Cats Enter Big Sky Tournament Tuesday as No. 3 Seed

Tuesday, March 9

Boise, ID (Idaho Central Arena)

8 p.m.

Montana State University

Sacramento State

3/8/2021 5:32:00 PM | Women's Basketball

MSU WBB NOTES

The No.3-seeded Montana State women’s basketball team will open play at the Big Sky Conference Tournament on Tuesday, March 9 at 8 p.m. in Idaho Central Arena in Boise, Idaho.

By: Tom Schulz

WHO:             Montana State vs. Montana/Sacramento State
WHEN:           Tuesday, March 9, 2021 @ 8 p.m. (MST)
WHERE:         Boise, Idaho - Idaho Central Arena
RECORDS:      MSU: 16-6, 13-3; UM: 12-10, 9-8; SAC: 2-21, 2-18
SERIES:           MSU vs. UM: 33-78   MSU vs. SAC: 38-12
LAST GM:      3/5/21 - Montana State 81, @ Sac St. 66
RADIO:           Live on 1450 KMMS AM with Mark Martello on the call; pregame begins 15-minutes prior to opening tip.
VIDEO:            The entire Big Sky Conference Women's Basketball Tournament can be seen on Pluto TV - channel 1050

TOURNEY TIME: The No.3-seeded Montana State women's basketball team will open play at the Big Sky Conference Tournament on Tuesday, March 9 at 8 p.m. in Idaho Central Arena in Boise, Idaho. The Bobcats will face the winner of No. 6 Montana and No. 11 Sacramento State. That game will be decided Monday night at 8 p.m. Other teams that received first-round bye include No. 1 Idaho State, No. 2 Idaho, No. 4 Northern Colorado, and No. 5 Southern Utah. Semifinal play will be Wednesday, March 10 at 6 and 9 p.m., respectively. The championship game is slated for Friday, March 12 at 12 p.m.

BOBCAT PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Senior Tori Martell averaged 20.5 points, 5.5 three-point makes, 3.0 assists, 2.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals as the Bobcats closed out the regular season with a sweep of Sacramento State. On Friday afternoon, Martell recorded 23 points, connecting on 7 of 12 from long distance, to go along with four assists and two steals. The seven triples also give Martell 206 for her career, making her the third Bobcat in history to go over the 200 career makes milestone. She also ranks 16th on the Big Sky Conference career three-point chart. Martell has also been ranked among the top 20 in the nation throughout the season in 3-point FG% and 3-point FG made. On Wednesday, she logged 18 points, including four three-pointers.

THE SCOUTING REPORT: Montana - The Lady Griz put themselves in position to earn a first-round bye after going on a five-game winning streak last month, but a three-game skid to close the regular season has Montana playing a first-round game for the fifth time in six years. The Lady Griz got swept at home by regular-season champion Idaho State, by 30 and 16 points, to close the month of February, then opened March with a 92-72 loss at Idaho, which finished runner-up. Montana's loss in Moscow on Friday night allowed Southern Utah, despite losing at home to Portland State, to slide into the No. 5 spot and earn a bye past the opening round. The Lady Griz go into the postseason on a three-game losing streak for the first time in program history. Abby Anderson and Carmen Gfeller were both named third-team All-Big Sky Conference. It's the first time Montana has had multiple selections since Kayleigh Valley and McCalle Feller in 2015-16. The Lady Griz have used the same starting lineup (Stiles, Thurmon, Schoening, Gfeller, Anderson) in 21 of 22 games this season. The only outlier was when Kylie Frohlich started in Game 2 at Northern Colorado when Anderson sat out with an injury. Montana is assured of finishing above .500 for the second consecutive season after finishing below .500 the previous three. - UM SID. Sacramento State - In 20 conference games, Sacramento State finished 2-18, including a winless 0-10 effort on the road. Despite not winning on the road, the Hornets were better in a number of statistical categories on the road, including scoring and field goal percentage. Both of Sac's conference wins came at home, first against Eastern Washington (82-76) and later against Southern Utah (73-66). Sacramento State averages 8.4 made three-point field goals per game this season, the second-highest mark in the Big Sky (Montana State, 8.6) and the 30th-highest in the nation. Sacramento State made a season-high 12 threes in a road loss at Weber State. - SAC SID.

