Thursday, December 6
Nacogdoches, TX
10 a.m.
Montana State University
at
Stephen F. Austin
Photo by: R. Dean Hendrickson
Cats Make Second Trip to Lone Star State
12/5/2018 2:55:00 PM | Women's Basketball
The Bobcat women’s basketball team will return to the Lone Star State for the second time in three weeks when it travels to Nacogdoches on Thursday morning to face Stephen F. Austin; and Fort Worth on Saturday for an afternoon encounter at TCU (12 p.m.). Previously, the Bobcats played in a WNIT consolation pod at Texas State in San Marcos, Nov. 16-17.
WHO: Montana State at Stephen F. Austin
WHEN: Thursday, Dec. 6, 2018 @10 a.m. (MT)
WHERE: Nacogdoches, TX - WRJ Coliseum (7,203)
RECORDS: MSU- 4-2, 0-0; SFA- 5-2, 0-0
SERIES: Montana State 1-0
LAST MTG: 12/9/17 @Montana State 59, SFA 54 – OT
RADIO: 1450 KMMS-AM with Jason Alvine
NEXT UP: The Bobcat women's basketball team will return to the Lone Star State for the second time in three weeks when it travels to Nacogdoches on Thursday morning to face Stephen F. Austin; and Fort Worth on Saturday for an afternoon encounter at TCU (12 p.m.). Previously, the Bobcats played in a WNIT consolation pod at Texas State in San Marcos, Nov. 16-17.
ON A SERIES NOTE: The Bobcats and Stephen F. Austin have meet just once (last season) with Montana State defeating the Lumberjacks 59-54 in overtime on Dec. 9, 2017 within the confines of Worthington Arena. Bobcat junior Oliana Squires led all players with 20 points, including a six-of-10 effort from long distance. Junior Madeline Smith also chipped in a double-double with ten points and 12 rebounds as the Bobcats overcame a three-point halftime deficit. A pair of Squires' free throws with 24-seconds remaining put the game into overtime. In the extra period, Squires hit a triple at the 4:16 mark to ignite a 7-0 run and the Bobcats never looked back. Stephen F. Austin was led by Stevi Parker, Imani Johnson, and Chanell Hayes with nine points, apiece. SFA shot just 6.3 percent from long distance, while MSU hit at 34.6%.
THAT WAS THE GAME THAT WAS:
Montana State had six players in double-figure scoring and dominated the glass out-rebounding Long Beach State 52-22, en route an 85-62 win over the 49ers on Friday night in Worthington Arena.
Montana State (4-2) jumped out early out-scoring Long Beach State (1-6) 25-5 in the first quarter. The Bobcats were paced in the opening 10-minutes by Claire Lundberg and Oliana Squires with six points apiece. As a team, MSU shot 53 percent from the field and held a 17-4 advantage on the boards.
"We responded really well from our last road trip and set the tone early," said 14th-year MSU head coach Tricia Binford. "We showed that we can be a really strong rebounding team." The Bobcats built a 22-point lead at the 2:05 mark of the second quarter on a layup by Madeline Smith and held a 43-24 advantage at intermission.
MSU opened the third frame with six consecutive points and held a 20-point cushion throughout the quarter. The Bobcats built its largest lead of the contest at 76-44 with 6:43 remaining on a Tori Martell three-pointers.
Blaire Braxton came off the bench to pace MSU with a career-high 15 points, connecting on five-of-five from the field and five-of-five from the free throw line. MSU's other post player Madeline Smith recorded a double-double with 10 points and a game-best 11 rebounds.
"We have two fives that are super seasoned and experienced, and also very tough." Binford said.
Also in double-digits for the Cats were Squires 13, Claire Lundberg and Martha Kuderer 12, and Martell 10. MSU shot 48.4 percent for the game and held the 49ers to 38.2 percent.
Montana State did a nice job shutting down LBS's leading scorer Shanaijah Davison. The 5-8 sophomore guard entered the game averaging 16.3 points per contest. MSU held her to five points on two-of-17 from the field.
