Thursday, January 3
Portland, OR
8 p.m.
Montana State University
at
Portland State
Junior Blaire Braxton
Photo by: R. Dean Hendrickson
Bobcats Open Big Sky Road Slate at Portland State
1/2/2019 5:04:00 PM | Women's Basketball
The Bobcat women’s basketball team will make its first Big Sky Conference road trip of the New Year when it faces Portland State on Thursday, Jan. 3, 2019 at 8 p.m. (MT) in the new Vikings Pavilion.
WHO: Montana State at Portland State
WHEN: Thursday, Jan. 3, 2019 @ 8 p.m. (MT)
WHERE: Portland, OR - Viking Pavilion (3,000)
RECORDS: MSU- 7-5, 2-0; Portland State- 8-2, 0-1
SERIES: Montana State leads 36-24
LAST MTG: Feb. 10, 2018 - @ PSU 62, MSU 53
RADIO: 103.5 KZMY FM with Jason Alvine on play-by-play
VIDEO: WatchBigSky.com; or Pluto TV ch. 232
NEXT UP: The Bobcat women's basketball team will make its first Big Sky Conference road trip of the New Year when it faces Portland State on Thursday, Jan. 3, 2019 at 8 p.m. (MT) in the new Vikings Pavilion. Montana State will complete the road swing at Sacramento State on Saturday at 3 p.m.
ON A SERIES NOTE: Montana State leads its all-time series with Portland State 36-24 dating back to the 1976-77 season. Despite holding the all-time edge, the Vikings have won the last three contests between the two Big Sky rivals. Portland State swept the series last season. MSU's last victory over the Vikings (83-76) came on Jan. 21, 2017 in Worthington Arena. The last time the Bobcats won in the Rose City, 81-74, was Jan. 3, 2013. Head Coach Tricia Binford is 13-12 all-time against Portland State in her 14 years at MSU.
STAT OF THE WEEK: The Bobcats were clutch from the free throw line in both games last weekend. In all, Montana State shot 83.7 percent (41-49) from the line. Even more impressive was hitting 100 percent (18-18) from the stripe - combined - in the final two minutes of both games.
THAT WAS THE GAME THAT WAS:
Claire Lundberg and Oliana Squires each went over the 20-point plateau, while Blaire Braxton provided the spark off the bench with 13 points and seven rebounds as Montana State closed out the year with an 80-70 victory over Northern Arizona on Monday night in Worthington Arena.
Montana State (7-5, 2-0) built a ten-point lead at intermission as Lundberg paced the Bobcats with 12 points.
MSU pushed its lead to 50-34 with 1:59 left in the third quarter on a Squires' triple.
The Cats took its largest lead at 57-40 with 8:22 remaining on a Braxton jump hook. Northern Arizona (4-7, 0-2) whittled the margin down to seven points at the 2:42 mark, but Montana State connected on 10-of-10 from the line down the stretch to secure the win.
"I'm proud of our fight and I'm loving our bench contribution right now," said MSU head coach Tricia Binford. "We've had two games with some foul trouble that we've had to work through and we've had some players step-up. I feel like we're building some chemistry.
"I love how we finished both games this last week and I think we've been really confident down the stretch of what we've needed to do," she added. "We certainly are going to have to clean up some things on the defensive end. We are just trying to keep it as simple as possible for our kids to battle, compete and play hard."
Lundberg finished with 24 points, while Squires matched a career-high 21 points, including a nine-of-10 effort from the free throw line. Martha Kuderer was the fourth Bobcat to reach double-digits with 12 points, while guiding MSU under the glass with a team-best eight rebounds.
The Bobcats shot 41.7 percent from the field, including 53.8 percent in the fourth quarter. MSU also converted 12-of-13 charity tosses in the final frame, as well.
The Lumberjacks were led by Lauren Orndoff with 14 points and six assists.
