Saturday, January 19
BOZEMAN
2 p.m.
Montana State University
vs
Eastern Washington
Junior Madeline Smith
Photo by: Andrew Pedersen
Bobcat Women Host Eastern Washington
1/17/2019 5:59:00 PM | Women's Basketball
A new 20-game Big Sky schedule quirk comes into play this week. Montana State, who defeated big Sky leading Northern Colorado on Monday night in Greeley, will play just one game this weekend when it hosts Eastern Washington, Saturday, Jan. 19 at 2 p.m. in Worthington Arena.
WHO: Eastern Washington at Montana State
WHEN: Saturday, Jan. 19, 2019 @ 2 p.m. (MT)
WHERE: Bozeman, Mont. - Worthington Arena (6,772)
RECORDS: MSU- 9-7, 4-2, E. Washington- 3-11, 2-3
SERIES: Montana State 44-42
LAST MTG: Feb. 17, 2018 - @MSU 77, EWU 74
RADIO: 103.5 KZMY, Jason Alvine with play-by-play
VIDEO: Pluto TV ch. 238; WatchBigSky.com
NEXT UP: A new 20-game Big Sky schedule quirk comes into play this week. Montana State, who defeated big Sky leading Northern Colorado on Monday night in Greeley, will play just one game this weekend when it hosts Eastern Washington, Saturday, Jan. 19 at 2 p.m. in Worthington Arena.
ON A SERIES NOTE: Montana State enters today's contest with a slim 44-42 advantage in its all-time series with Eastern Washington. The series started during the 1976-77 season. In recent times, MSU has claimed the last four meeting between the two schools. The Bobcats defeated the Eagles 77-74 last season, and downed EWU on three occasions in 2017, including a 72-61 win at the Big Sky Conference Tournament. Eastern Washington's last victory in Bozeman, 66-52, came on Jan. 31, 2013.
STAT OF THE WEEK: In its 79-66 win over Northern Colorado on Monday night in Greeley, the Bobcats connected on a season-high 12 3-pointers. In addition, Montana State shot a season-best 41.4 from long distance converting 12-of-29 attempts from beyond the three-point arc.
THAT WAS THE GAME THAT WAS:
There are no more undefeated teams in Big Sky Conference play after Montana State knocked off league-leading Northern Colorado 79-66 on Monday night in Bank of Colorado Arena.
Montana State (9-7, 4-2) had five players in double-figure scoring led by Tori Martell, who came off the bench to record a career-high 19 points, which included a five-of-eight effort from beyond the three-point arc. Also scoring in double-digits were Madeline Smith 16, Oliana Squires 14, Halle Wright 14 and Claire Lundberg 10.
MSU's victory over Northern Colorado (10-5, 5-1) was its first in Greeley since defeating the Bears 68-55 on Jan. 16, 2014.
MSU got out to a 22-18 lead after the opening 10-minutes as Lundberg and freshman Gabby Mocchi each posted six points. The Bobcats used an 8-0 run midway through the second half to break away from the Bears and take a 12-point cushion into intermission. Wright posted nine points in the second period to spark the Cats.
The Bobcats built its largest lead at 56-39 with 3:03 remaining in the third quarter following a pair of Lundberg free throws. UNC responded with a 9-2 run to close out the frame and pulled to within ten points heading into the final quarter.
UNC's Savannah Smith, the reigning Big Sky Conference MVP, connected on a three-pointer with 6:03 left to get the Bears to within 62-58. The Bobcats quickly responded with a 9-0 run over the next one-minute, 38-seconds to build a 71-58 advantage on a Martell layup. UNC would get no closer than eight points down the stretch as the Bobcats converted eight-of-eight from the line in the waning minutes to secure the win.
The Bobcat bench out-scored Northern Colorado by a whopping 41-6 margin.
