Photo by: R. Dean Hendrickson
TOURNEY TIME: Bobcat Women Face Eastern Washington Wednesday Night
3/11/2013 7:52:00 PM | Women's Basketball
The Montana State women’s basketball team will make its seventh straight Big Sky Conference Tournament appearance under eighth-year head coach Tricia Binford when it faces Eastern Washington, Wednesday, March 13 at Dahlberg Arena in Missoula.
CLICK HERE FOR THIS WEEK'S BIG SKY TOURNAMENT NOTES (pdf)
TOURNEY TIME: The Montana State women's basketball team will make its seventh straight Big Sky Conference Tournament appearance under eighth-year head coach Tricia Binford when it faces Eastern Washington, Wednesday, March 13 at Dahlberg Arena in Missoula. The Bobcats enter as the No. 6 seed, while EWU comes in as the No. 3 seed. Other first-round games include No. 2 Northern Colorado vs. No. 7 Southern Utah (3 p.m.) and No. 4 Idaho State vs. No. 5 Sacramento State (8 p.m.). No. 1 Montana will face the lowest remaining seed on Friday at 1:30 p.m., with the two highest remaining seeds from Wednesday's quarterfinals playing at 11 a.m. The Big Sky Conference Tournament women's basketball championship game is slated for Saturday, March 16 at 2 p.m.
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 completed its league roller-coaster ride with a 68-66 win at Northern Arizona to close out the Big Sky season on Saturday with an 11-9 mark. MSU opened Big Sky play going 8-2 during the first half, but ended the second-go with a 3-7 overall slate. Montana State closed out its Big Sky ledger winning three-of-five games.
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 1,343 career points, which is 8th on the all-time list. In addition, Semansky went over the 800 rebound plateau against Weber State on Jan. 24. She becomes only the third Bobcat in history to go over 800 boards, and is now just one of two players in MSU history to post over 1,300 points and 800 rebounds. Currently, she is averaging a team-best 12.9 points per game, while leading the Bobcats under the boards pulling down 7.2 rebounds per outing. Semansky is shooting a team-best 56 percent from the field, which leads the Big Sky Conference. She has also been ranked as high as 4th in the nation in the same statistical category. Semansky posted 22nd career double-doubles, last coming against Weber State on Feb. 16 - 28 points, 11 rebounds.
THE NAME GAME: Ashley Brumwell, the player formerly known as Ashley Albert, posted her second double-double of the season and the fourth of her career with 12 points and 10 rebounds in MSU's win over Weber State on Jan. 24. On the season, she is averaging 8.8 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 12 occasions this season. The Hamilton native averaged just 3.0 points and 3.0 rebounds last weekend against Sacramento State and Northern Arizona. Brumwell posted a career-high 23 points, converting 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, Kalli Durham has played a major role in MSU's season successes. Durham, who comes from a strong Bobcat basketball lineage - grandfather Lin, uncle Mick, cousin Casey and current teammate and cousin Shayla Mack - is second on the team, averaging 12.1 points per game. In 26 games, Durham has been in double-digits 16 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 33 three-point makes. Durham missed two early Big Sky contests with a leg injury. In her last two outings against Sacramento State and Northern Arizona she has averaged 8.0 points per game.
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 in the early season. Last week, she averaged 5.0 minutes of action and posted two points and two rebounds. Currently, she is averaging 2.2 points and 2.0 rebounds per game.
GIMME A BREAK: A relentless defender, newcomer Rachel Carter has played in all 29 games, including eight starts. The junior transfer from Foothill College is averaging 2.5 points, 2.6 rebounds and has a team-best 45 steals. Carter matched a season-best 9 points in MSU's win over Southern Utah on March 4 going 3-of-5 from beyond the arc.
CHELSEA LATELY: Junior center Chelsea Banis returned from offseason hip surgery to see her first action of the season at Weber State on Jan. 24. The Fairfield native has played in seven games this winter. Banis came off the bench to play ten minutes with 8 points in Montana State's season-ending win at Northern Arizona.
THE DISH: Serving as one of three tri-captains this season, senior Latisha Adams is in her final season with the Bobcats. The 5-9 guard from Albuquerque, New Mexico, has played in all 29 games this season, including 23 starts. She is currently averaging 8.2 points and 3.3 rebounds per game in Big Sky play. Adams is second on the team with 54 assists. Adams recorded a career-high 19 points as the Bobcats defeated Portland State, Jan. 3. Last week against Sacramento State and Northern Arizona, she averaged 10.5 points and 4.0 rebounds, while adding six assists, two blocks and a steal. Adams had a weekend-high 15 points at Northern Arizona.
