Saturday, January 25
BOZEMAN
2 p.m.
Montana State University
vs
Idaho State
Photo by: Garrett Becker
Bobcats Host Bengals
1/24/2020 6:05:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Montana State will conclude its short homestand when it hosts Idaho State University, Saturday, January 25 at 2 p.m. in Worthington Arena.
WHO: Idaho State at Montana State
WHEN: Saturday, January 25, 2020 @ 2 p.m. (MT)
WHERE: Bozeman, Mont. - Worthington Arena (6,772)
RECORDS: MSU: 11-6, 7-1, Idaho State 8-9, 4-4
SERIES: Montana State leads 44-37
LAST MTG: Feb. 14, 2019 - Idaho St. 62, @Montana St. 49
RADIO: Live on KMMS 1450 AM with Jason Alvine on the call; pregame begins 15-minutes prior to opening tip.
STATS: Live statistics can be accessed at bobcatstats.com; running play-by-play and boxscore are available
VIDEO: Montana State's game against Idaho State available on Pluto TV (Channel 538) and at WatchBigSky.com
BOBCATS AND BENGALS, OH MY: Montana State will conclude its short homestand when it hosts Idaho State University, Saturday, January 25 at 2 p.m. in Worthington Arena. The Cats are coming off an 81-52 victory over Weber State on Thursday night to remain atop the Big Sky Conference standings. Idaho State used a strong second half performance to knock off Montana, 67-53, on Thursday night in Missoula.
SERIES NOTE: Montana State holds a 44-37 lead in its all-time series with Idaho State going back to the 1977-78 season. ISU won both games last winter, winning in Pocatello, 61-43, on Jan. 26, and in Bozeman, 62-49, on Feb. 14. In their last 10 meetings ISU holds a 6-4 lead which includes two overtime games.
CAT OF THE WEEK: Darian White had her most complete game as a Bobcat in MSU's double overtime win at Eastern Washington. White finished with a career-high 23 points, shooting 53.3% from the field connecting on eight-of-15 attempts. In addition, she went a perfect six-of-six at the line. White filled out the stat sheet adding nine rebounds, seven assists and five steals.
DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS: MSU has done an outstanding job on the defensive end of the court this season. The Bobcats lead the Big Sky Conference in rebound margin at +7.0 and rebounding at 42.6 per game. MSU is ranked second in field-goal% defense (36.4%), scoring defense (61.5 ppg), rebounding defense (28.7 rpg) and steals (10.4). Montana State boasts five players averaging 4.3 rpg or better paced by Fallyn Freije (7.6), Madeline Smith (5.8), Darian White (4.8), Blaire Braxton (4.4) and Martha Kuderer (4.3).
OFFENSE HELPS, TOO: Montana State is also one of the top offensive squads in the Big Sky Conference. The Bobcats lead the league in scoring at 81.3 points per game, scoring margin at +18.4, field-goal percentage at 44.8%, field goals made at 237 and offensive boards at 15.5 per contest. Individually, three players are ranked in the top 15 in the league in scoring led by Fallyn Freije (11th, 13.5 ppg), Martha Kuderer (12th, 13.1) and Darian White (15th, 12.6).
MORE ON IDAHO STATE: ISU defeated Montana 67-53 on Thursday night. The game marked just the fourth time in history that ISU had defeated UM on the road. Idaho State out-shot the Lady Griz 47% to 33%. ISU scored 34 points in the paint, adjusting to Montana holding them to just 24% from three. The Bengals out-rebounded UM 41-33. Montana Oltrogge led ISU with 18 points. Diaba Konate followed with 15 and Callie Bourne recorded her sixth-consecutive double-figure game with 14. Ellie Smith recorded a career nine boards, a career-high four assists and two blocks. Bourne and Konate also grabbed seven boards each. Dora Goles had a career-high five steals.
BOBCATS VS. TOP 25: Montana State is 3-24 all-time against teams ranked in the AP Top 25 or USA Today/WBCA Coaches polls, following its 78-67 loss to No. 11 Texas A&M on Dec. 21 in Puerto Rico. MSU's victories have come over Montana, twice, when the Lady Griz were ranked. The Bobcats defeated #17 Montana (58-52 in Bozeman) on March 4, 1994 as well as #16 Montana (58-56 in Bozeman) on March 5, 1988. MSU's other victory of a top 25 school came at #21 Boise State (69-68) on Jan. 28. 1994. The highest ranked team Montana State has played was #2 Baylor on Nov. 13, 2010- a 93-56 loss in Waco.