Montana State hit a season high 12 3-pointers shooting a season-best 41.4 percent from beyond the arc. Its 40-point first half outburst was its best since notching 43 points against Long Beach State on Nov. 30. In addition, the Bobcats dished out 19 assists, just one shy of its season-high of 20, also set against Long Beach State.
For the game, MSU shot 40.3 percent from the field and connected on an impressive 17-of-18 from the free throw line. UNC held a slim 43-42 advantage under the boards. The Bobcats were led under the glass by Smith with seven rebounds, while Wright and Lundberg each added five.
Smith paced Northern Colorado with 27 points and eight rebounds.
MORE ON THE EAGLES: The Eagles are 3-11 overall and 2-3 in Big Sky action heading into Saturday's game with the Bobcats. Eastern Washington has played some of its best ball in the last few weeks, taking league-leading Northern Colorado into overtime before dropping a 67-62 decision in Cheney. EWU turned around on Jan. 10 and defeated Montana in Missoula 68-62 in front of 2,636 Lady Griz fans. On the season, the Eagles have been paced by Violet Kapri Morrow, who is averaging a team-high 17.5 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. The 5-8 guard from Tacoma had 17 points at UM.
PRESEASON WNIT: MSU played in the preseason WNIT for the first time in its history. The Cats 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 WNIT title with a 75-52 win over Miami.
LAUDING LUNDBERG: Transfer Claire Lundberg has made an immediate impact on the court. The Anoka High School product is fourth in the Big Sky averaging 18.3 points per contest. In addition, she is first in three-point field-goal percentage (41.9); second in field-goals made (71); third in points (274) and field-goal percentage (47.8), fourth in free throw percentage (87.0), 3-pt. field-goals made (36) and 3-pt. field-goals per game (2.4) and sixth in field-goals attempted (207). Lundberg opened the season hitting her first 22 attempts from the charity stripe, just three shy to the record held by Rebecca Mercer. On the season, Lundberg has been in double-digit scoring in 14 of 15 games, including six games with 20 points or more. She posted a season-high 28 points in MSU's win over Delaware on Nov. 16. Lundberg was Big Sky Player of the Week for Nov. 20 after averaging 27 points and six rebounds as MSU knocked-off Delaware and Texas State in WNIT action. The native of Andover, Minn., threw a perfect game against Texas State on Nov. 17 hitting eight-of-eight from the field, four-of-four from long distance and six-of-six from the free throw line. Against Idaho last Thursday, she was held to single-digit scoring for the first time this season posting nine points. At UNC, Lundberg tallied 10 points and five rebounds.
HOLY MOLY, OLI: Oliana Squires is averaging 11.4 points per game. The Colorado Springs, Colo., product notched a season and career-high 21 points in MSU's win over Northern Arizona on Dec. 31. In the season-opener against No. 19-ranked Marquette, Squires nailed four 3-pointers. She has been in double-digit scoring in 11 of MSU's 16 games. Squires nearly pulled off a triple double at Sacramento State on Jan.5 with 13 points, a career-high ten rebounds and seven assists. Against UNC on Monday, she tallied 14 points and five assists.
KUDERER'S KUDOS: Junior Martha Kuderer, who also sat out last season after transferring from Seton Hall, is averaging 9.4 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. Kuderer had her best Big Sky outing recording 19 points and six rebounds in MSU's win at Sacramento State. She had her best weekend of the season as Montana State faced Delaware and Texas State in the WNIT in November when she averaged 19 points and 7.5 rebounds, while shooting 62.5 percent from the field. Kuderer 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, she posted 17 points and 10 rebounds for her first double-double at MSU. On the season, she has been in double-digit scoring on seven occasions.
