Cats Host Yellowjackets in Saturday Afternoon Affair

Saturday, November 25

BOZEMAN

2 p.m.

Montana State University

MSU Billings

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Photo by: Rich Schmitt

11/22/2017 3:48:00 PM | Women's Basketball

The Montana State women’s basketball team will host sister school MSU Billings on Saturday at 2 p.m. in Worthington Arena.

By: Tom Schulz

MSU WBB NOTES l MSUB WBB NOTES l WATCH LIVE l LISTEN LIVE l LIVE STATS

MSU BILLINGS (5-0) at MONTANA STATE (2-2)
Date: Saturday, November 25, 2017
Tipoff: 2:00 p.m. (MST)
Site: Worthington Arena (7,000) * Bozeman, MT
Radio: 1450 KMMS-AM; Play-by-Play with Jason Alvine
Live Video: Pluto TV Channel 238; WatchBigSky.com
Live Stats: bobcatstats.com
Live Audio: msubobcats.com/watch

NEXT UP: The Montana State women's basketball team will host sister school MSU Billings on Saturday at 2 p.m. in Worthington Arena. The game will count for the Bobcats, while the Yellowjackets will use the contest as an exhibition and will not count on their season record.

ON A SERIES NOTE: Saturday's meeting with MSU Billings will be the 21st between the two schools. The Bobcats hold a 12-8 lead in the all-time series dating back to the 1976-77 season. MSU has won the last two from the Yellowjackets. The Cats won the last decision (76-57) on Dec. 15, 2014. MSU Billings last won in Bozeman (57-54) on Dec. 29, 2012. Montana State has won 11 of the last 12 meetings.

NO PLACE LIKE HOME: The Bobcats finished its 2016-17 home season with a perfect 13-0 mark. Its current 26-game home winning streak is third longest at the NCAA Division I level, behind UConn 68, UCLA 32. The 26-game home win streak is a Montana State school-record.

THE NITTY GRITTY: The Bobcats finished the 2016-17 season ranked No. 59 in the NCAA's final Nitty Gritty listings. It was the highest a MSU team has ever been ranked. The next closest Big Sky team was Northern Colorado at No. 128.

MONTANA STATE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Madeline Smith averaged 13.5 points and an impressive 16.5 rebounds last week as the Bobcats went 1-1 with a victory over Providence to extend its home win streak to 26 – the third longest in the nation. For her efforts, Smith was named Montana State's Player of the Week. Against the Argos, she hauled down a career-high 19 rebounds, just two shy of the MSU record. In MSU's loss at Omaha, the Snohomish, Wash., product posted her first career double-double with 18 points and 14 rebounds. For the two games, she shot 60 percent (12-20) from the field and added an assist, a block and a steal.

WINDEX MOMENT: Sophomore Madeline Smith was a workhorse under the glass for the Bobcats against Providence on Nov. 15. The 6-2 forward from Snohomish, Wash., pulled down a career-high 19 rebounds. She had 11 boards against the Argos in the first half of action. Her 19 rebounds were just two shy of matching the all-time Montana State record of 21 rebounds held by former Bobcat standout, MSU Hall of Famer and WNBA player Cass Bauer. Bauer set the mark of 21 rebounds against Rhode Island on Jan. 7, 1994.

THE SCOUTING REPORT: MSU Billings is 5-0 following its heading into its 80-64 win over South Dakota Mines on Tuesday. Last weekend, the Yellowjackets won its own tournament defeating Concordia (OR) 72-65 and Chadron State (69-59). On the season, they been paced by Alisha Breen and Vanessa Stavish, who average 18.4 and 10.8 points, respectively. Breen, a 5-10 senior, also averages 9.0 rebounds.