HOLY MOLY, OLI: Oliana Squires, a 2019-20 preseason All-Big Sky pick, is currently averaging 11.2 points per game, third highest on the squad. She became the 24th member of MSU's 1000-point club on Jan. 4 after posting 11 points in MSU's win over Southern Utah. Her career 1,024 points ranks 22nd all-time. Squires notched a season-high 17 points at Seattle U on Nov. 30. She's been in double-digit scoring in 12 of 15 games. Squires dished out a season-best seven assists at Sacramento State on Dec. 28 and had a season-best four steals against Wichita State in Puerto Rico. The senior tri-captain has posted 24 three-pointers and 44 assists this season. Last winter, Squires earned All-Big Sky Third-Team accolades after guiding the Bobcats averaging 11.4 points, 3.8 assists, 3.5 rebounds and a steal per game.
MAD ABOUT YOU: Madeline Smith, who has started all 17 games for the Bobcats, is currently averaging 8.2 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. Smith posted her third double-double of the year leading MSU to a double overtime win at Easter Washington with 14 points and 13 rebounds. The Snohomish, Wash., product posted MSU's first double-double of the season with 11 points and 10 rebounds in the Cats' victory over MSU Northern on Nov. 17. After 17 games, Smith is shooting 53.8% from the field, which leads the team. Last winter, Smith was third in the Big Sky in field-goal percentage, shooting 53.7% from the floor. She had ten games in double-figure scoring and posted a career-high 27 points against Southern Utah. Her current total of 608 rebounds ranks 15th all-time.
MARTHA'S MOMENTS: Martha Kuderer has started in all 17 games and is averaging 10 points and 4.3 rebounds, while shooting 48.8%. She has been in double-digits on seven occasions, including a career-high 23 points to lead MSU to a victory over Sacramento State Dec. 28. The Eden Prairie, Minn., product has been on fire lately. In Big Sky Conference games, Kuderer is averaging a team-high 13.1 points per game, while shooting 51.4% from the field. In addition, she is hitting at a 52.4% percent clip from beyond the arc and has connected on 10-of-14 3-pointers since Jan. 2 vs. No. Colorado.
BOUNDING WITH BLAIRE: Blaire Braxton, who played in all 31 games, including seven starts for the Bobcats, last winter, is currently averaging 4.1 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. Braxton posted a season-high 12 points in Montana State's win over Weber State on Thursday night, connecting on three-of-four from the line and career six-of-six from the free throw line. In addition, she added seven rebounds and a blocked shot. Braxton is currently 14th on MSU's all-time rebounding chart with 625 boards. Last winter, Braxton averaged 7.0 points per outing and notched seven games in double-figure scoring, including a career-high 18 points against Idaho. She also recorded two double-digit rebounding games, including a season-high 13 boards in MSU's win at Eastern Washington. She saw remarkable improvement in field-goal percentage shooting a team-best 55.8% from the field.
PRESEASON MVP: Despite not playing in a game for over a year and not ever wearing the Blue and Gold, senior Fallyn Freije was named preseason Big Sky Conference MVP. The Edmore, N.D. product played three seasons at North Dakota before transferring to Bozeman. Freije was a two-time All-Big Sky performer for the Fighting Hawks, where she averaged 13.2 points and 7.7 rebounds per game as a junior. She played in 90 games and started in 58. Freije has recorded 1,052 points and has amassed 632 rebounds over the course of her collegiate career.
DEEP FREIJE: Senior Fallyn Freije is currently averaging a team-best 12.6 points per game. She is first on the squad pulling down 7.6 rebounds, as well. On the season, Freije has been in double-digit scoring on 13 occasions, including matching a season-high 20 points twice, the last in MSU's win over Southern Utah Jan. 4. Freije posted her third double-double of the season with 12 pts/12 rebs. vs. Eastern Washington last Saturday.
BARDS OF THE BLOCK: Madeline Smith and Blaire Braxton have manned the blocks for the Bobcats the past four seasons. The duo will go down as one of the best tandems to ever guard the glass in Worthington Arena. Blythe Hommes/Julie Brown combined for a program record 1,248 rebounds when they finished their careers in 1997. Other top performers include Braxton/Smith, 1,233, 2020; Alaina Bauer/Sandy Neiss, 1,196, 1991; and Kelly Martin/Serena Merrill, 1,034, 2001.