BARDS OF THE BLOCK: Juniors Madeline Smith and Blaire Braxton have manned the blocks for the Bobcats the past two seasons. The duo has swapped starting time at the five and each average 19 minutes or more per contest. Braxton, a product of Highlands Ranch, Colo., is first on the team hauling down 5.9 rebounds per game, while Smith, from Snohomish, Wash., is third averaging 5.2 per contest. Braxton recorded a career-high 18 points in MSU's loss to Idaho on Thursday. For the game, she connected on seven-of-11 from the field and was four-of-six from the line. She also pulled down a team-best eight rebounds and had a block. Smith registered a season-high 16 points against Northern Colorado knocking down seven-of-10 attempts to go along with seven rebounds. Smith has been in double-figure scoring on five occasions, while Braxton has three double-digit games. On the season, the duo has combined to shoot an impressive 57 percent (90-158) from the floor.
THE WRIGHT STUFF: Freshman Halle Wright received her first start against TCU on Dec. 8. The Aumsville, Ore., product posted four assists and three rebounds in her debut against the Horned Frogs. Wright missed the first three games with a leg injury. On Monday night, Wright played an instrumental role in MSU's upset of Northern Colorado. For the game, she posted a season-high 14 points going four-of-ten from the field and five-of-six from the free throw line. In addition, Wright added five rebounds and three assists in 29 minutes of action.
TORI, TORI, TORI: Montana State sophomore Tori Martell has connected on 20 three-pointers this season. The Somerset, Wis., native connected on 36 three-pointers, including 19 in the last eight games of the season, last winter. She is currently averaging 6.0 points per game in Big Sky play. Martell found her stroke from outside in Montana State's win at Northern Colorado on Monday night. Against the Bears, Martel recorded a career-high 19 points, which included a five-of-eight performance from beyond the three-point line. She also added three rebounds.
FEET TO THE FIRE: Freshman Gabby Mocchi has played in all 16 games and is averaging 2.1 points per game. She posted a season-best eight points at Wyoming on Nov. 27. On Monday night, she connected on a pair of triples against Northern Colorado. Freshman Kamden Hilborn has played in 15 games and has dished out 22 assists, while adding eleven steals. Last Thursday against Idaho, the Helena High product played 25 minutes and had four assists.
THROWING SHAIDE: Madisyn Shaide had a career night against then No. 19 Marquette. The Missoula native went 2-of-4 from beyond the arc for a career-high six points.
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. 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 40 of its last 44 games in The Brick. The Bobcats are averaging 2,231 fans per game, which includes its sold out crowd of 6,772 against Carroll College on Nov. 6. MSU is ranked 55th in the nation in attendance.
WHEN: Saturday, Jan. 19, 2019 @ 2 p.m. (MT)
WHERE: Bozeman, Mont. - Worthington Arena (6,772)
RECORDS: MSU- 9-7, 4-2, E. Washington- 3-11, 2-3
SERIES: Montana State 44-42
LAST MTG: Feb. 17, 2018 - @MSU 77, EWU 74
RADIO: 103.5 KZMY, Jason Alvine with play-by-play
VIDEO: Pluto TV ch. 238; WatchBigSky.com
NEXT UP: A new 20-game Big Sky schedule quirk comes into play this week. Montana State, who defeated big Sky leading Northern Colorado on Monday night in Greeley, will play just one game this weekend when it hosts Eastern Washington, Saturday, Jan. 19 at 2 p.m. in Worthington Arena.
ON A SERIES NOTE: Montana State enters today's contest with a slim 44-42 advantage in its all-time series with Eastern Washington. The series started during the 1976-77 season. In recent times, MSU has claimed the last four meeting between the two schools. The Bobcats defeated the Eagles 77-74 last season, and downed EWU on three occasions in 2017, including a 72-61 win at the Big Sky Conference Tournament. Eastern Washington's last victory in Bozeman, 66-52, came on Jan. 31, 2013.
STAT OF THE WEEK: In its 79-66 win over Northern Colorado on Monday night in Greeley, the Bobcats connected on a season-high 12 3-pointers. In addition, Montana State shot a season-best 41.4 from long distance converting 12-of-29 attempts from beyond the three-point arc.
THAT WAS THE GAME THAT WAS:
There are no more undefeated teams in Big Sky Conference play after Montana State knocked off league-leading Northern Colorado 79-66 on Monday night in Bank of Colorado Arena.
