Bobcat Women open Hoop Season at Boise State

Friday, November 14

Boise, ID

7 p.m.

Montana State University

Boise State University

Photo by: Kelly Gorham

11/14/2014 12:31:00 PM | Women's Basketball

The Montana State women’s basketball team will open its 2014-15 season at a familiar place - Boise State University, Friday night. Tenth-year Bobcat Head Coach Tricia Binford graduated from Boise State in 1996.

By: Tom Schulz

MONTANA STATE AT BOISE STATE – Nov. 14 – 7 p.m. (MST)

Where:...............................      Taco Bell Arena, Boise, ID (12,400)
Listen Live:..........................     My 103.5 FM
Play-by-Play:.......................     Tyler Wiltgen
Live Stats:..........................      BroncoSports.com
Live Video:..........................     BroncoSports.com
All-Time Series:....................    Montana State 26-25

MONTANA STATE AT CAL STATE FULLERTON – Nov. 16 – 2 p.m. (MST)

Where:.............................        Titan Gym, Fullerton, CA (4,000)
Listen Live:........................       KMMS 1430 AM
Play-by-Play:.....................       Tyler Wiltgen
Live Stats:........................        FullertonTitans.com
Live Video:.........................      BigWest.org

ABOUT THEM CATS
Head Coach Tricia Binford returns eight letterwinners, including four starters from last year's team that went 15-15 overall. Three seniors – Ausha Cole, Kalli Durham and Jackie Elliott - will be asked to carry the load in the early going. Junior Jasmine Hommes, who started all 30 games last winter, returns as MSU's leading scorer, after pouring in 13.7 points per contest. Hommes was named to the College Sports Madness Preseason All-Big Sky Conference Second-Team. Binford also boasts quality depth heading into the season, especially at the guard spot. Also returning for the Bobcats will be Alexa Dawkins, Margreet Barhoum and Peyton Ferris, who sat out last season as a redshirt. Newcomers include Michelle Seitz, who sat out last season after transferring from Walla Walla Community College, along transfer, Riley Nordgaard, who will sit out the 2014-15 campaign after moving to MSU from Augustana College. Amy Davis, a Bozeman product that originally signed with Idaho State but returned to attend Montana State last year, will have freshman status for the Bobcats. Other true-freshmen include Hannah Caudill, Delany Junkermier, Ashton Siegner and Haley Blodgett.

SEASON OPENER
The Montana State women's basketball team will open its 2014-15 season at a familiar place - Boise State University. Tenth-year Bobcat Head Coach Tricia (Bader) Binford graduated from Boise State in 1996. As a player for the Broncos, Binford guided BSU to one of its finest eras during the early to mid-90s. A three-time All-Big Sky Conference selection, Binford led Boise State to a national ranking (17) and the NCAA Tournament in 1994. The 1993-94 BSU squad will be recognized at halftime of the game on Friday night. For her efforts in the Orange and Blue, Binford was named the 1996 Idaho NCAA Woman of the Year and was inducted in the Boise State Hall of Fame in 2001.

FOR THE OLD-TIMERS, ANOTHER FAMILIAR FACE
Following its game in Boise, the Bobcats will travel to Cal State Fullerton on Sunday. As Tricia Binford was guiding her Boise State squad to a NCAA Tournament appearance in 1994, CS Fullerton Head Coach Daron Park was graduating from Montana State. A product of Great Falls, Montana, Park parlayed his Health Enhancement degree into an outstanding career coaching women's basketball at the highest level. Park served as an assistant coach at Utah; interim head coach and assistant at Maryland; associate head coach at Louisiana Tech, assistant coach at Cal; associate head coach at USC; and is currently in his second-year at CS Fullerton, after guiding the Titans to a 12-18 mark last season. Park served as a student manager under Bobcat head coach Mick Durham.

ON DISPLAY
The Montana State women's basketball played a pair of exhibition games in Worthington Arena in preparation for the regular-season. In its first outing of the season, MSU defeated Carroll College 59-49 on Nov. 1. Junior Jasmine Hommes paced the Bobcats with 19 points, while Lindsay Stockton came off the bench to record 16 points. In addition, Stockton channeled her father and NBA legend John Stockton dishing out a game-best eight assists. In its final exhibition, Montana State defeated NCAA Division II member Minot State 84-71 on Nov. 9. Five Bobcats reached double-figures led by Hommes with 17, Hannah Caudill 16, Kalli Durham 15, Jackie Elliott 12 and Alexa Dawkins 11. Durham and Dawkins paced MSU under the glass with nine and eight rebounds, respectively. For the two games, the Bobcats shot 42 percent from the field.