TORI, TORI, TORI: Tori Martell has connected on 30 3-pointers this season. She is averaging 8.0 points per game and is shooting 46.6% from the field and 40% from long distance. Martell, who has filled in for Oliana Squires the past three games, notched a season-high 17 points in MSU's double overtime win at Eastern Washington connecting on five-of-10 from the field, including four 3-pointers, last Saturday. On Thursday, the product of Somerset, Wis., posted 16 points on 6-12 shooting and four triples.
FRESH START: True-freshman Darian White is making a good impression in the Blue and Gold. The Boise, Idaho product has started all 17 games and is second on the team averaging 11.4 points game. She has been in double-figure scoring 12 times. White notched a season-high 23 points in MSU's double overtime win at Eastern Washington. White connected on eight-of-15 from the field and went 6-of-6 at the line. In addition, she pulled down nine rebounds, dished out seven assists and had five steals. In her last five games, White has averaged 12.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 3.0 steals per game. Last winter, she was the Idaho Gatorade Player of the Year.
ALL JACKED UP: Madison Jackson has averaged 16.4 minutes over 17 games. The Parma, Idaho native is averaging 6.2 points and 2.8 rebounds per game. She recorded a season-high 15 points in Montana State's win at Eastern Washington. Jackson's points all came from beyond the arc as she connected on 5-of-8 from long distance. Jackson was an Idaho state champion in the 100 and 330-meter hurdles, the high jump and as a member of the 4X400-meter relay.
I'LL HAVE A KOLA, PLEASE: True-freshman Kola Bad Bear is averaging 2.8 points and 2.8 rebounds per game over the first 17 outings. The Billings Senior grad recorded a season-best eight points at Sacramento State on December 28, hitting four-of-six from the field. Bad Bear hauled down nine rebounds in MSU's win over MSU Northern. For the season, Bad Bear is averaging 11.7 minutes per game.
NO PLACE LIKE HOME: The Bobcats held the nation's second longest home court win streak (31) before it was snapped by Portland State on Jan. 11, 2018. Since losing to San Diego on Nov. 11, 2015, MSU has won 48 of 58 games in The Brick. The Bobcats average 2,292 fans. The Cats had a season-high 6,596 in attendance for its annual Bobcat School Day Nov. 11, 2019.
WHEN: Saturday, January 25, 2020 @ 2 p.m. (MT)
WHERE: Bozeman, Mont. - Worthington Arena (6,772)
RECORDS: MSU: 11-6, 7-1, Idaho State 8-9, 4-4
SERIES: Montana State leads 44-37
LAST MTG: Feb. 14, 2019 - Idaho St. 62, @Montana St. 49
RADIO: Live on KMMS 1450 AM with Jason Alvine on the call; pregame begins 15-minutes prior to opening tip.
STATS: Live statistics can be accessed at bobcatstats.com; running play-by-play and boxscore are available
VIDEO: Montana State's game against Idaho State available on Pluto TV (Channel 538) and at WatchBigSky.com
BOBCATS AND BENGALS, OH MY: Montana State will conclude its short homestand when it hosts Idaho State University, Saturday, January 25 at 2 p.m. in Worthington Arena. The Cats are coming off an 81-52 victory over Weber State on Thursday night to remain atop the Big Sky Conference standings. Idaho State used a strong second half performance to knock off Montana, 67-53, on Thursday night in Missoula.
SERIES NOTE: Montana State holds a 44-37 lead in its all-time series with Idaho State going back to the 1977-78 season. ISU won both games last winter, winning in Pocatello, 61-43, on Jan. 26, and in Bozeman, 62-49, on Feb. 14. In their last 10 meetings ISU holds a 6-4 lead which includes two overtime games.
CAT OF THE WEEK: Darian White had her most complete game as a Bobcat in MSU's double overtime win at Eastern Washington. White finished with a career-high 23 points, shooting 53.3% from the field connecting on eight-of-15 attempts. In addition, she went a perfect six-of-six at the line. White filled out the stat sheet adding nine rebounds, seven assists and five steals.
DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS: MSU has done an outstanding job on the defensive end of the court this season. The Bobcats lead the Big Sky Conference in rebound margin at +7.0 and rebounding at 42.6 per game. MSU is ranked second in field-goal% defense (36.4%), scoring defense (61.5 ppg), rebounding defense (28.7 rpg) and steals (10.4). Montana State boasts five players averaging 4.3 rpg or better paced by Fallyn Freije (7.6), Madeline Smith (5.8), Darian White (4.8), Blaire Braxton (4.4) and Martha Kuderer (4.3).