PRESEASON WNIT: Montana State played in the preseason WNIT for the first time in its history. Along with MSU and MU, participating in this season's WNIT were Iowa State, Niagara, Northern Illinois, Yale, New Mexico, Texas State, Auburn, Nicholls State, Miami, Stephen F. Austin, Hartford, Morgan State, Northern Iowa and Delaware. The Bobcats fell at #19 Marquette 100-52 in Milwaukee on Nov. 9. MSU rebounded to win its consolation pod defeating Delaware 69-60 and Texas State 67-59. Marquette went on to defeat Northern Iowa 102-61, before falling to Miami 63-55 in the semifinals. Iowa State captured the 2018 WNIT title with a convincing 75-52 decision over Miami on Nov. 18.
MORE ON THE LUMBERJACKS: Stephen F. Austin enters Thursday morning's game with a 5-2 overall mark. The Lumberjacks also participated in the WNIT, where it lost in the opening-round to No. 25/24 Miami. SFA went on to win two games hosting a consolation pod. The Lumberjacks are coached by a familiar face. Mark Kellogg is in his fourth season at Stephen F. Austin. Kellogg began his coaching career at Montana State from 2001-2005. He went on to coach both Fort Lewis and West Texas A&M to NCAA D-II National Championships games. His current career record stands at 322-94. Kellogg is assisted by former MSU standout Rebecca Alvidrez. Alvidrez, who played at MSU from 2000-02, will be inducted into the Bobcat Hall of Fame in February. On the season, SFA has been paced by Chanell Hayes and Imani Johnson, who average 17.0 and 11.9 points per game, respectively.
LAUDING LUNDBERG: Transfer Claire Lundberg has already made an impact on the court for the Bobcat women's basketball program. Lundberg was named last week's Big Sky Conference Player of the Week for Nov. 20 after averaging 27 points and six rebounds per game as MSU knocked-off Delaware and Texas State in WNIT action. For the two games, the native of Andover, Minn., shot 76.2 percent from the field, 83.3 percent from beyond the arc; and was 17-17 at the charity stripe. In addition, she registered three steals. The Anoka High School product is third in the Big Sky averaging 19 points per contest. She is second in the league in field-goal percentage (54.2) and free throw percent (89.3). Her current free throw percentage ranks 43rd in the nation, while her field-goal percentage ranks 66th overall. Lundberg had connected on her first 22 free throw attempts of the season, before missing her first FT at Wyoming. Against Texas State on Nov. 17, Lundberg didn't miss a shot in 30 minutes of action, connecting on eight-of-eight from the field; four-of-four from long distance; and six-of-six from the line. The 6-1 Seton Hall transfer posted a season-best 28 points in Montana State's 69-60 win over Delaware on Nov. 16. In MSU's win over Long Beach State last Friday night, Lundberg posted 12 points on five-of-12 from the field.
KUDERER'S KUDOS: Junior Martha Kuderer, who also sat out last season after transferring from Seton Hall, had an outstanding couple of games against Delaware and Texas State to close out MSU's play in the WNIT. Kuderer, a 5-11 forward from Eden Prairie, Minn., averaged 19 points and 7.5 rebounds, while shooting 62.5 percent from the field against the Blue Hens and Bobcats. She had her best outing against Texas State with a season-high 21 points, connecting on 8-12 from the floor. In MSU's win over Delaware, Kuderer posted 17 points and 10 rebounds for her first double-double as a Bobcat. Against Long Beach State, she recorded 12 points and five rebounds.
HOLY MOLY, OLI: Oliana Squires is averaging 10.8 points per game through the first six games of the season. The Colorado Springs, Colo., product notched a season-high 14 points at Marquette. Against the No. 19-ranked team in the nation, Squires nailed four 3-pointers. She has been in double-digit scoring in four of MSU's six games to date. Squires is currently ranked 11th in the Big Sky Conference in three-point field-goal percentage and 3-point FGs per game.
TORI, TORI, TORI: Montana State sharp-shooter Tori Martell is still looking for a consistent stroke this season. The Somerset, Wis., native is just nine-of-43 from long distance. Last season, Martell connected on 36 three-pointers, including 19 in the last eight games of the season. She is currently averaging 7.7 points per game. Martel registered a season-high ten points in MSU's win over Long Beach. She also pulled down a career-high seven boards vs. the 49ers.
