Bobcat Women Travel to So. Utah; Face Lady Griz on Saturday

Thursday, January 17

Cedar City, UT

7 p.m.

Montana State University

SOUTHERN UTAH

Senior Rachel Semansky

Photo by: R. Dean Hendrickson

Bobcat Women Travel to So. Utah; Face Lady Griz on Saturday

1/17/2013 10:46:00 AM | Women's Basketball

The Montana State women’s basketball squad will travel to Big Sky newcomer Southern Utah, Thursday, Jan. 17 in Cedar City with a 7 p.m. tip slated for the Thunderbird’s Centrum Arena. The Bobcats will fly to Missoula- including a five-hour layover in Salt Lake City on Friday- before facing its oldest rival, Montana, Saturday at 3 p.m. in Dahlberg Arena.

By: Tom Schulz

CLICK HERE FOR THIS WEEK'S NOTES (pdf):

NEW AND OLD: The Montana State women's basketball squad will travel to Big Sky newcomer Southern Utah, Thursday, Jan. 17 in Cedar City with a 7 p.m. tip slated for the Thunderbird's Centrum Arena. The Bobcats will fly to Missoula- including a five-hour layover in Salt Lake City on Friday- before facing its oldest rival, Montana, Saturday at 3 p.m. in Dahlberg Arena. The game will be aired live on all Max Media television affiliates throughout the state with Chris Byers handling play-by-play duties and Mark Durham adding color.

ON THE AIR: Montana State women's basketball games can be heard on KMMS 1450 AM. Should a conflict occur with Bobcat men's basketball, the women's broadcast will be moved back to its original flagship at My 103.5 FM. First-year play-by-play man Adam Seidel will begin his broadcast 15-minutes prior to tip.

QUICK RECAP: Montana State ran its current win streak to four games with home victories over Northern Colorado (65-58) and North Dakota (64-49) last weekend in Worthington Arena. Against UNC, the Bobcats had three players in double-figure scoring led by Rachel Semansky 17, Ashley Brumwell 12, and Kalli Durham 10. MSU shot 49 percent from the field against the Bears, including 64 percent in the second half. Semansky also paced the Bobcats in its win over UND with 15 points, while Durham added 14 and Latisha Adams 12. MSU built a 13-point cushion at intermission and played even down the stretch.

ISN'T SHE GRAND? Bobcat senior Rachel Semansky became the 18th member of Montana State's 1000-point club in MSU's win over Clemson. The pride of Highwood now has 1,186 career points, which 14th on the all-time list. In addition, Semansky went over the 700 rebound plateau against SMU. Last Saturday, she pulled down ten rebounds against Northern Colorado and North Dakota and is now third on MSU's all-time list. Currently, she is averaging a team-best 14.4 points per game, while leading the Bobcats under the boards pulling down 6.7 rebounds per outing. Semansky is shooting a team-best 59 percent from the field, which leads the Big Sky and is 9th in the nation. The 6-foot forward averaged 16 points and 5.0 rebounds last weekend in wins over UNC and UND. Semansky posted her 20th career double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds against MSU Billings on Dec. 29, 2012.

THE NAME GAME: Ashley Brumwell, the player formerly known as Ashley Albert, posted her first double-double of the season and the third of her career with 14 points and 10 rebounds in MSU's win over Utah State on Dec. 1. On the season, she is averaging 10.9 points and is second on the squad hauling down 6.0 rebounds per game. Brumwell, who is the sister-in-law of Bobcat men's basketball player Blake Brumwell, has been in double-figure scoring on eight occasions this season, including posting 12 points against Northern Colorado via connecting on six-of-eight from the field, while hauling down five rebounds and adding three assists. Brumwell posted a career-high 23 points, connecting on 10-of-19 from the field, in MSU's loss to Wyoming on Dec. 8.

OUR VERY OWN VIOLET BEAUREGARDE: A native of Miles City, sophomore Kalli Durham has played a major role in MSU's season successes. Durham, who comes from a strong Bobcat basketball lineage - grandfather Linn, uncle Mick, cousin Casey and current teammate and cousin Shayla Mack - is second on the team, averaging 13.6 points per game. In 12 starts, Durham has been in double-digits ten times, including a career-best 23 points in Montana State's win over Clemson at the SMU Hoops for a Cure Classic in Dallas, Texas. In addition, she is first on the team with 22 three-point makes. Durham missed three games (SAC, NAU, MSUB) with a leg injury. Since her return to the starting line-up, MSU is 4-0 and Durham is averaging 13.3 ppg.

BUELLER..BUELLER..BUELLER: Hailing from Twin Bridges, Montana, a town of 400 people located 87 miles west of Bozeman, freshman Peyton Ferris was the 2012 Montana Gatorade Girls Basketball Player of the Year. Ferris found herself in a starting role for the Bobcats for four games. Currently, she is averaging 2.8 points and 2.5 rebounds per game. Ferris notched a season-best seven points in Montana State's loss to Sacramento State to open the Big Sky season.