OFFENSE HELPS, TOO: Montana State is also one of the top offensive squads in the Big Sky Conference. The Bobcats lead the league in scoring at 81.3 points per game, scoring margin at +18.4, field-goal percentage at 44.8%, field goals made at 237 and offensive boards at 15.5 per contest. Individually, three players are ranked in the top 15 in the league in scoring led by Fallyn Freije (11th, 13.5 ppg), Martha Kuderer (12th, 13.1) and Darian White (15th, 12.6).
MORE ON IDAHO STATE: ISU defeated Montana 67-53 on Thursday night. The game marked just the fourth time in history that ISU had defeated UM on the road. Idaho State out-shot the Lady Griz 47% to 33%. ISU scored 34 points in the paint, adjusting to Montana holding them to just 24% from three. The Bengals out-rebounded UM 41-33. Montana Oltrogge led ISU with 18 points. Diaba Konate followed with 15 and Callie Bourne recorded her sixth-consecutive double-figure game with 14. Ellie Smith recorded a career nine boards, a career-high four assists and two blocks. Bourne and Konate also grabbed seven boards each. Dora Goles had a career-high five steals.
BOBCATS VS. TOP 25: Montana State is 3-24 all-time against teams ranked in the AP Top 25 or USA Today/WBCA Coaches polls, following its 78-67 loss to No. 11 Texas A&M on Dec. 21 in Puerto Rico. MSU's victories have come over Montana, twice, when the Lady Griz were ranked. The Bobcats defeated #17 Montana (58-52 in Bozeman) on March 4, 1994 as well as #16 Montana (58-56 in Bozeman) on March 5, 1988. MSU's other victory of a top 25 school came at #21 Boise State (69-68) on Jan. 28. 1994. The highest ranked team Montana State has played was #2 Baylor on Nov. 13, 2010- a 93-56 loss in Waco.
HOLY MOLY, OLI: Oliana Squires, a 2019-20 preseason All-Big Sky pick, is currently averaging 11.2 points per game, third highest on the squad. She became the 24th member of MSU's 1000-point club on Jan. 4 after posting 11 points in MSU's win over Southern Utah. Her career 1,024 points ranks 22nd all-time. Squires notched a season-high 17 points at Seattle U on Nov. 30. She's been in double-digit scoring in 12 of 15 games. Squires dished out a season-best seven assists at Sacramento State on Dec. 28 and had a season-best four steals against Wichita State in Puerto Rico. The senior tri-captain has posted 24 three-pointers and 44 assists this season. Last winter, Squires earned All-Big Sky Third-Team accolades after guiding the Bobcats averaging 11.4 points, 3.8 assists, 3.5 rebounds and a steal per game.
MAD ABOUT YOU: Madeline Smith, who has started all 17 games for the Bobcats, is currently averaging 8.2 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. Smith posted her third double-double of the year leading MSU to a double overtime win at Easter Washington with 14 points and 13 rebounds. The Snohomish, Wash., product posted MSU's first double-double of the season with 11 points and 10 rebounds in the Cats' victory over MSU Northern on Nov. 17. After 17 games, Smith is shooting 53.8% from the field, which leads the team. Last winter, Smith was third in the Big Sky in field-goal percentage, shooting 53.7% from the floor. She had ten games in double-figure scoring and posted a career-high 27 points against Southern Utah. Her current total of 608 rebounds ranks 15th all-time.
MARTHA'S MOMENTS: Martha Kuderer has started in all 17 games and is averaging 10 points and 4.3 rebounds, while shooting 48.8%. She has been in double-digits on seven occasions, including a career-high 23 points to lead MSU to a victory over Sacramento State Dec. 28. The Eden Prairie, Minn., product has been on fire lately. In Big Sky Conference games, Kuderer is averaging a team-high 13.1 points per game, while shooting 51.4% from the field. In addition, she is hitting at a 52.4% percent clip from beyond the arc and has connected on 10-of-14 3-pointers since Jan. 2 vs. No. Colorado.
