Tuesday, March 12
Boise, ID
2:30 p.m.
Montana State University
vs
Portland State
Photo by: R. Dean Hendrickson
Cats Ready For Big Sky Tourney Opener
3/11/2019 9:37:00 PM | Women's Basketball
The Bobcat women’s basketball team earned the No. 5 seed at the 2019 Big Sky Conference Tournament and will face No. 4 seed Portland State on Tuesday, March 12 at 2:30 p.m. at CenturyLink Arena in Boise, Idaho.
WHO: #5 Montana State vs. #4 Portland State
WHEN: Tuesday, March 11, 2019 @ 2:30 p.m. (MT)
WHERE: Boise, ID - CenturyLink Arena (5,300)
RECORDS: MSU- 16-14, 11-9, Portland St.,- 22-7, 14-6
SERIES: Montana State 36-26
LAST MTG: March 9, 2019 - Portland St. 68, @MSU 55
VIDEO: Live streaming at Pluto TV Ch. 231 or WatchBigSky.com
RADIO: 1450 KMMS AM with Jason Alvine on play-by-play
NEXT UP: The Bobcat women's basketball team earned the No. 5 seed at the 2019 Big Sky Conference Tournament and will face No. 4 seed Portland State on Tuesday, March 12 at 2:30 p.m. at CenturyLink Arena in Boise, Idaho. The winner of the game will play #1 Idaho, #8 Northern Arizona or #9 Sacramento State on Wednesday, March 13 at 5:30 p.m. in quarterfinal action.
ON A SERIES NOTE: Montana State leads its all-time series with Portland State 36-26 dating back to the 1976-77 season. Despite holding the all-time edge, the Vikings have won the last five contests between the two Big Sky rivals. Portland State swept the series the last two seasons. 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.
THE STRETCH RUN: The Bobcats were the only Big Sky school that played three stretches of four games in eight days. Six teams had two such stretches, while No. Colorado and Sacramento State had one, and Portland State, none. MSU plays its fifth game in eleven days on Tuesday against Portland State.
THAT WAS THE GAME THAT WAS:
For the first three minutes everything went Montana State's way. Then the lid went on the basket.
Over the course of the following seven minutes the Bobcats went without a basket and Portland State built a 20-7 first quarter lead, never looking back in a 68-55 victory on Saturday afternoon in Worthington Arena. It was the final game of the regular-season for both squads.
Montana State (16-14, 11-9) shot 12.5 percent in the opening frame connecting on two-of-16 attempts. Portland State (22-7, 14-6) went on a 20-0 run to close out the period and built a 35-17 advantage at intermission.
"We got off to a good start," said MSU head coach Tricia Binford. "Then they got hot and the lid went on the basket for us. We didn't move the ball very well and our momentum just went flat."
Trailing by 18-points entering the final quarter, the Bobcats whittled the Vikings lead down to 55-46 with 6:23 remaining on a Tori Martell three-pointer. PSU quickly answered with an 11-0 run to secure the victory.
Montana State was led in the loss by Blaire Braxton and Gabby Mocchi with 11 points, apiece. Mocchi received her first start as a Bobcat as Martha Kuderer was sidelined with an illness.
The Bobcats shot better in the second half, hitting 41.2 percent from the floor. MSU also out-scored the Vikings 38-33. Montana State was led under the boards by Halle Wright and Braxton with nine and seven rebounds, respectively.
"If there was a silver-lining it was the play of our bench," Binford said. "They came in and gave us some energy and we were able to get some things accomplished."
Portland State was paced by Desirae Hansen with 22 points and ten rebounds.
Montana State enters next week's Big Sky Conference tournament as the No. 5 seed and in less than 72-hours will face No. 4-seeded Portland State.
"It's a new season," Binford said. "You either find it or you're done."
ALL-CONFERENCE ACCOLADES: Two Bobcats have garnered 2019 All-Big Sky Conference honors. Senior Claire Lundberg and junior Oliana Squires were both named to the league's Third-Team for their efforts this season. In addition, Lundberg was named the Big Sky Conference Newcomer of the Year, despite having her season cut short when she tore her ACL against Northern Colorado on Feb. 4. Lundberg had been averaging 17 points per game and was shooting 43 percent from the field, 40 percent from long distance and 87 percent from the line. Lundberg joins former MSU standouts Rebecca Alvidrez, Brandi Lewis, Rebecca Mercer, and most recently Riley Nordgaard in 2016 to capture the Big Sky's Newcomer of the Year accolade. Squires is currently chipping in 11.1 points per game and leads the team with 115 assists.