BARDS OF THE BLOCK: Juniors Madeline Smith and Blaire Braxton have manned the blocks for the Bobcats the past two seasons. The duo has also swapped starting time at the five and each average over 17 minutes or more per contest. Braxton, a product of Highlands Ranch, Colo., is first on the team hauling down 6.3 rebounds per game, while Smith, from Snohomish, Wash., is second averaging 6.2 per contest. Braxton's best outing of the season came against Long Beach State with a career-high 15 points going 5-5 from the field and 5-5 from the line. Smith registered ten points and 11 boards against Long Beach State for her first double-double of the season.
FEET TO THE FIRE: Freshmen Gabby Mocchi and Kamden Hilborn have seen action in all six games for the Bobcats, while another frosh, Halle Wright, made her debut for the Bobcats last week against Wyoming and Long Beach State. Mocchi notched eight points against the Cowgirls, which included a pair of 3-pointers. On the season, she is averaging 2.2 points and 2.5 rebounds per contest. Hilborn, who is averaging 12.1 minutes per game, posted two points vs. Long Beach. Wright finished her first week of play with eight points and three boards vs. LBS.
THROWING SHAIDE: Junior Madisyn Shaide had a career night against one of the best squads in the nation this season. Against No. 19 Marquette, the Missoula native went two-of-four from beyond the arc for a career-high six points. The Big Sky High School graduate also added an assist.
400 GAMES MILESTONE: 14th-year head coach Tricia Binford will be coaching her 400th game at the helm of the Montana State basketball program on Thursday morning when the Bobcats play at Stephen F. Austin. She is first at Montana State in games coached (399) and victories (216).
THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO HMM: Marquette, who was Montana State's opening round opponent in the WNIT, has had to move their last two home games after a car crashed into the Al McGuire Center ending up on the floor. The crash happened in the early morning hours of Nov. 24. MSU played the Golden Eagles on Nov. 9.
NO PLACE LIKE HOME: The Cats saw the nation's second longest home court win streak snapped against Portland State on Jan. 11, 2018. The loss broke MSU's 31-game home streak, which was second to national power UConn (78). Before the loss to PSU, Montana State's last defeat in Worthington Arena was a 62-49 decision to San Diego on Nov. 24, 2015. MSU has won 37 of its last 39 games in The Brick. The Bobcats are averaging 4,135 fans per game, which includes its sold out crowd of 6,772 against Carroll College on Nov. 6. MSU is ranked 21st in the nation in attendance.
WHEN: Thursday, Dec. 6, 2018 @10 a.m. (MT)
WHERE: Nacogdoches, TX - WRJ Coliseum (7,203)
RECORDS: MSU- 4-2, 0-0; SFA- 5-2, 0-0
SERIES: Montana State 1-0
LAST MTG: 12/9/17 @Montana State 59, SFA 54 – OT
RADIO: 1450 KMMS-AM with Jason Alvine
NEXT UP: The Bobcat women's basketball team will return to the Lone Star State for the second time in three weeks when it travels to Nacogdoches on Thursday morning to face Stephen F. Austin; and Fort Worth on Saturday for an afternoon encounter at TCU (12 p.m.). Previously, the Bobcats played in a WNIT consolation pod at Texas State in San Marcos, Nov. 16-17.
ON A SERIES NOTE: The Bobcats and Stephen F. Austin have meet just once (last season) with Montana State defeating the Lumberjacks 59-54 in overtime on Dec. 9, 2017 within the confines of Worthington Arena. Bobcat junior Oliana Squires led all players with 20 points, including a six-of-10 effort from long distance. Junior Madeline Smith also chipped in a double-double with ten points and 12 rebounds as the Bobcats overcame a three-point halftime deficit. A pair of Squires' free throws with 24-seconds remaining put the game into overtime. In the extra period, Squires hit a triple at the 4:16 mark to ignite a 7-0 run and the Bobcats never looked back. Stephen F. Austin was led by Stevi Parker, Imani Johnson, and Chanell Hayes with nine points, apiece. SFA shot just 6.3 percent from long distance, while MSU hit at 34.6%.
THAT WAS THE GAME THAT WAS:
Montana State had six players in double-figure scoring and dominated the glass out-rebounding Long Beach State 52-22, en route an 85-62 win over the 49ers on Friday night in Worthington Arena.
