Bobcat Women Face I-15 Corridor

Thursday, January 24

Ogden, UT

7 p.m.

Montana State University

WEBER STATE

Lindsay Stockton, Emily Allen, Ashley Brumwell lead the Bobcats past Montana on Saturday afternoon in Missoula.

Photo by: Felix Marquez

1/23/2013 4:10:00 PM | Women's Basketball

After traveling to Southern Utah and Montana last week, the Montana State women’s basketball squad will be on the road again, this time making its way south on I-15 where it will face Weber State, Thursday, Jan. 24 at 7 p.m. in the Dee Events Center.

By: Tom Schulz

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

HITTING THE I-15 CORRIDOR: After traveling to Southern Utah and Montana last week, the Montana State women's basketball squad will be on the road again, this time making its way south on I-15 where it will face Weber State, Thursday, Jan. 24 at 7 p.m. in the Dee Events Center. The Bobcats will make the trek north from Ogden on Friday, before facing Idaho State in Pocatello, Saturday, Jan. 26 at 2 p.m. in Reed Gym.

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: With a 65-59 win over Southern Utah and a 58-49 victory over Montana last week, the Bobcat women's basketball team sits alone atop the Big Sky Conference standings heading into this week's games with Weber State and Idaho State, which will mark the half-way point of the league season. MSU has won seven straight Big Sky games, and has won its last six overall contests. The 'Road Warriors' have also posted an impressive 7-1 mark on the road this season, which doesn't count its 58-52 neutral site win over Clemson. Montana State jumped to 72 in the most recent RPI list, followed by Montana 98, E. Washington 122, Idaho State 146 and Sacramento State 149 in the top five.

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 1,209 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 nine rebounds against Montana and is third on MSU's all-time list. Currently, she is averaging a team-best 14.1 points per game, while leading the Bobcats under the boards pulling down 7.1 rebounds per outing. Semansky is shooting a team-best 59 percent from the field, which leads the Big Sky Conference and ranks sixth in the nation. The 6-foot forward averaged a double-double 11.5 points and 10.5 rebounds last weekend in wins over SUU and UM. Semansky posted her 21st career double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds against Southern Utah on Jan. 17.

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 10.3 points and is second on the squad hauling down 5.9 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. Last weekend, the Hamilton native averaged six points and 5.5 rebounds in victories over Southern Utah and Montana. 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 13.0 points per game. In 14 starts, Durham has been in double-digits 11 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 23 three-point makes. Durham missed three games (SAC, NAU, MSUB) with a leg injury. Since her return to the starting line-up, MSU is 6-0. Durham had 12 points in MSU's win over UM.

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 2.6 points and 2.3 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 17 games for the Bobcats. The junior transfer from Foothill College is averaging 3.1 points, 3.2 rebounds and has a team-best 28 steals per game. Carter posted a season-best nine points in MSU's season-opening with at Colorado State. Last weekend, she averaged 21.5 minutes per game. In MSU's win over Montana, she had 4 rebounds and 3 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 17 games this season, including ten starts. She is currently averaging 8.6 points and 3.2 rebounds per game. In addition, Adams is second on the team with 34 assists, averaging 2.0 per contest. Adams recorded a career-high 19 points as the Bobcats defeated Portland State, Jan. 3. In her last ten game, Adams has upped her average to 11.8 points per game. Last weekend, she poured in 14.5 points, while shooting 50 percent from the field. Adams also pulled down 2.5 rpg.

PHONE HOME: Jackie Elliott has played in all 17 games, including eight starts. The 2010-11 Montana Gatorade Soccer Player of the Year is currently averaging 5.6 points and 3.6 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 11.0 minutes against Southern Utah and Montana, scoring 5.0 points per game, including a weekend best six points against SUU. In addition, she pulled down four rebounds and had connected on one 3-pointer.

TAKING STOCK: Lindsay Stockton, a freshman from Gonzaga Prep in Spokane, Wash., has seen action in all 17 games and is averaging 14.2 minutes per contest. The daughter of NBA Hall of Famer John Stockton and the sister of Gonzaga guard David Stockton, is making a name for herself with the Bobcats. The 5-6 guard is averaging 4.8 points and 2.6 rebounds 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 averaged 5.5 points 4.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game.

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 15 games this season and is averaging 2.3 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 17 games, including starting the last five games. Allen is averaging 2.3 points and 3.6 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 2.5 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. Her three-pointer with just over two-minutes remaining sealed MSU's win over the Lady Griz at UM.

HOMETOWN PROUD: Bozeman High standout Lexi Dawkins, an all-state selection last winter, has played in all 17 games this season, and has seen her minutes rise significantly, averaging 11.4 per game. Dawkins is chipping in 2.9 points and hauling down 2.7 rebounds per contest. In MSU's win over Southern Utah on Thursday night, she pulled down a season-best eight rebounds. She posted 4 points and 3 rebounds at Montana. The 6-foot-1 forward matched a season-high eight points in MSU's win over Northern Colorado. 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 10 of 13 players on the roster are averaging ten minutes or more per game, while no one averages more the 30 minutes...Rachel Semansky is 6th in the nation shooting 59 percent from the floor...Montana State is 11-2 with starting guard Kalli Durham in the line-up...despite shooting just 23 percent from 3-point range, the Bobcats are second in the Big Sky shooting 41% from the field...MSU leads the league in field-goal percentage defense and 3-point field-goal percentage defense...in Big Sky action, the Bobcats are first in defensive rebounds at 28.5 per contest.