MORE ON THE VIKINGS:
In last Saturday's game with the Bobcats, the Vikings were led by Desirae Hansen with 22 points and 10 boards.
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.
HOLY MOLY, OLI: Oliana Squires is averaging 11.1 points per game. The Colorado Springs, Colo., product notched a season and career-high 23 points in MSU's win over Sacramento State on March 7. For the game, she connected on 9-16 from the field, including 3 3-pointers and a 2-2 effort at the free throw line. Squires also pulled down nine rebounds and dished out four assists in the victory. She has been in double-digit scoring in 18 of MSU's 30 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. In Montana State's win over Montana on Feb. 2, she had a game-high 20 points on eight-of-16 from the field, including a four-of-eight outing from long distance. Squires posted another solid day in MSU's win in Missoula on Feb. 23 with 18 points, including an 11-12 effort from the free throw line. Squire is averaging 11.3 in Big Sky action and is shooting a league best 94% at the line.
KUDERER'S KUDOS: Martha Kuderer, who sat out last season after transferring from Seton Hall, is averaging 9.9 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. She had her best Big Sky outing recording 19 points and six rebounds in MSU's win at Sacramento State. Her best weekend of the season came against Delaware and Texas State in the WNIT when she averaged 19 points and 7.5rebounds. Kuderer had a season-high 21 points against Texas State. On the season, she has been in double-digit scoring on 13 occasions. Kuderer recorded 16 points in MSU's loss at Northern Arizona last Saturday. Against Sac State on Thursday, she posted her second double-double with 13 points and ten rebounds.
BOUNDING WITH BLAIRE: Blaire Braxton pulled down a season-high 13 rebounds in Montana State's win over Eastern Washington on Feb.7 in Cheney. The thirteen boards gave Braxton 507 for her career. Against EWU, she became just the 24th member of MSU's 500-rebound club. Her current 545 rebounds are currently 18th all-time at Montana State. Braxton leads the Bobcats in rebounding averaging 5.8 per game. Offensively, she is shooting 56.8 percent from the field, which is tops on the team. Her 7.1 points per game average is up 3.4 per contest from last winter. Braxton recorded a career-high 18 points in MSU's loss to Idaho on Jan. 10. For the game, she connected on seven-of-11 from the field. On the season, she has been in double-digit scoring in eight games. Braxton has notched 94 career blocks, which is seventh all-time at MSU. She had 11 points, connecting on five-of-nine from the field versus Portland State.
MAD ABOUT YOU: Madeline Smith is averaging 8.9 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. The product of Snohomish, Wash., registered a career-high 27 points in MSU's win at Southern Utah. For the game, Smith connected on 12-20 from the field and was 3-4 from the line. She has been in double-figure scoring on 12 occasions this winter, including two games with 20 or more points. In her last ten games Smith has averaged 13.4 points per game. Against Montana on Feb. 23, she connected on her first 3-pointer of the season, giving her two triples in her three-year career. Smith became the 25th member of MSU prestigious 500-rebound club, pulling down five boards against Portland State last Saturday.
BARDS OF THE BLOCK: Juniors Madeline Smith and Blaire Braxton have manned the blocks for the Bobcats the past three seasons. The duo has swapped starting time at the five and each average just around 20 minutes per contest. On the season, the duo has combined to shoot an impressive 55.7 percent (189-331) from the floor. Combined, they have scored 480 points and pulled down 329 rebounds on the season.
THE WRIGHT STUFF: Halle Wright received her first start at TCU on Dec. 8. The Aumsville, Ore., product missed three games with an injury, but has started 23 straight since coming back. She had one of her best game of the season against Eastern Washington on Jan. 19, recording 13 points, including nine points in the overtime period. Wright also added a season-high eight assists and seven rebounds. She is averaging 6.0 points and 4.6 rebounds in Big Sky play. Wright registered 10 points, five rebounds and four assists in MSU's win over Montana on Feb. 23, including a pair of free throws to ice the game with 1.7 seconds remaining.