Montana State (9-7, 4-2) had five players in double-figure scoring led by Tori Martell, who came off the bench to record a career-high 19 points, which included a five-of-eight effort from beyond the three-point arc. Also scoring in double-digits were Madeline Smith 16, Oliana Squires 14, Halle Wright 14 and Claire Lundberg 10.
MSU's victory over Northern Colorado (10-5, 5-1) was its first in Greeley since defeating the Bears 68-55 on Jan. 16, 2014.
MSU got out to a 22-18 lead after the opening 10-minutes as Lundberg and freshman Gabby Mocchi each posted six points. The Bobcats used an 8-0 run midway through the second half to break away from the Bears and take a 12-point cushion into intermission. Wright posted nine points in the second period to spark the Cats.
The Bobcats built its largest lead at 56-39 with 3:03 remaining in the third quarter following a pair of Lundberg free throws. UNC responded with a 9-2 run to close out the frame and pulled to within ten points heading into the final quarter.
UNC's Savannah Smith, the reigning Big Sky Conference MVP, connected on a three-pointer with 6:03 left to get the Bears to within 62-58. The Bobcats quickly responded with a 9-0 run over the next one-minute, 38-seconds to build a 71-58 advantage on a Martell layup. UNC would get no closer than eight points down the stretch as the Bobcats converted eight-of-eight from the line in the waning minutes to secure the win.
The Bobcat bench out-scored Northern Colorado by a whopping 41-6 margin.
Montana State hit a season high 12 3-pointers shooting a season-best 41.4 percent from beyond the arc. Its 40-point first half outburst was its best since notching 43 points against Long Beach State on Nov. 30. In addition, the Bobcats dished out 19 assists, just one shy of its season-high of 20, also set against Long Beach State.
For the game, MSU shot 40.3 percent from the field and connected on an impressive 17-of-18 from the free throw line. UNC held a slim 43-42 advantage under the boards. The Bobcats were led under the glass by Smith with seven rebounds, while Wright and Lundberg each added five.
Smith paced Northern Colorado with 27 points and eight rebounds.
MORE ON THE EAGLES: The Eagles are 3-11 overall and 2-3 in Big Sky action heading into Saturday's game with the Bobcats. Eastern Washington has played some of its best ball in the last few weeks, taking league-leading Northern Colorado into overtime before dropping a 67-62 decision in Cheney. EWU turned around on Jan. 10 and defeated Montana in Missoula 68-62 in front of 2,636 Lady Griz fans. On the season, the Eagles have been paced by Violet Kapri Morrow, who is averaging a team-high 17.5 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. The 5-8 guard from Tacoma had 17 points at UM.
PRESEASON WNIT: MSU played in the preseason WNIT for the first time in its history. The Cats 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 WNIT title with a 75-52 win over Miami.
LAUDING LUNDBERG: Transfer Claire Lundberg has made an immediate impact on the court. The Anoka High School product is fourth in the Big Sky averaging 18.3 points per contest. In addition, she is first in three-point field-goal percentage (41.9); second in field-goals made (71); third in points (274) and field-goal percentage (47.8), fourth in free throw percentage (87.0), 3-pt. field-goals made (36) and 3-pt. field-goals per game (2.4) and sixth in field-goals attempted (207). Lundberg opened the season hitting her first 22 attempts from the charity stripe, just three shy to the record held by Rebecca Mercer. On the season, Lundberg has been in double-digit scoring in 14 of 15 games, including six games with 20 points or more. She posted a season-high 28 points in MSU's win over Delaware on Nov. 16. Lundberg was Big Sky Player of the Week for Nov. 20 after averaging 27 points and six rebounds as MSU knocked-off Delaware and Texas State in WNIT action. The native of Andover, Minn., threw a perfect game against Texas State on Nov. 17 hitting eight-of-eight from the field, four-of-four from long distance and six-of-six from the free throw line. Against Idaho last Thursday, she was held to single-digit scoring for the first time this season posting nine points. At UNC, Lundberg tallied 10 points and five rebounds.