THE STREAK: With its win over North Dakota on Dec. 6, the Bobcats ran its consecutive winning streak to a school-record 18 games. Montana State started the streak on Jan. 11, 2020 with a 73-62 victory at Portland State. MSU closed out the 2019-20 season with a 76-71 win over Northern Arizona in semifinal action at the Big Sky Tournament on March 11 in Boise, Idaho. The season was halted the next day due to COVID-19. MSU's 18-game win streak was snapped at BYU on Dec. 10. The streak was the third longest in the nation at the time, behind only Oregon (24) and Princeton (22).

PRESEASON ACCOLADES: Montana State sophomore Darian White was named to the preseason all-Big Sky team voted on by BSC head coaches and media members. White, a product of Boise, Idaho, was the 2020 Big Sky Freshman of the Year, after helping the Bobcats to a 25-6 overall mark, a dominating 19-1 league ledger and a Big Sky title. In what was arguably one of the best inaugural campaigns in MSU history, White collected 394 points, 150 rebounds, 104 assists and 76 steals. She played and started in all 31 games, averaging 12.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.5 steals per game. White, who recorded 25 games in double-digit scoring, notched a season-high 23 points in MSU's win at Eastern Washington connecting on eight-of-15 from the field and six-of-six at the line. She finished 25th in the nation in steals and 31st in the country in steals per game. In MSU's two victories at the Big Sky Tournament, White averaged 19 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.5 steals and 2.0 assists.

A LITTLE BIT OF TORI: Tori Martell, a product of Somerset, Wis., moved up the all-time Montana State three-point made chart. Martell has 206 career 3-pointers, which ranks third all-time. Ahead of her on MSU's all-time list are Katie Bussey (254), and Hannah Caudill (231). Martell's career 37% shooting from beyond the arc ranks seventh all-time at Montana State. Her eight 3-pointers against North Dakota on Dec. 6, 2020 broke the MSU school-record of seven previously held by Amy Meckling (Jan. 2, 2000), Brandi Lewis (Feb. 13, 2003) and Hannah Caudill (Jan. 28, 2017). Martell's total is tied for fourth most in the nation this season. She is currently second on the team in scoring, averaging 13 points per game. Martell has been in double-digit scoring on 14 occasions this season, including a career-best 26 points against North Dakota. Last weekend at Sacramento State she averaged 20.5 points and 5.5 3-point makes per game.

DARE TO BE: Darian White, a preseason All-Big Sky Conference selection leads the Bobcats and is fourth in the Big Sky averaging 14.8 points per game. She's been over the 20+ point mark on three occasions, with a career-best 24 points in MSU's win at Portland on Dec. 17. White, a graduate of Mountain View High School in Boise, Idaho, also leads the team in assists (85), steals (64) and free throws made (94). In addition, White is averaging a team-best 5.1 rebounds per game. She recorded a career-high 11 rebounds at Portland on Feb. 11. White flirted with a triple-double- scoring 16 points, hauling down 10 boards and adding a career-best seven steals at eastern Washington on Feb. 11. Last week vs. SAC, she averaged 17 points and 4.5 boards.

ALL JACKED UP: Madison Jackson, who was sidelined for seven games during the early season, returned to action on Jan. 21. The Parma, Idaho product has seen her minutes increase since her return. In MSU's series against league-leading Idaho State, she averaged 11 points and 4.5 rebounds per game, while shooting 63.6% from the field. Jackson notched a career-high 20 points in MSU overtime win against Idaho State on Feb. 20, including 13 points in the first half. For the game, she connected on 6-of-9 from the field, including three 3-pointers.

KUDOS TO KOLA: Sophomore Kola Bad Bear has played in all 22 games, including 21 starts. The 6-2 product of Billings Senior is averaging 5.3 points and 3.2 rebounds per contest. Bad Bear had her best outing of the season at Portland State on Jan. 14 posting a career-high 16 points. She has been in double-digit scoring on four occasions, including 14 points vs. Idaho State on Saturday. Bad Bear averaged 2.5 rebounds per game last week at Sacramento State.

