Freshman Hannah Caudill posted 16 points in MSU's win over Minot State.
Photo by: R. Dean Hendrickson
Strong First Half Propels Bobcat Women to Exhibition Victory
11/9/2014 5:54:00 PM | Women's Basketball
“We were able to get steals and stops and that helped set the tempo in the first half,” Binford said. “I thought our shot selection was solid and we knocked down the open look. Hannah and Jackie gave us a nice lift off the bench.”
The first half was exactly what Montana State Head Coach Tricia Binford wanted. The second half, not so much. In the end, the Bobcats recorded an 84-71 win over Minot State in exhibition action, Sunday afternoon in Worthington Arena.
MSU came out red-hot shooting 56 percent in the opening stanza, building a 52-36 advantage at intermission. True-freshman Hannah Caudill came off the bench to provide the offensive spark, scoring 14 points, while Ausha Cole and Jackie Elliott paced MSU on the defensive end with five and four steals, respectively.
"We were able to get steals and stops and that helped set the tempo in the first half," Binford said. "I thought our shot selection was solid and we knocked down the open look. Hannah and Jackie gave us a nice lift off the bench."
Alexa Dawkins opened the second period with a jumper and MSU held an 18-point advantage. However, Minot State went on a 16-5 run led by senior Christina Boag with eight points, to pull within 59-52 at the 15-minutes, five-second mark.
The Beavers were able to close to within 69-63 with six minutes, 13-seconds remaining on a pair of free throws, but Dawkins converted an old-fashion three-point play on the next possession to give the Bobcats a comfortable margin down the stretch.
Boag finished with a career-high 30 points for Minot State, while pulling down nine rebounds. The Beavers out-rebounded the Bobcats 39-34.
Montana State finished shooting 43 percent from the field, which included an icy 31 percent in the second half. The Bobcats forced 27 Minot State turnovers, while posting just 11 miscues of their own.
"Obviously, we are disappointed with our second half effort and that's something we'll address heading into the season-opener at Boise State," Binford said. "We have to do a better job keeping our energy and intensity up. We need to do a better job on the boards and shore-up the interior defense."
In all, five Bobcats reached double-figures, led by Jasmine Hommes with 17 points. Also in double-digits were Caudill 16, Kalli Durham 15, Elliott 12 and Dawkins 11.
MSU was paced under the glass by Durham and Dawkins with nine and eight rebounds, respectively. Cole finished with a game-high seven steals, while Elliott notched five.
Montana State will open its regular-season at Boise State on Nov. 14.
MSU came out red-hot shooting 56 percent in the opening stanza, building a 52-36 advantage at intermission. True-freshman Hannah Caudill came off the bench to provide the offensive spark, scoring 14 points, while Ausha Cole and Jackie Elliott paced MSU on the defensive end with five and four steals, respectively.
"We were able to get steals and stops and that helped set the tempo in the first half," Binford said. "I thought our shot selection was solid and we knocked down the open look. Hannah and Jackie gave us a nice lift off the bench."
Alexa Dawkins opened the second period with a jumper and MSU held an 18-point advantage. However, Minot State went on a 16-5 run led by senior Christina Boag with eight points, to pull within 59-52 at the 15-minutes, five-second mark.
The Beavers were able to close to within 69-63 with six minutes, 13-seconds remaining on a pair of free throws, but Dawkins converted an old-fashion three-point play on the next possession to give the Bobcats a comfortable margin down the stretch.
Boag finished with a career-high 30 points for Minot State, while pulling down nine rebounds. The Beavers out-rebounded the Bobcats 39-34.
Montana State finished shooting 43 percent from the field, which included an icy 31 percent in the second half. The Bobcats forced 27 Minot State turnovers, while posting just 11 miscues of their own.
"Obviously, we are disappointed with our second half effort and that's something we'll address heading into the season-opener at Boise State," Binford said. "We have to do a better job keeping our energy and intensity up. We need to do a better job on the boards and shore-up the interior defense."
In all, five Bobcats reached double-figures, led by Jasmine Hommes with 17 points. Also in double-digits were Caudill 16, Kalli Durham 15, Elliott 12 and Dawkins 11.
MSU was paced under the glass by Durham and Dawkins with nine and eight rebounds, respectively. Cole finished with a game-high seven steals, while Elliott notched five.
Montana State will open its regular-season at Boise State on Nov. 14.
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