Bobcat Women Take to the Golden State

Tuesday, November 25

San Diego, CA

6 p.m.

Montana State University

University of San Diego

Montana State Head Coach Tricia Binford and senior Ausha Cole

Photo by: R. Dean Hendrickson

11/25/2014 3:44:00 PM | Women's Basketball

As the predicted Montana weekend temperatures dip towards the teens, the Montana State women’s basketball team will be in sunny southern California for three games, beginning Tuesday, Nov. 25 when it faces the University of San Diego at 7 p.m. (MST) in the Jenny Craig Pavilion.

By: Tom Schulz

A HOLIDAY IN THE GOLDEN STATE:
As the predicted Montana weekend temperatures dip towards the teens, the Montana State women's basketball team will be in sunny southern California for three games, beginning Tuesday, Nov. 25 when it faces the University of San Diego at 7 p.m. (MST) in the Jenny Craig Pavilion. Following its game with the Toreros and a stop in Riverside for Thanksgiving dinner on Wednesday, the Bobcats will head northwest to Northridge where it will compete in the Radisson Chatsworth Thanksgiving Basketball Tournament hosted by CSUN. Montana State will open against the Matadors at 6 p.m. (MST), Friday, Nov. 28 in the Matadome. The Bobcats will play either Texas Southern or IUPUI on Saturday, Nov. 29 in the championship game at 3:30 p.m., or third-place game slated for 1 p.m.

THIS WEEK'S VITALS:
Montana State is 2-2 overall, after going 1-1 in Worthington Arena last weekend against #24 Gonzaga and Seattle U. San Diego is currently 3-0 overall, which includes a 58-52 win over Big Sky foe Idaho, last Saturday in Moscow. Cal State Northridge is 4-0 on the year with wins over Idaho (67-50), Sacramento State (81-66), BYU and Portland. Texas Southern is 0-3 overall, while IUPUI is 1-2 on the season.

REWINDING THE WEEK THAT WAS:
The Bobcats went 1-1 in Worthington Arena last weekend. Montana State scored the first nine points of the game and never looked back recording a 74-61 win over Seattle U, Sunday afternoon in front of 1,067 in Worthington Arena. For the game, Montana State was led by Jasmine Hommes with a game-high 20 points. The product of Lynden, Washington connected on 10-16 from the field. Also in double-figures were Alexa Dawkins 14 and Kalli Durham 10. MSU shot 46 percent for the game, while holding SU to 30 percent. The Bobcats dished out a season-high 25 assists, led by Lindsay Stockton with seven and freshman Hannah Caudill with five. On Friday, MSU dropped an 89-60 decision to #24 Gonzaga. The Zags scored the first 17 points of the game. MSU out-scored GU 42-38 in the second period. Montana State had two players in double-figures led by Hommes with 11 and Stockton with ten. Dawkins finished with nine points and a team-high eight rebounds.

THE SCOUTING REPORT:
San Diego enters Tuesday's game with a perfect 3-0 mark, including a 58-52 win at Big Sky foe Idaho on Saturday. Senior forward Sophia Ederaine has paced USD this season. Ederaine was named West Coast Conference Player of the Week as she helped lead the Toreros to a 2-0 record this past week. Ederaine averaged a double-double with a 13.0 ppg and a 11.5 rpg to go along with 5.0 blocks per game. San Diego was picked to finish third in the WCC preseason poll behind Gonzaga and BYU. USD and MSU have had a common opponent in the early season as the Bobcat knocked off Cal State Fullerton 63-47, while USD dumped CSF 60-54. Cal State Northridge is 4-0 on the season. The Matadors were the preseason pick to win the Big West in a vote by the league coaches, followed by Hawai'i and Cal Poly. CSUN has three players averaging double-figures led by Janae Sharpe, who is pouring in 14 .2 ppg, while hauling down 6.8 rpg. IUPUI is 1-2 overall, with a 66-44 win over Eastern Illinois. The Jaguars host SIU-Edwardsville on Tuesday before making the trip to southern California. Texas Southern is 0-3 on the season, but has played a tough schedule at Oklahoma State, Kansas and TCU. TSU is at Tulsa on Tuesday night.