EASY PEASY: True-freshman Katelynn Limardo has started all 22 games for the Bobcats. The 6-2 product of Silver City, N.M. (a town where lawman Harvey Whitehall was the first to arrest Billy the Kid, known at the time under the alias Henry Antrim in 1875) is averaging 6.4 points per game. Limardo had her best game of the season at Eastern Washington on Feb. 13, scoring a team-high 17 points. Against EWU, she connected on 6-6 from the field and was 5-5 from long distance. Limardo also chipped in three rebounds, an assist and a steal. On the season, she's averaging 4.5 rebounds per game. Last week, she averaged 8.0 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.0 3-point makes per game. She also pulled down a season-high 11 rebounds in MSU's win at Sacramento State last Wednesday.

THE PRIDE OF ROSEMOUNT: True freshman Taylor Janssen has played in all 22 games, including three starts. She is averaging 14.5 minutes per contest. The Rosemount, Minn., native is averaging 4.6 points per game. Janssen posted a season-high 14 points in MSU's 102-53 win over Weber State on Feb. 4. For the game, she connected on 4-7 from the field, 2-3 from 3-point range and 4-4 at the line.

KEEP FEEDIN' DEDEN: Lexi Deden has played in all 22 games. The 6-1 freshman forward from Missoula is averaging 6.7 points and 4.1 rebounds per contest. Deden recorded a season-high 22 points in MSU's win over Northern Arizona on Jan. 23 when she connected on 10-14 from the field. Deden finished the NAU weekend averaging 15 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. The Deden name is familiar in Montana basketball circles. Deden's mother Dawn (Silliker) played for Montana from 1984-88. At UM, she was a 1,000-point scorer and was an all-Mountain West pick. In addition, Lexi's aunt/head coach at Sentinel High, Karen Deden, was a standout at Washington and is in the Husky Hall of Fame. Last week against SAC, Deden averaged 3.0 points and 3.0 rebounds per contest.

MENTIONING MOCCHI: Junior Gabby Mocchi has played in 21 of MSU's 22 games, including starting the last 16 outings. The 6-1 forward from Champlin, Minn., saw limited minutes early in the season, but had a breakout performance at Utah Valley with 13 points and has been a mainstay in the starting line-up ever since. Mocchi is averaging 8.0 points per game, while shooting 41.8% in Big Sky action. She recorded a career-high 18 points on 7-12 shooting at Portland State on Jan. 16. Mocchi also pulled down a season-best nine rebounds in MSU's win over Montana in Bozeman.

SKYE'S THE LIMIT: Skye Lindsay, who sat out last season after transferring from Pepperdine, has seen action in nine games and is averaging 4.1 points and 3.1 rebounds per game. The Orem, Utah product posted a season-best 11 points at Portland.

DON'T MESS WITH TEXAS: Leia Beattie posted a season-best 14 points in MSU's win over NAU on Jan. 23. For the game, she went 5-of-7 from the field, including three triples. Beattie also has familiar Montana pedigree. Her mother, Kelly (Pilcher) was a two-time All-Big Sky selection for UM and is sixth all-time in assists. In addition, her 15 assists vs. Boise State and No. Arizona still rank first in single-game history. Beattie's aunt/coach at Midland Christian Academy, Carla (Beattie) Cunneen, is also a former Lady Griz and was the 1996 Big Sky Sixth Player of the Year. Last Friday, Beattie knocked down three triples for nine points

ASHLEY'S ACCOLADES: Ashley Van Sickle has averaged 3.4 points per game in Big Sky action. In her last 11 games, Van Sickle is shooting 57.9% (11-19) from long distance. She had a career-best 13 points against Weber State on Feb. 4.

EN FUEGO: Freshman Ava Ranson had a breakout game against Northern Arizona on Jan. 21, scoring 12 points on 4-5 triples.