TORI, TORI, TORI: Tori Martell has connected on 44 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 7.5 points per game in Big Sky play. Martell found her stroke from outside in Montana State's win at Northern Colorado on Jan. 14 scoring a career-high 19 points, which included a 5-of-8 performance from beyond the three-point line. Against Portland State last Saturday, Martell posted six points on two triples.
FEET TO THE FIRE: Freshman Gabby Mocchi has played in all 30 games and is averaging 4.5 ppg in Big Sky play. She recorded a season-high 11 points against Portland State on Thursday, including two 3-pointers. Freshman Kamden Hilborn has played 26 games and has in dished out 32 assists. The Helena High product is averaging 10.5 minutes per game. Hilborn had a season-best eight points at Portland State on Jan. 3. Brynley Fitzgerald has played in 14 games and notched a season-best six points against Northern Colorado on Feb. 4.
THROWING SHAIDE: Madisyn Shaide had a career night against then No. 19 Marquette posting six points on two 3-pointers.
LAUDING LUNDBERG: Seton Hall transfer Claire Lundberg is out for the season after tearing her ACL against Northern Colorado on Feb. 4. The Anoka High School product was sixth in the Big Sky averaging 17.0 points per game. She was third in free throw percentage (86.8), 3-point field-goal percentage (39.5), points (356) and field-goals made (123), fourth in 3-point field-goals made (51) and 3-point field-goals per game (2.43), fifth in field-goals attempted (284) and field-goal percentage (43.3) and 3-point field-goals attempted (129) at the time of the injury. Lundberg had been in double-digit scoring in 18 of 21 games, including seven games with 20 points or more. She posted a season-high 28 points in MSU's win over Delaware. Lundberg was Big Sky Player of the Week for Nov. 20 after averaging 27 points and six rebounds as MSU beat Delaware and Texas State in WNIT action. Lundberg was perfect against Texas State hitting eight-of-eight from the field, four-of-four from long distance and six-of-six from the line.
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. MSU has won 42 of its last 48 games in The Brick. The Bobcats are averaging 2,017 fans per game, which includes a sold out crowd of 6,772 against Carroll College on Nov. 6. MSU is ranked 74th in the nation in attendance.
WHEN: Tuesday, March 11, 2019 @ 2:30 p.m. (MT)
WHERE: Boise, ID - CenturyLink Arena (5,300)
RECORDS: MSU- 16-14, 11-9, Portland St.,- 22-7, 14-6
SERIES: Montana State 36-26
LAST MTG: March 9, 2019 - Portland St. 68, @MSU 55
VIDEO: Live streaming at Pluto TV Ch. 231 or WatchBigSky.com
RADIO: 1450 KMMS AM with Jason Alvine on play-by-play
NEXT UP: The Bobcat women's basketball team earned the No. 5 seed at the 2019 Big Sky Conference Tournament and will face No. 4 seed Portland State on Tuesday, March 12 at 2:30 p.m. at CenturyLink Arena in Boise, Idaho. The winner of the game will play #1 Idaho, #8 Northern Arizona or #9 Sacramento State on Wednesday, March 13 at 5:30 p.m. in quarterfinal action.
ON A SERIES NOTE: Montana State leads its all-time series with Portland State 36-26 dating back to the 1976-77 season. Despite holding the all-time edge, the Vikings have won the last five contests between the two Big Sky rivals. Portland State swept the series the last two seasons. 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.
THE STRETCH RUN: The Bobcats were the only Big Sky school that played three stretches of four games in eight days. Six teams had two such stretches, while No. Colorado and Sacramento State had one, and Portland State, none. MSU plays its fifth game in eleven days on Tuesday against Portland State.
THAT WAS THE GAME THAT WAS:
For the first three minutes everything went Montana State's way. Then the lid went on the basket.
Over the course of the following seven minutes the Bobcats went without a basket and Portland State built a 20-7 first quarter lead, never looking back in a 68-55 victory on Saturday afternoon in Worthington Arena. It was the final game of the regular-season for both squads.