GIMME A BREAK: A relentless defender, Bobcat newcomer Rachel Carter has started 8 of 15 games for the Bobcats. The junior transfer from Foothill College is averaging 3.5 points, 3.1 rebounds and a team-best 1.7 steals per game. Carter posted a season-best nine points in MSU's season-opening with at Colorado State. Last weekend, she averaged 20 minutes per game. In MSU's win over Northern Colorado she has a team-high 4 assists.

THE DISH: Serving as one of three tri-captains this season, senior Latisha Adams is back for her final season with the Bobcats. The 5-9 guard from Albuquerque, New Mexico, has played in all 15 games this season, including ten starts. She is currently averaging 7.8 points and 3.3 rebounds per game. In addition, Adams is second on the team with 30 assists, averaging 2 per contest. Adams recorded a career-high 19 points as the Bobcats defeated Portland State, Jan. 3. In her last eight game, Adams has upped her average to 11.4 points per game. Last weekend, she poured in 7.5 points, while shooting 54 percent from the field. Adams also pulled down 3.5 rpg.

PHONE HOME: Jackie Elliott has played in all 15 games, including eight starts. The 2010-11 Montana Gatorade Soccer Player of the Year is currently averaging 7.8 points and 3.3 rebounds per game. Elliott posted a season-high 13 points in MSU's loss to Sacramento State to begin conference play, connecting on 5-of-8 from the field. Last weekend, she averaged 14.5 minutes against Northern Colorado and North Dakota, scoring 3.5 points per game, including a weekend best five points against UNC. In addition, she pulled down five rebounds and had four assists on the weekend.

TAKING STOCK: Lindsay Stockton, a freshman from Gonzaga Prep in Spokane, Wash., has seen action in all 15 games and is averaging 13.4 minutes per contest. The daughter of NBA Hall of Famer John Stockton and the sister of Gonzaga guard David Stockton, she is making a name for herself in the early going for the Bobcats. The 5-6 guard is averaging 4.7 points, 2.4 rebounds and an assist per game. She recorded a season-high 12 points against UM-Western, connecting on four-of-seven from the field with two 3-pointers. Last weekend, Stockton had 7 points and 6 boards vs. UND.

ALL IN THE FAMILY: Freshman Jasmine Hommes is another women's player with a strong lineage to the program. Hommes has two aunts who played for MSU, including Brooke (Hommes) Svendsen, an All-Big Sky player and member of the 1992-93 Montana State team that captured the program's only league tournament title, which led to its only NCAA appearance, and Blythe (Hommes) Hintz, the 1996-97 Big Sky Player of the Year and a Kodak All-America Honorable Mention selection. Jasmine Hommes has played in 13 games this season and is averaging 2.4 points and 1.7 rebounds as one of the first post players off the bench. The 6-1 forward from Lynden, Wash., tallied a season-best 12 points vs. UM-Western on five-of-seven from the floor.

THUNDER FROM DOWN UNDER: Junior Emily Allen, a 6-foot forward from Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, has played in all 15 games, including starting the last three game. Allen is averaging 2.3 points and 3.5 rebounds, while shooting 30 percent from the field. Against North Dakota last December, 2011, Allen registered a career-high with eight points. She also recorded a career-high 11 rebounds in the victory over UND. Last weekend, Allen averaged 3.5 points and 4.5 rebounds. She notched her best game of the weekend with five points and four rebounds against Northern Colorado.

HOMETOWN PROUD: Bozeman High standout Lexi Dawkins, an all-state selection with the last winter, has played in all 15 games this season, and has seen her minutes rise significantly, averaging 10.8 per game. Dawkins is chipping in 2.7 points and hauling down 2.3 rebounds per contest. In MSU's win over Clemson, she notched a season-best seven rebounds. The 6-foot-1 forward matched a season-high eight points, last Thursday against Northern Colorado, connecting on four-of-six from the floor. She also currently leads Montana State at the line shooting 92 percent. Dawkins comes from an athletic family as well, as father Dale Dawkins was on the 1987 U of Miami national championship football squad and went on to the NFL as a wide receiver for the New York Jets.

BIG MACK ATTACK: Shayla Mack is a walk-on from Three Forks, MT and is the cousin of Kalli Durham. She has played in four games. She had 2 pts. vs UM-Western.

NOTING THE 'CATS: Montana State has posted wins over the Mountain West, Western Athletic (2), Atlantic Coast and Ohio Valley Conferences...balance and depth have been the key to MSU's success as 11 of 13 players on the roster are averaging seven minutes or more per game, while no one averages more the 30 minutes...Rachel Semansky is 9th in the nation shooting 59 percent from the floor...The Bobcats rank among the top 70 in the country in 3-point field goal percentage defense, 55th, field-goal percentage, 58th, rebound margin, 65th, and field goal percentage defense, 69th...Montana State is 10-2 with starting guard Kalli Durham in the line-up...despite shooting just 25 percent from 3-point range, the Bobcats lead the Big Sky shooting 42% from the field.