Montana State (4-2) jumped out early out-scoring Long Beach State (1-6) 25-5 in the first quarter. The Bobcats were paced in the opening 10-minutes by Claire Lundberg and Oliana Squires with six points apiece. As a team, MSU shot 53 percent from the field and held a 17-4 advantage on the boards.
"We responded really well from our last road trip and set the tone early," said 14th-year MSU head coach Tricia Binford. "We showed that we can be a really strong rebounding team." The Bobcats built a 22-point lead at the 2:05 mark of the second quarter on a layup by Madeline Smith and held a 43-24 advantage at intermission.
MSU opened the third frame with six consecutive points and held a 20-point cushion throughout the quarter. The Bobcats built its largest lead of the contest at 76-44 with 6:43 remaining on a Tori Martell three-pointers.
Blaire Braxton came off the bench to pace MSU with a career-high 15 points, connecting on five-of-five from the field and five-of-five from the free throw line. MSU's other post player Madeline Smith recorded a double-double with 10 points and a game-best 11 rebounds.
"We have two fives that are super seasoned and experienced, and also very tough." Binford said.
Also in double-digits for the Cats were Squires 13, Claire Lundberg and Martha Kuderer 12, and Martell 10. MSU shot 48.4 percent for the game and held the 49ers to 38.2 percent.
Montana State did a nice job shutting down LBS's leading scorer Shanaijah Davison. The 5-8 sophomore guard entered the game averaging 16.3 points per contest. MSU held her to five points on two-of-17 from the field.
PRESEASON WNIT: Montana State played in the preseason WNIT for the first time in its history. Along with MSU and MU, participating in this season's WNIT were Iowa State, Niagara, Northern Illinois, Yale, New Mexico, Texas State, Auburn, Nicholls State, Miami, Stephen F. Austin, Hartford, Morgan State, Northern Iowa and Delaware. The Bobcats fell at #19 Marquette 100-52 in Milwaukee on Nov. 9. MSU rebounded to win its consolation pod defeating Delaware 69-60 and Texas State 67-59. Marquette went on to defeat Northern Iowa 102-61, before falling to Miami 63-55 in the semifinals. Iowa State captured the 2018 WNIT title with a convincing 75-52 decision over Miami on Nov. 18.
MORE ON THE LUMBERJACKS: Stephen F. Austin enters Thursday morning's game with a 5-2 overall mark. The Lumberjacks also participated in the WNIT, where it lost in the opening-round to No. 25/24 Miami. SFA went on to win two games hosting a consolation pod. The Lumberjacks are coached by a familiar face. Mark Kellogg is in his fourth season at Stephen F. Austin. Kellogg began his coaching career at Montana State from 2001-2005. He went on to coach both Fort Lewis and West Texas A&M to NCAA D-II National Championships games. His current career record stands at 322-94. Kellogg is assisted by former MSU standout Rebecca Alvidrez. Alvidrez, who played at MSU from 2000-02, will be inducted into the Bobcat Hall of Fame in February. On the season, SFA has been paced by Chanell Hayes and Imani Johnson, who average 17.0 and 11.9 points per game, respectively.
LAUDING LUNDBERG: Transfer Claire Lundberg has already made an impact on the court for the Bobcat women's basketball program. Lundberg was named last week's Big Sky Conference Player of the Week for Nov. 20 after averaging 27 points and six rebounds per game as MSU knocked-off Delaware and Texas State in WNIT action. For the two games, the native of Andover, Minn., shot 76.2 percent from the field, 83.3 percent from beyond the arc; and was 17-17 at the charity stripe. In addition, she registered three steals. The Anoka High School product is third in the Big Sky averaging 19 points per contest. She is second in the league in field-goal percentage (54.2) and free throw percent (89.3). Her current free throw percentage ranks 43rd in the nation, while her field-goal percentage ranks 66th overall. Lundberg had connected on her first 22 free throw attempts of the season, before missing her first FT at Wyoming. Against Texas State on Nov. 17, Lundberg didn't miss a shot in 30 minutes of action, connecting on eight-of-eight from the field; four-of-four from long distance; and six-of-six from the line. The 6-1 Seton Hall transfer posted a season-best 28 points in Montana State's 69-60 win over Delaware on Nov. 16. In MSU's win over Long Beach State last Friday night, Lundberg posted 12 points on five-of-12 from the field.