Montana State (16-14, 11-9) shot 12.5 percent in the opening frame connecting on two-of-16 attempts. Portland State (22-7, 14-6) went on a 20-0 run to close out the period and built a 35-17 advantage at intermission.
"We got off to a good start," said MSU head coach Tricia Binford. "Then they got hot and the lid went on the basket for us. We didn't move the ball very well and our momentum just went flat."
Trailing by 18-points entering the final quarter, the Bobcats whittled the Vikings lead down to 55-46 with 6:23 remaining on a Tori Martell three-pointer. PSU quickly answered with an 11-0 run to secure the victory.
Montana State was led in the loss by Blaire Braxton and Gabby Mocchi with 11 points, apiece. Mocchi received her first start as a Bobcat as Martha Kuderer was sidelined with an illness.
The Bobcats shot better in the second half, hitting 41.2 percent from the floor. MSU also out-scored the Vikings 38-33. Montana State was led under the boards by Halle Wright and Braxton with nine and seven rebounds, respectively.
"If there was a silver-lining it was the play of our bench," Binford said. "They came in and gave us some energy and we were able to get some things accomplished."
Portland State was paced by Desirae Hansen with 22 points and ten rebounds.
Montana State enters next week's Big Sky Conference tournament as the No. 5 seed and in less than 72-hours will face No. 4-seeded Portland State.
"It's a new season," Binford said. "You either find it or you're done."
ALL-CONFERENCE ACCOLADES: Two Bobcats have garnered 2019 All-Big Sky Conference honors. Senior Claire Lundberg and junior Oliana Squires were both named to the league's Third-Team for their efforts this season. In addition, Lundberg was named the Big Sky Conference Newcomer of the Year, despite having her season cut short when she tore her ACL against Northern Colorado on Feb. 4. Lundberg had been averaging 17 points per game and was shooting 43 percent from the field, 40 percent from long distance and 87 percent from the line. Lundberg joins former MSU standouts Rebecca Alvidrez, Brandi Lewis, Rebecca Mercer, and most recently Riley Nordgaard in 2016 to capture the Big Sky's Newcomer of the Year accolade. Squires is currently chipping in 11.1 points per game and leads the team with 115 assists.
MORE ON THE VIKINGS:
In last Saturday's game with the Bobcats, the Vikings were led by Desirae Hansen with 22 points and 10 boards.
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.
HOLY MOLY, OLI: Oliana Squires is averaging 11.1 points per game. The Colorado Springs, Colo., product notched a season and career-high 23 points in MSU's win over Sacramento State on March 7. For the game, she connected on 9-16 from the field, including 3 3-pointers and a 2-2 effort at the free throw line. Squires also pulled down nine rebounds and dished out four assists in the victory. She has been in double-digit scoring in 18 of MSU's 30 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. In Montana State's win over Montana on Feb. 2, she had a game-high 20 points on eight-of-16 from the field, including a four-of-eight outing from long distance. Squires posted another solid day in MSU's win in Missoula on Feb. 23 with 18 points, including an 11-12 effort from the free throw line. Squire is averaging 11.3 in Big Sky action and is shooting a league best 94% at the line.
KUDERER'S KUDOS: Martha Kuderer, who sat out last season after transferring from Seton Hall, is averaging 9.9 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. She had her best Big Sky outing recording 19 points and six rebounds in MSU's win at Sacramento State. Her best weekend of the season came against Delaware and Texas State in the WNIT when she averaged 19 points and 7.5rebounds. Kuderer had a season-high 21 points against Texas State. On the season, she has been in double-digit scoring on 13 occasions. Kuderer recorded 16 points in MSU's loss at Northern Arizona last Saturday. Against Sac State on Thursday, she posted her second double-double with 13 points and ten rebounds.