PHONE HOME: Jackie Elliott has played in all 29 games, including eight starts. The 2010-11 Montana Gatorade Soccer Player of the Year is currently averaging 4.6 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 18.5 minutes per game. Against Sacramento State, Elliott came off the bench to pace the Bobcats with a team-high eight points and nine rebounds. She also added two assists and a block against the Hornets.
TAKING STOCK: Lindsay Stockton, a freshman from Gonzaga Prep in Spokane, Wash., has seen action in all 29 games, including five as a starter. She is averaging 16.2 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 5.0 points and 2.4 rebounds per game. She recorded a season-high 13 points against Portland State, including a three-of-four effort from beyond the arc on Feb. 2. Last week, she averaged 6.5 points and 1.5 rebounds 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 25 games this season and is averaging 2.6 points and 1.5 rebounds. The 6-1 forward from Lynden, Wash., played in both games last weekend, averaging 14.5 minutes, while notching 5.5 points and 3.0 boards per contest.
THUNDER FROM DOWN UNDER: Emily Allen, a 6-foot forward from Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, has played in all 29 games, including 15 starts. Allen is averaging 2.4 points and 3.7 rebounds, while shooting 28 percent from the field. Against North Dakota (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 against Sacramento State and Northern Arizona, Allen averaged 2.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per contest. She also chipped in a team-high six assists and five steals.
HOMETOWN PROUD: Bozeman High standout Lexi Dawkins, an all-state selection last winter, has played in all 29 games, including two as a starter. Dawkins has seen her minutes rise significantly, averaging 14.5 per game. She is currently chipping in 3.6 points and 3.0 rebounds per contest. The 6-foot-1 forward matched a season-high eight points in four games this season, last against Portland State. 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 seven games. She had 2 pts. vs UM-Western and one point at Weber State.
COMMENT ON KAYLA: Freshman redshirt Kayla DeWit is coming back from a foot injury. She has played in four games this winter and is looking for her 1st point at MSU.
HITTING THE BOOKS: For the sixth time in the last seven years, the Montana State women's basketball team ranked among the top 12 in the nation at the NCAA Division 1 level for combined grade-point average inclusive of all student-athletes on its rosters for the 2011-12 season. The Bobcats finished 11th overall with a combined 3.456 grade-point average. MSU was the highest ranked Big Sky team from last winter.
ONE SMART COOKIE: Rachel Semansky became just the seventh Bobcat in history to garner at least two Academic All-America accolades during her tenure at MSU. The Highwood native was named to the 2012-13 Capital One Academic All-America Third Team. The award is the highest academic achievement given to a NCAA student-athlete. Semansky, has a 3.96 grade-point average in elementary education, and was one of 15 women's players named to the first, second or third teams. She is the only Big Sky women's basketball player to capture the honor. Last winter, Semansky was named to the Capital One Academic All-America Second-Team.
IN A CLASS OF HER OWN: Rachel Semansky was one of 30 student-athletes to be a 2013 Senior CLASS Award candidate. To be eligible, the athlete had to have notable achievements in the areas of community, classroom, character and competition.
NOTING THE 'CATS: Montana State will be making its seventh straight appearance in the Big Sky tournament under the direction of head coach Tricia Binford...the Bobcats have posted a 6-6 mark in the league tournament under Binford, including advancing to the title game in 2008 vs Montana, and 2010 vs. Portland State, when MSU was the No. 6 seed...Montana State's only Big Sky Conference tournament title came in 1993, when the Bobcats defeated Montana 64-57, behind the effort of tourney MVP Cass Bauer...MSU advanced to face Washington in its only NCAA tournament appearance...all-time, the Bobcats are 16-13 in the Big Sky tournament, which includes seven appearances in the Big Sky championship game...Montana State likes to play in Dahlberg Arena, having beaten the Lady Griz in three of its last four outings on UM's home hardwood...Bobcat head coach Tricia Binford was named to the 1994 Big Sky Conference All-Tournament team that saw the Broncos defeat the Bobcats 78-68 in the semifinals, before dropping an 81-65 decision to Montana in the championship game.
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