KUDERER'S KUDOS: Junior Martha Kuderer, who also sat out last season after transferring from Seton Hall, had an outstanding couple of games against Delaware and Texas State to close out MSU's play in the WNIT. Kuderer, a 5-11 forward from Eden Prairie, Minn., averaged 19 points and 7.5 rebounds, while shooting 62.5 percent from the field against the Blue Hens and Bobcats. She had her best outing against Texas State with a season-high 21 points, connecting on 8-12 from the floor. In MSU's win over Delaware, Kuderer posted 17 points and 10 rebounds for her first double-double as a Bobcat. Against Long Beach State, she recorded 12 points and five rebounds.
HOLY MOLY, OLI: Oliana Squires is averaging 10.8 points per game through the first six games of the season. The Colorado Springs, Colo., product notched a season-high 14 points at Marquette. Against the No. 19-ranked team in the nation, Squires nailed four 3-pointers. She has been in double-digit scoring in four of MSU's six games to date. Squires is currently ranked 11th in the Big Sky Conference in three-point field-goal percentage and 3-point FGs per game.
TORI, TORI, TORI: Montana State sharp-shooter Tori Martell is still looking for a consistent stroke this season. The Somerset, Wis., native is just nine-of-43 from long distance. Last season, Martell connected on 36 three-pointers, including 19 in the last eight games of the season. She is currently averaging 7.7 points per game. Martel registered a season-high ten points in MSU's win over Long Beach. She also pulled down a career-high seven boards vs. the 49ers.
BARDS OF THE BLOCK: Juniors Madeline Smith and Blaire Braxton have manned the blocks for the Bobcats the past two seasons. The duo has also swapped starting time at the five and each average over 17 minutes or more per contest. Braxton, a product of Highlands Ranch, Colo., is first on the team hauling down 6.3 rebounds per game, while Smith, from Snohomish, Wash., is second averaging 6.2 per contest. Braxton's best outing of the season came against Long Beach State with a career-high 15 points going 5-5 from the field and 5-5 from the line. Smith registered ten points and 11 boards against Long Beach State for her first double-double of the season.
FEET TO THE FIRE: Freshmen Gabby Mocchi and Kamden Hilborn have seen action in all six games for the Bobcats, while another frosh, Halle Wright, made her debut for the Bobcats last week against Wyoming and Long Beach State. Mocchi notched eight points against the Cowgirls, which included a pair of 3-pointers. On the season, she is averaging 2.2 points and 2.5 rebounds per contest. Hilborn, who is averaging 12.1 minutes per game, posted two points vs. Long Beach. Wright finished her first week of play with eight points and three boards vs. LBS.
THROWING SHAIDE: Junior Madisyn Shaide had a career night against one of the best squads in the nation this season. Against No. 19 Marquette, the Missoula native went two-of-four from beyond the arc for a career-high six points. The Big Sky High School graduate also added an assist.
400 GAMES MILESTONE: 14th-year head coach Tricia Binford will be coaching her 400th game at the helm of the Montana State basketball program on Thursday morning when the Bobcats play at Stephen F. Austin. She is first at Montana State in games coached (399) and victories (216).
THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO HMM: Marquette, who was Montana State's opening round opponent in the WNIT, has had to move their last two home games after a car crashed into the Al McGuire Center ending up on the floor. The crash happened in the early morning hours of Nov. 24. MSU played the Golden Eagles on Nov. 9.
NO PLACE LIKE HOME: The Cats saw the nation's second longest home court win streak snapped against Portland State on Jan. 11, 2018. The loss broke MSU's 31-game home streak, which was second to national power UConn (78). Before the loss to PSU, Montana State's last defeat in Worthington Arena was a 62-49 decision to San Diego on Nov. 24, 2015. MSU has won 37 of its last 39 games in The Brick. The Bobcats are averaging 4,135 fans per game, which includes its sold out crowd of 6,772 against Carroll College on Nov. 6. MSU is ranked 21st in the nation in attendance.
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