HOLY MOLY, OLI: Oliana Squires is averaging 11.4 points per game. The Colorado Springs, Colo., product notched a season and career-high 21 points in MSU's win over Northern Arizona on Dec. 31. In the season-opener against No. 19-ranked Marquette, Squires nailed four 3-pointers. She has been in double-digit scoring in 11 of MSU's 16 games. Squires nearly pulled off a triple double at Sacramento State on Jan.5 with 13 points, a career-high ten rebounds and seven assists. Against UNC on Monday, she tallied 14 points and five assists.
KUDERER'S KUDOS: Junior Martha Kuderer, who also sat out last season after transferring from Seton Hall, is averaging 9.4 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. Kuderer had her best Big Sky outing recording 19 points and six rebounds in MSU's win at Sacramento State. She had her best weekend of the season as Montana State faced Delaware and Texas State in the WNIT in November when she averaged 19 points and 7.5 rebounds, while shooting 62.5 percent from the field. Kuderer 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, she posted 17 points and 10 rebounds for her first double-double at MSU. On the season, she has been in double-digit scoring on seven occasions.
BARDS OF THE BLOCK: Juniors Madeline Smith and Blaire Braxton have manned the blocks for the Bobcats the past two seasons. The duo has swapped starting time at the five and each average 19 minutes or more per contest. Braxton, a product of Highlands Ranch, Colo., is first on the team hauling down 5.9 rebounds per game, while Smith, from Snohomish, Wash., is third averaging 5.2 per contest. Braxton recorded a career-high 18 points in MSU's loss to Idaho on Thursday. For the game, she connected on seven-of-11 from the field and was four-of-six from the line. She also pulled down a team-best eight rebounds and had a block. Smith registered a season-high 16 points against Northern Colorado knocking down seven-of-10 attempts to go along with seven rebounds. Smith has been in double-figure scoring on five occasions, while Braxton has three double-digit games. On the season, the duo has combined to shoot an impressive 57 percent (90-158) from the floor.
THE WRIGHT STUFF: Freshman Halle Wright received her first start against TCU on Dec. 8. The Aumsville, Ore., product posted four assists and three rebounds in her debut against the Horned Frogs. Wright missed the first three games with a leg injury. On Monday night, Wright played an instrumental role in MSU's upset of Northern Colorado. For the game, she posted a season-high 14 points going four-of-ten from the field and five-of-six from the free throw line. In addition, Wright added five rebounds and three assists in 29 minutes of action.
TORI, TORI, TORI: Montana State sophomore Tori Martell has connected on 20 three-pointers this season. The Somerset, Wis., native connected on 36 three-pointers, including 19 in the last eight games of the season, last winter. She is currently averaging 6.0 points per game in Big Sky play. Martell found her stroke from outside in Montana State's win at Northern Colorado on Monday night. Against the Bears, Martel recorded a career-high 19 points, which included a five-of-eight performance from beyond the three-point line. She also added three rebounds.
FEET TO THE FIRE: Freshman Gabby Mocchi has played in all 16 games and is averaging 2.1 points per game. She posted a season-best eight points at Wyoming on Nov. 27. On Monday night, she connected on a pair of triples against Northern Colorado. Freshman Kamden Hilborn has played in 15 games and has dished out 22 assists, while adding eleven steals. Last Thursday against Idaho, the Helena High product played 25 minutes and had four assists.
THROWING SHAIDE: Madisyn Shaide had a career night against then No. 19 Marquette. The Missoula native went 2-of-4 from beyond the arc for a career-high six points.
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. 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 40 of its last 44 games in The Brick. The Bobcats are averaging 2,231 fans per game, which includes its sold out crowd of 6,772 against Carroll College on Nov. 6. MSU is ranked 55th in the nation in attendance.
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