currently second in assist/turnover ratio at +2.0 in Big Sky play. Cole is also ranked fifth in assists and tenth in steals. Last Thursday, Cole came off the bench and recorded seven points on three-of-six from the field. In addition, she added three rebounds, two assists and two steals. Earlier this season, Cole dished out a career-high 11 assists against the College of Idaho. As a freshman, she played in 27 games, including 21 starts. Cole received her first start against CS Bakersfield playing 29 minutes and dishing out seven assists. MSU went 15-6 overall with Cole at the starting point-guard spot. Cole has notched a career-best 13 points on two occasions.

PHONE HOME:
Jackie Elliott, a true freshman from Billings, made two starts (UMW/CI) for the Bobcats with Chelsea Banis out of the line-up. Last Thursday, she notched one basket off her own missed three-point attempt. In addition, Elliott pulled down three rebounds and had an assist. For the season, Elliott is averaging 3.5 points and 3.4 rebounds. The graduate of Billing Central notched a season-best 14 points against UM-Western and pulled down a season-best nine rebounds in MSU's win over Utah State. She is averaging 16.1 minutes per contest.

ALL IN THE FAMILY:
Kalli Durham and the Bobcats have a long and storied family history on the Bozeman campus. Durham's grandfather (Lin), uncle (Mick) and cousin (Casey) played for the Montana State men's team. Uncle Mick served as the men's head coach at MSU for 16 years and is the current head coach at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Father Mark is the current athletic director and former head men's coach at UM-Western. Last Thursday against Idaho State, Durham knocked down one 3-pointer, while adding two rebounds in 13 minutes of action. The Miles City native is 8th in the Big Sky shooting 36 percent from beyond the arc. She recorded a season-high 19 points, including four triples against the College of Idaho.

ALLONS-Y CHATTE:
Destini French, a 6-foot-2 freshman center from Playa del Rey, Calif., is logging some playing time for the Bobcats after tearing her ACL and MCL her senior season at St. Bernard. French played two minutes against Idaho State. On the season, she is averaging 4.4 minutes per game. French registered a career-high six points and hauled down four rebounds against the College of Idaho on Nov. 20, 2011.

SYMONE SAYS:
Symone Brown did not play against Idaho State. She saw her first action of the season against the College of Idaho and logged seven minutes. She pulled down two rebounds in the contest. Brown, a 5-9 guard who prepped at Richard Gahr High School, averaged 20.8 points and 5.9 rebounds per game as a senior. As a senior, Brown was selected to the CIF Division 3AA First-Team, as well as the San Gabriel Valley League First-Team; Long Beach Press Telegram Dream Team; and the Cerritos Community News First-Team.

MONTANA STATE PLAYER OF THE WEEK (Jan. 9, 2012):

Ashley Albert
6-1, Forward, Soph.
Hamilton, Montana

Ashley Albert has been one of Montana State's most consistent players this season and last weekend against Idaho State was no exception. The 6-foot-1 forward notched her first career double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds against the Bengals. The 11 boards matched a career-high. The Hamilton native logges 37 minutes against the Bengals and her long distance three-pointer with 12-seconds remaining in the game helped to setup MSU's attempt to win the game at the buzzer. In all, Albert has posted 13 games in double-figure scoring this season. This season, Albert is averaging 13 points and 7.3 rebounds, while shooting 38 percent from the field. She is second on the team with 28 3-pointers.

WELCOME BACK, ELMO:
Bobcat sophomore forward Emily Allen rejoined the team after sitting out the first semester for personal reasons. The native of Gold Coast, Australia made her presence felt in MSU's win over North Dakota in Worthington Arena prior to the Christmas break. Against UND she registered a career-high 11 rebounds, to go along with eight points. Last Thursday, Allen logged 13 minutes of action and recorded five rebounds, one assist and a steal. On the season, she is averaging 3.8 boards per game, which fourth highest on the Bobcat squad this winter.

COLLEGEINSIDER.COM:
The Bobcats fell from receiving 'other votes' in the collegeinsider.com's Women's Mid-Major Top 25 poll. The No. 1 Mid-Major spot belongs to Wisconsin-Green Bay with 774 points. Both Idaho State and Portland State are receiving votes.

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE TEAM:
The Bobcats rank among the league's top five in all but four of the Big Sky Conference's 21 statistical categories. MSU is ranked first in scoring margin (+7.0), field-goal percentage (.429) and assist/turnover ratio (+1.0).

POWER OUTAGE:
MSU's only hiccup so far this season seems to be in its games against the 'so-called' power conferences. MSU finished 2-4 with wins over Colorado State (Mountain West) and Utah State (WAC) and losses to Oregon State (Pac-12), Wisconsin (Big 10), Illinois (Big 10) and #13 Georgia (SEC).

TOSSING THE ROCK:
Rachel Semansky is ranked 15th in the nation in field-goal percentage hitting at a 57.1 percent clip- tops in the Big Sky.

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