CAT CHAT:
The Bobcats rank among the top three in the conference in field-goal percentage (3rd/.426); 3-point field-goal percentage (2nd/.329); 3-point field-goals made (3rd/6.5)...MSU is ranked 104th in the country shooting 42.6 percent from the floor...The Bobcats are 100th in 3 point makes at 6.5 pg...MSU's assist/turnover ratio is a stellar +.92, good for 94th best at the NCAA Division I level...Lindsay Stockton is 63rd in the nation averaging 5.0 assist per contest...she is also listed 97th with a +2.22 assist/turnover ratio...Jasmine Hommes is 135th in the nation averaging 17.5 points per game...Hommes is also 146th in field-goal percentage at 50.8 percent.

CHIP OFF THE OLD BLOCK:
Like her dad, NBA Hall of Famer John Stockton, Lindsay Stockton has done an outstanding job distributing and taking care of the basketball in four games to date. Stockton is first on the team and fourth in the Big Sky averaging 5.00 assists per game. Her career-high eight assists are the second best recorded in the Big Sky this season. She has also posted four straight games with a positive assist/turnover ratio.

KICKIN' IT:
Senior Jackie Elliott has started all four games for the Bobcats this season and is averaging 7.5 points and a team-best 5.3 rebounds per game. The Billings Central graduate scored a weekend-high nine points against Seattle U. Against #24 Gonzaga, Elliott recorded eight points, three boards and three assists. Not too shabby for the 2011 Montana High School Gatorade Soccer Player of the Year. Currently serving as President of MSU's Student-Athlete Advisory Council, Elliott is heavily involved in community service and can be seen on TV in numerous Public Service Announcements. She is a mechanical engineering major.

BLEEDING BLUE AND GOLD:
Senior and Miles City product Kalli Durham has strong family ties to Montana State. Durham's grandfather Lin (who recently passed away), Uncle Mick and cousin Casey all played for the Bobcat men's team. The daughter of former UM-Western Athletic Director and men's basketball coach Mark Durham, she has recorded 42 career double-figure scoring games in three seasons. Durham's 116 career 3-pointers are 7th best all-time at MSU.

FATHER'S DAY:
Lindsay Stockton is the daughter of legendary NBA Hall of Famer and former Utah Jazz standout John Stockton, while Alexa Dawkins' father Dale played football on the University of Miami's 1987 National Championship team. Dawkins later went on to play wide receiver for the New York Jets from 1990-93.

ALL IN THE FAMILY:
Jasmine Hommes matched a career-high with 24 points at Cal State Fullerton, two weeks ago. The Lynden Christian product had another 20 point performance against Seattle, connecting on 10-16 from the field. She leads the Bobcats in scoring, averaging 17.5 per game. Last winter, the Second-Team All-Big Sky Conference honoree started all 30 games. Hommes also has strong ties to the MSU women's basketball program. She is the niece of former MSU and Big Sky MVP Blythe Hommes and former MSU and All-Big Sky performer Brooke Svendsen. Hommes' aunts made a combined 130 starts for MSU.

BABY TALK:
After taking off the 2012-13 season on maternity leave, Ausha Cole returned to the Bobcat line-up last winter and averaged 6.0 points and 4.3 assists per game- starting and playing in all 30 contests. Last weekend, the Mesa, Arizona native posted 4.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists. She went 2-4 from long distance against Seattle. Cole's biggest fan and daughter, Kadence, celebrated her 2nd birthday on Nov. 19.

THE LILAC CITY:
The Bobcats have three players representing Spokane, Washington - The Lilac City. Lindsay Stockton, Hannah Caudill and Delany Junkermier combined for 35 points, 18 assists, seven 3-pointers and nine rebounds last weekend. Delany, a graduate of Mead High School, paced Montana State from beyond the 3-point arc in both games. For the weekend, Junkermier went five-of-eight from long distance.