MORE ON THE VIKINGS: Portland State lived up to its early season rankings opening the season 8-0, before suffering its first loss to UC Irvine (73-68) on Dec. 18. The Vikings were picked to finish second in both the preseason Big Sky Conference Coaches and media polls- behind Idaho. On Monday, PSU dropped its second straight game and its Big Sky opener at Northern Colorado 79-63. UNC jumped on the Vikings early taking a 26-12 lead after the first 10-minutes. PSU closed the margin to 36-34 at intermission. The Bears held a four-point lead entering the final frame and out-scored the Vikings 21-9 in the fourth quarter for the victory. Three Viking players reached double-figures as Ashley Bolston and Desirae Hansen each notched 14 points, while Jordan Stotler added 12. Courtney We3st guided Portland State defensively with a team-high nine rebounds and six blocks. On the season, four PSU players average in double-digits led by Bolston 15.1, Sidney Rielly 13.4, Kylie Jimenez 12.8 and West 11.1. West averages a team-best 7.4 rebounds per contest, while Bolston pulls down 5.8 boards per game.
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 for the Bobcat women's basketball program. The Anoka High School product is third in the Big Sky averaging 18.7 points per contest. In addition, she is first in three-point field-goal percentage (40.6), second in free throw percentage (90.0), field-goals made (81), field-goal percentage (49.1) and points (224), and eighth in 3-point field-goals per game (2.17). 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 all 12 games, including five games with 20 points or more. She posted a season-high 28 points in MSU's win over Delaware on Nov. 16. Lundberg was named the 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. Lundberg 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. Last weekend, she averaged 20 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game, while shooting 44 percent from the field.
HOLY MOLY, OLI: Oliana Squires is averaging 11.7 points per game through the first 12 games of the season. The Colorado Springs, Colo., product notched a season-high as well as a career-high 21 points in MSU's win over Northern Arizona. Against the Lumberjacks, she went 5-of-11 from the floor and was nine-of-10 from the line. At Omaha on Dec. 16. Squires notched a career-high eight assists and hauled down a career-high seven rebounds. In the season-opener against No. 19-ranked Marquette, Squires nailed four 3-pointers. She has been in double-digit scoring in eight of MSU's 12 games. Squires recorded 10 points in the fourth quarter against Southern Utah on Saturday and finished with 13 points, including a 7-of-7 effort at the line.
KUDERER'S KUDOS: Junior Martha Kuderer, who also sat out last season after transferring from Seton Hall, is averaging 10.2 points and 5.3 rebounds per game, after recording 12 points and eight boards in MSU's win over Northern Arizona on Monday. She had her best weekend of the season as Montana State faced Delaware and Texas State in the WNIT. The 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. 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 as a Bobcat. On the season, she has been in double-digit scoring on five occasions, including both games last week.
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 18.8 minutes or more per contest. Braxton, a product of Highlands Ranch, Colo., is first on the team hauling down 5.8 rebounds per game, while Smith, from Snohomish, Wash., is third averaging 4.9 per contest. Braxton's best outing of the season came against Long Beach State with a career-high 15 points going 5-of-5 from the field and 5-of--5 from the line. She also provided a spark off the bench for MSU against Northern Arizona on Monday with 13 points and seven rebounds. Smith registered ten points and 11 boards against Long Beach State for her first double-double of the season. On the season, the duo is shooting an impressive 62 percent (61-98) 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 of the season with a leg injury. She had her best outing of the season in MSU's win over Long Beach State with eight points, three boards and two assists. Wright averaged 5.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game, last week.
TORI, TORI, TORI: Montana State sophomore Tori Martell has connected on 15 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 5.7 points per game. Martell recorded three points, three rebounds and two assists as the Bobcats defeated Southern Utah on Saturday afternoon in Worthington Arena.
FEET TO THE FIRE: Freshman Gabby Mocchi has played in all 12 games and is averaging 2.0 points per game. She posted a season-best eight points at Wyoming on Nov. 27. Freshman Kamden Hilborn has played in 11 games and has dished out 12 assists, while adding eleven steals. Last week, the Helena High product averaged 14 minutes per game at the point-guard spot.