BOUNDING WITH BLAIRE: Blaire Braxton, who played in all 31 games, including seven starts for the Bobcats, last winter, is currently averaging 4.1 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. Braxton posted a season-high 12 points in Montana State's win over Weber State on Thursday night, connecting on three-of-four from the line and career six-of-six from the free throw line. In addition, she added seven rebounds and a blocked shot. Braxton is currently 14th on MSU's all-time rebounding chart with 625 boards. Last winter, Braxton averaged 7.0 points per outing and notched seven games in double-figure scoring, including a career-high 18 points against Idaho. She also recorded two double-digit rebounding games, including a season-high 13 boards in MSU's win at Eastern Washington. She saw remarkable improvement in field-goal percentage shooting a team-best 55.8% from the field.
PRESEASON MVP: Despite not playing in a game for over a year and not ever wearing the Blue and Gold, senior Fallyn Freije was named preseason Big Sky Conference MVP. The Edmore, N.D. product played three seasons at North Dakota before transferring to Bozeman. Freije was a two-time All-Big Sky performer for the Fighting Hawks, where she averaged 13.2 points and 7.7 rebounds per game as a junior. She played in 90 games and started in 58. Freije has recorded 1,052 points and has amassed 632 rebounds over the course of her collegiate career.
DEEP FREIJE: Senior Fallyn Freije is currently averaging a team-best 12.6 points per game. She is first on the squad pulling down 7.6 rebounds, as well. On the season, Freije has been in double-digit scoring on 13 occasions, including matching a season-high 20 points twice, the last in MSU's win over Southern Utah Jan. 4. Freije posted her third double-double of the season with 12 pts/12 rebs. vs. Eastern Washington last Saturday.
BARDS OF THE BLOCK: Madeline Smith and Blaire Braxton have manned the blocks for the Bobcats the past four seasons. The duo will go down as one of the best tandems to ever guard the glass in Worthington Arena. Blythe Hommes/Julie Brown combined for a program record 1,248 rebounds when they finished their careers in 1997. Other top performers include Braxton/Smith, 1,233, 2020; Alaina Bauer/Sandy Neiss, 1,196, 1991; and Kelly Martin/Serena Merrill, 1,034, 2001.
TORI, TORI, TORI: Tori Martell has connected on 30 3-pointers this season. She is averaging 8.0 points per game and is shooting 46.6% from the field and 40% from long distance. Martell, who has filled in for Oliana Squires the past three games, notched a season-high 17 points in MSU's double overtime win at Eastern Washington connecting on five-of-10 from the field, including four 3-pointers, last Saturday. On Thursday, the product of Somerset, Wis., posted 16 points on 6-12 shooting and four triples.
FRESH START: True-freshman Darian White is making a good impression in the Blue and Gold. The Boise, Idaho product has started all 17 games and is second on the team averaging 11.4 points game. She has been in double-figure scoring 12 times. White notched a season-high 23 points in MSU's double overtime win at Eastern Washington. White connected on eight-of-15 from the field and went 6-of-6 at the line. In addition, she pulled down nine rebounds, dished out seven assists and had five steals. In her last five games, White has averaged 12.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 3.0 steals per game. Last winter, she was the Idaho Gatorade Player of the Year.
ALL JACKED UP: Madison Jackson has averaged 16.4 minutes over 17 games. The Parma, Idaho native is averaging 6.2 points and 2.8 rebounds per game. She recorded a season-high 15 points in Montana State's win at Eastern Washington. Jackson's points all came from beyond the arc as she connected on 5-of-8 from long distance. Jackson was an Idaho state champion in the 100 and 330-meter hurdles, the high jump and as a member of the 4X400-meter relay.
I'LL HAVE A KOLA, PLEASE: True-freshman Kola Bad Bear is averaging 2.8 points and 2.8 rebounds per game over the first 17 outings. The Billings Senior grad recorded a season-best eight points at Sacramento State on December 28, hitting four-of-six from the field. Bad Bear hauled down nine rebounds in MSU's win over MSU Northern. For the season, Bad Bear is averaging 11.7 minutes per game.
NO PLACE LIKE HOME: The Bobcats held the nation's second longest home court win streak (31) before it was snapped by Portland State on Jan. 11, 2018. Since losing to San Diego on Nov. 11, 2015, MSU has won 48 of 58 games in The Brick. The Bobcats average 2,292 fans. The Cats had a season-high 6,596 in attendance for its annual Bobcat School Day Nov. 11, 2019.
Players Mentioned
F
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballBobcat Insider TV Show
Wednesday, January 26
vs. Seattle (Live Stream Video)
Saturday, December 18
Inside The Brick (Lexi Deden)
Thursday, November 04
Inside The Brick (Leia Beattie)
Tuesday, November 02
