Bobcat Women Begin Stretch Drive

Thursday, February 26

BOZEMAN

7 p.m.

Montana State University

Eastern Washington University

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Senior Jackie Elliott

Photo by: R. Dean Hendrickson

2/25/2015 4:36:00 PM | Women's Basketball

This weekend will be pivotal for Montana State in terms of making the eight-team Big Sky Conference Tournament.

By: Tom Schulz

AND DOWN THE STRETCH THEY COME:
The Montana State women's basketball team will close out its regular-season schedule with three consecutive homes games in Worthington Arena. The Bobcats will face one of the hottest teams in the Big Sky Conference on Thursday, Feb. 26, when it hosts Eastern Washington at 7 p.m. The Eagles are on a six-game winning streak. MSU will close out the weekend against Idaho, Saturday, Feb. 28 at 2 p.m. Montana State will close its home schedule with the annual Brawl of the Wild contest against Montana, March 7 at 2 p.m.

THIS WEEK'S VITALS:
Montana State is 12-14 overall and 6-9 in Big Sky Conference action, after splitting a pair of road games last weekend. The Bobcats downed Weber State 60-49 in Ogden, before dropping a heart-breaking 87-74 overtime decision to Idaho State. Eastern Washington is 17-8 overall and 10-4 in Big Sky action. EWU has won six straight, including wins over Montana and Sacramento State. Idaho, who plays at Montana on Thursday night before making the trip down I-90 to Bozeman on Saturday, is 12-13 overall and 6-8 in league games. The Vandals have won three of its last four games.

A LITTLE TOURNEY TALK:
This weekend will be pivotal for Montana State in terms of making the eight-team Big Sky Conference Tournament. Montana, Eastern Washington and Sacramento State have already secured a spot, leaving five slots up for grabs. North Dakota and Northern Colorado have the upper hand for the Nos. 4-5 positions based on nine victories. Northern Arizona (7-7), Idaho State (7-8) Idaho (6-8), Montana State (6-9), Weber State (6-9) and Southern Utah (5-9) will most likely battle for the remaining three openings. NAU will host North Dakota and Northern Colorado this weekend, before finishing play at Portland State and Sacramento State. ISU hosts Weber State on Saturday, before ending at Eastern Washington and Idaho. UI makes the Montana trip this weekend and finishes at home with Weber State and Idaho State. MSU plays EWU, Idaho and Montana, all at home. Weber State finishes its last three on the road at Idaho State, Idaho and Eastern Washington. Southern Utah will host Northern Colorado and North Dakota this weekend, before finishing at Sacramento State and Portland State.

TRENDING TOPICS:
Look for the 70-point mark to most likely decide the outcome of any Bobcat game. MSU is 8-2 when scoring over 70 points and just 4-12 when being held under 70 points. Likewise, Montana State's opponents are 12-2 when scoring over 70 points and just 2-10 when being held under 70 points...the Bobcats are 0-9 when trailing at halftime...twenty-one of MSU's 26 games have been decided by more than 10 points...the Battle of the Boards is also important to Montana State. MSU is 9-3 when out-rebounding its opponents and just 2-11 when its opponents own the glass...MSU is 10-4 when it has more assists.

THE SCOUTING REPORT:
Eastern Washington 17-8 overall, 10-4 Big Sky: The Eagles have won six straight games, including wins over Montana and Sacramento State, both of which have secured Big Sky playoff spots. EWU boasts all five starters in double-figure scoring, paced by Hayley Hodgins at 16.4 points per contest. Outside its starting five, the Eagles fall off drastically in scoring as the first person off the bench averages 2.7 ppg. EWU defeated MSU 72-58 on Feb. 7 in Cheney.

CAT CHAT:
The Bobcats are ranked third in the Big Sky shooting 42.0 percent from the field. Eastern Washington leads the league at 45 percent...MSU is ranked 95th in the nation averaging 14.3 assists per game; 83rd in field-goal percentage; and 101st in scoring offense at 68.4 ppg...Individually, Lindsay Stockton is 86th in the nation averaging 4.3 assists per game...The Gonzaga Prep graduate is also 156th overall in assist/turnover ratio at +1.47...Jasmine Hommes is ranked 90th in the country shooting 47.9 percent from the floor. In addition, she is 93rd in scoring at 16.8 points per game...in the most current RPI, the Big Sky falls out as follows Montana 104, Sacramento State 130, Eastern Washington 137, North Dakota 148, Northern Colorado 182, Idaho 190, Montana State 196, Southern Utah 240, Idaho State 241, Weber State 252, Northern Arizona 274, and Portland State 304.

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 26 games to date. Stockton is third in the Big Sky Conference averaging 4.3 assists per game. She posted a career-high ten assists at North Dakota on Jan. 1 to ring in the New Year. She has also posted 21-of-26 games without a negative assist/turnover ratio.

KICKIN' IT:
Jackie Elliott has started all 26 games for the Bobcats and is averaging 7.6 points and a team-best 6.5 rebounds per game. The Billings Central grad became part of MSU's prestigious 500 rebound club a month ago. Her 556 boards are 15th all-time. Not 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 49 career double-figure scoring games in four seasons. Durham's 135 career 3-pointers are fourth 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 recorded a career-high with 25 points in MSU's win over North Dakota on Feb. 14. The Lynden Christian product has recorded nine 20+ scoring games in 24 outings this season. She leads the Bobcats in scoring, averaging 16.8 points per game, which is good for third in the league. The 2013-14 Second-Team All-Big Sky honoree started all 30 games, last year. Hommes also has strong ties to the MSU women's basketball. 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.

THE WHEELS ON THE BUS:
Sophomore redshirt Peyton Ferris has overcome the injury bug and is currently MSU's third leading scorer. The Twin Bridges native is averaging 9.0 points per and 5.3 rebounds per contest. Ferris had a career game at Montana notching 20 points and 12 boards for her first career double-double.

DIAPER DANDIES:
MSU's three freshmen on the active Bobcat roster have made significant contributions. Delany Junkermier, a 6-foot product of Mead High School in Spokane, is second in the Big Sky shooting 38 percent from beyond the arc. Hannah Caudill has played in all 26 games, including eight starts and is first on the team with 31 triples. Bozeman's Amy Davis is averaging 3.0 rebounds per game.

THE LILAC CITY:
The Bobcats have three players representing Spokane, Washington - The Lilac City. Lindsay Stockton, Hannah Caudill and Delany Junkermier combined for 21 points, seven rebounds, nine assists and two 3-pointers at Idaho and Eastern Washington. Junkermier, a graduate of Mead High School, has connected on 31-of-92 from beyond the 3-point arc shooting 38 percent, while Caudill is averaging 7.2 points and 2.1 rebounds in 26 games. Stockton and Caudill played together at Gonzaga Prep.

BOZEMAN INK:
Annika Lai, a 6-1 guard from Boulder, Colorado signed a National Letter-of-Intent to play for the Montana State women's basketball program next season. Lai, who preps at Fairview High School, averaged 15 points, six rebounds, two blocks and two steals per game as a junior, guiding her squad to the second-round of the Colorado 5A state tournament. Lai comes from a strong basketball pedigree as mother, the former Amy Mathern, was a member of Colorado's 1993 Elite Eight team that knocked-off defending national champion Stanford at the NCAA West Regionals in Missoula.