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 43 games in The Brick. The Bobcats are averaging 2,344 fans per game, which includes its sold out crowd of 6,772 against Carroll College on Nov. 6. MSU is ranked 51st in the nation in attendance.
WHEN: Thursday, Jan. 3, 2019 @ 8 p.m. (MT)
WHERE: Portland, OR - Viking Pavilion (3,000)
RECORDS: MSU- 7-5, 2-0; Portland State- 8-2, 0-1
SERIES: Montana State leads 36-24
LAST MTG: Feb. 10, 2018 - @ PSU 62, MSU 53
RADIO: 103.5 KZMY FM with Jason Alvine on play-by-play
VIDEO: WatchBigSky.com; or Pluto TV ch. 232
NEXT UP: The Bobcat women's basketball team will make its first Big Sky Conference road trip of the New Year when it faces Portland State on Thursday, Jan. 3, 2019 at 8 p.m. (MT) in the new Vikings Pavilion. Montana State will complete the road swing at Sacramento State on Saturday at 3 p.m.
ON A SERIES NOTE: Montana State leads its all-time series with Portland State 36-24 dating back to the 1976-77 season. Despite holding the all-time edge, the Vikings have won the last three contests between the two Big Sky rivals. Portland State swept the series last season. MSU's last victory over the Vikings (83-76) came on Jan. 21, 2017 in Worthington Arena. The last time the Bobcats won in the Rose City, 81-74, was Jan. 3, 2013. Head Coach Tricia Binford is 13-12 all-time against Portland State in her 14 years at MSU.
STAT OF THE WEEK: The Bobcats were clutch from the free throw line in both games last weekend. In all, Montana State shot 83.7 percent (41-49) from the line. Even more impressive was hitting 100 percent (18-18) from the stripe - combined - in the final two minutes of both games.
THAT WAS THE GAME THAT WAS:
Claire Lundberg and Oliana Squires each went over the 20-point plateau, while Blaire Braxton provided the spark off the bench with 13 points and seven rebounds as Montana State closed out the year with an 80-70 victory over Northern Arizona on Monday night in Worthington Arena.
Montana State (7-5, 2-0) built a ten-point lead at intermission as Lundberg paced the Bobcats with 12 points.
MSU pushed its lead to 50-34 with 1:59 left in the third quarter on a Squires' triple.
The Cats took its largest lead at 57-40 with 8:22 remaining on a Braxton jump hook. Northern Arizona (4-7, 0-2) whittled the margin down to seven points at the 2:42 mark, but Montana State connected on 10-of-10 from the line down the stretch to secure the win.
"I'm proud of our fight and I'm loving our bench contribution right now," said MSU head coach Tricia Binford. "We've had two games with some foul trouble that we've had to work through and we've had some players step-up. I feel like we're building some chemistry.
"I love how we finished both games this last week and I think we've been really confident down the stretch of what we've needed to do," she added. "We certainly are going to have to clean up some things on the defensive end. We are just trying to keep it as simple as possible for our kids to battle, compete and play hard."
Lundberg finished with 24 points, while Squires matched a career-high 21 points, including a nine-of-10 effort from the free throw line. Martha Kuderer was the fourth Bobcat to reach double-digits with 12 points, while guiding MSU under the glass with a team-best eight rebounds.
The Bobcats shot 41.7 percent from the field, including 53.8 percent in the fourth quarter. MSU also converted 12-of-13 charity tosses in the final frame, as well.
The Lumberjacks were led by Lauren Orndoff with 14 points and six assists.