BOUNDING WITH BLAIRE: Blaire Braxton pulled down a season-high 13 rebounds in Montana State's win over Eastern Washington on Feb.7 in Cheney. The thirteen boards gave Braxton 507 for her career. Against EWU, she became just the 24th member of MSU's 500-rebound club. Her current 545 rebounds are currently 18th all-time at Montana State. Braxton leads the Bobcats in rebounding averaging 5.8 per game. Offensively, she is shooting 56.8 percent from the field, which is tops on the team. Her 7.1 points per game average is up 3.4 per contest from last winter. Braxton recorded a career-high 18 points in MSU's loss to Idaho on Jan. 10. For the game, she connected on seven-of-11 from the field. On the season, she has been in double-digit scoring in eight games. Braxton has notched 94 career blocks, which is seventh all-time at MSU. She had 11 points, connecting on five-of-nine from the field versus Portland State.
MAD ABOUT YOU: Madeline Smith is averaging 8.9 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. The product of Snohomish, Wash., registered a career-high 27 points in MSU's win at Southern Utah. For the game, Smith connected on 12-20 from the field and was 3-4 from the line. She has been in double-figure scoring on 12 occasions this winter, including two games with 20 or more points. In her last ten games Smith has averaged 13.4 points per game. Against Montana on Feb. 23, she connected on her first 3-pointer of the season, giving her two triples in her three-year career. Smith became the 25th member of MSU prestigious 500-rebound club, pulling down five boards against Portland State last Saturday.
BARDS OF THE BLOCK: Juniors Madeline Smith and Blaire Braxton have manned the blocks for the Bobcats the past three seasons. The duo has swapped starting time at the five and each average just around 20 minutes per contest. On the season, the duo has combined to shoot an impressive 55.7 percent (189-331) from the floor. Combined, they have scored 480 points and pulled down 329 rebounds on the season.
THE WRIGHT STUFF: Halle Wright received her first start at TCU on Dec. 8. The Aumsville, Ore., product missed three games with an injury, but has started 23 straight since coming back. She had one of her best game of the season against Eastern Washington on Jan. 19, recording 13 points, including nine points in the overtime period. Wright also added a season-high eight assists and seven rebounds. She is averaging 6.0 points and 4.6 rebounds in Big Sky play. Wright registered 10 points, five rebounds and four assists in MSU's win over Montana on Feb. 23, including a pair of free throws to ice the game with 1.7 seconds remaining.
TORI, TORI, TORI: Tori Martell has connected on 44 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 7.5 points per game in Big Sky play. Martell found her stroke from outside in Montana State's win at Northern Colorado on Jan. 14 scoring a career-high 19 points, which included a 5-of-8 performance from beyond the three-point line. Against Portland State last Saturday, Martell posted six points on two triples.
FEET TO THE FIRE: Freshman Gabby Mocchi has played in all 30 games and is averaging 4.5 ppg in Big Sky play. She recorded a season-high 11 points against Portland State on Thursday, including two 3-pointers. Freshman Kamden Hilborn has played 26 games and has in dished out 32 assists. The Helena High product is averaging 10.5 minutes per game. Hilborn had a season-best eight points at Portland State on Jan. 3. Brynley Fitzgerald has played in 14 games and notched a season-best six points against Northern Colorado on Feb. 4.
THROWING SHAIDE: Madisyn Shaide had a career night against then No. 19 Marquette posting six points on two 3-pointers.
LAUDING LUNDBERG: Seton Hall transfer Claire Lundberg is out for the season after tearing her ACL against Northern Colorado on Feb. 4. The Anoka High School product was sixth in the Big Sky averaging 17.0 points per game. She was third in free throw percentage (86.8), 3-point field-goal percentage (39.5), points (356) and field-goals made (123), fourth in 3-point field-goals made (51) and 3-point field-goals per game (2.43), fifth in field-goals attempted (284) and field-goal percentage (43.3) and 3-point field-goals attempted (129) at the time of the injury. Lundberg had been in double-digit scoring in 18 of 21 games, including seven games with 20 points or more. She posted a season-high 28 points in MSU's win over Delaware. Lundberg was Big Sky Player of the Week for Nov. 20 after averaging 27 points and six rebounds as MSU beat Delaware and Texas State in WNIT action. Lundberg was perfect against Texas State hitting eight-of-eight from the field, four-of-four from long distance and six-of-six from the line.
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. MSU has won 42 of its last 48 games in The Brick. The Bobcats are averaging 2,017 fans per game, which includes a sold out crowd of 6,772 against Carroll College on Nov. 6. MSU is ranked 74th in the nation in attendance.
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