MORE ON THE VIKINGS: Portland State lived up to its early season rankings opening the season 8-0, before suffering its first loss to UC Irvine (73-68) on Dec. 18. The Vikings were picked to finish second in both the preseason Big Sky Conference Coaches and media polls- behind Idaho. On Monday, PSU dropped its second straight game and its Big Sky opener at Northern Colorado 79-63. UNC jumped on the Vikings early taking a 26-12 lead after the first 10-minutes. PSU closed the margin to 36-34 at intermission. The Bears held a four-point lead entering the final frame and out-scored the Vikings 21-9 in the fourth quarter for the victory. Three Viking players reached double-figures as Ashley Bolston and Desirae Hansen each notched 14 points, while Jordan Stotler added 12. Courtney We3st guided Portland State defensively with a team-high nine rebounds and six blocks. On the season, four PSU players average in double-digits led by Bolston 15.1, Sidney Rielly 13.4, Kylie Jimenez 12.8 and West 11.1. West averages a team-best 7.4 rebounds per contest, while Bolston pulls down 5.8 boards per game.
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 for the Bobcat women's basketball program. The Anoka High School product is third in the Big Sky averaging 18.7 points per contest. In addition, she is first in three-point field-goal percentage (40.6), second in free throw percentage (90.0), field-goals made (81), field-goal percentage (49.1) and points (224), and eighth in 3-point field-goals per game (2.17). 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 all 12 games, including five games with 20 points or more. She posted a season-high 28 points in MSU's win over Delaware on Nov. 16. Lundberg was named the 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. Lundberg 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. Last weekend, she averaged 20 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game, while shooting 44 percent from the field.
HOLY MOLY, OLI: Oliana Squires is averaging 11.7 points per game through the first 12 games of the season. The Colorado Springs, Colo., product notched a season-high as well as a career-high 21 points in MSU's win over Northern Arizona. Against the Lumberjacks, she went 5-of-11 from the floor and was nine-of-10 from the line. At Omaha on Dec. 16. Squires notched a career-high eight assists and hauled down a career-high seven rebounds. In the season-opener against No. 19-ranked Marquette, Squires nailed four 3-pointers. She has been in double-digit scoring in eight of MSU's 12 games. Squires recorded 10 points in the fourth quarter against Southern Utah on Saturday and finished with 13 points, including a 7-of-7 effort at the line.
KUDERER'S KUDOS: Junior Martha Kuderer, who also sat out last season after transferring from Seton Hall, is averaging 10.2 points and 5.3 rebounds per game, after recording 12 points and eight boards in MSU's win over Northern Arizona on Monday. She had her best weekend of the season as Montana State faced Delaware and Texas State in the WNIT. The 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. 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 as a Bobcat. On the season, she has been in double-digit scoring on five occasions, including both games last week.
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 18.8 minutes or more per contest. Braxton, a product of Highlands Ranch, Colo., is first on the team hauling down 5.8 rebounds per game, while Smith, from Snohomish, Wash., is third averaging 4.9 per contest. Braxton's best outing of the season came against Long Beach State with a career-high 15 points going 5-of-5 from the field and 5-of--5 from the line. She also provided a spark off the bench for MSU against Northern Arizona on Monday with 13 points and seven rebounds. Smith registered ten points and 11 boards against Long Beach State for her first double-double of the season. On the season, the duo is shooting an impressive 62 percent (61-98) 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 of the season with a leg injury. She had her best outing of the season in MSU's win over Long Beach State with eight points, three boards and two assists. Wright averaged 5.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game, last week.
TORI, TORI, TORI: Montana State sophomore Tori Martell has connected on 15 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 5.7 points per game. Martell recorded three points, three rebounds and two assists as the Bobcats defeated Southern Utah on Saturday afternoon in Worthington Arena.
FEET TO THE FIRE: Freshman Gabby Mocchi has played in all 12 games and is averaging 2.0 points per game. She posted a season-best eight points at Wyoming on Nov. 27. Freshman Kamden Hilborn has played in 11 games and has dished out 12 assists, while adding eleven steals. Last week, the Helena High product averaged 14 minutes per game at the point-guard spot.
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 43 games in The Brick. The Bobcats are averaging 2,344 fans per game, which includes its sold out crowd of 6,772 against Carroll College on Nov. 6. MSU is ranked 51st in the nation in attendance.
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