Montana State University
14-8,9-2Big Sky
Weber State
8-14,4-9Big Sky
Bobcats Run Winning Streak to Seven with Win over Weber State
2/5/2022 6:04:00 PM | Women's Basketball
When the script flipped in the fourth quarter, the Bobcats had just enough to hold off WSU for a 74-71 win. The victory, MSU’s seventh in a row, boosted the team to 9-2 Big Sky Conference play and allowed the Bobcats to hold a share of first place.
For the first three quarters of basketball in Worthington Arena on Saturday Weber State couldn't hit a three-pointer and Montana State struggled to get to the free throw line.
When the script flipped in the fourth quarter, the Bobcats had just enough to hold off WSU for a 74-71 win. The victory, MSU's seventh in a row, boosted the team to 9-2 Big Sky Conference play and allowed the Bobcats to hold a share of first place.
Through three quarters, Weber State (8-14, 4-9) had missed all seven of their three-point attempts but stayed in the game with a 12-for-16 effort from the line. Montana State (14-8, 9-2) was 4-for-22 from the arc to that point, the Cats had attempted only five free throws, making each of them.
In the fourth quarter, though, things turned around. Weber State made four three-pointers, missing only two, while the Bobcats connected on 16 of 22 free throw tries and outscored the Wildcats 16-to-9 from the stripe. Junior guard Darian White led the way with a 6-for-10 showing, while Kola Bad Bear was 4-for-4.
The game was close throughout. The Cats jumped out to an eight-point lead early in the fourth quarter when Kola Bad Bear sank a pair of free throws, but that was the biggest margin either team would enjoy. The Wildcats answered with a 7-0 run triggered by back-to-back three-pointers by Kori Pentzer, and Vicky Parra's layup with 4:16 left gave the Wildcats their only lead of the second half.
The Bobcats answered. Taylor Janssen and Darian White each hit one free throw, then Janssen drained a three-pointer to push the Cats into a 62-59 lead. With just less than two minutes left Weber State's Emma Torbert made a layup to give the Wildcats a 63-62 lead, but on the other end Torbert committed her fifth personal foul and for good measure received a technical foul.
That sequence nudged momentum toward the Bobcats. White hit both free throws for drawing the personal and made one of the two technical shots to give MSU a 65-63 lead. On the ensuing possession Madison Jackson drew a foul and made both free throws to give MSU a 67-63 lead.
After the Wildcats made one of two from the line, White hit a short jumper to push MSU's lead to five with 54 seconds to play. Weber State's Daryn Hickock hit four free throws in the game's final 25 seconds, but White made two of her four in that span then blocked Aloma Solovi's three-pointer at the buzzer to preserve the win.
The Bobcats shot only 33.3% for the game but attempted 72 shots thanks in large part to 25 offensive rebounds that turned into 21 second-chance points. MSU also forced 19 Weber State turnovers while giving the ball away just 13 times.
White led the Bobcats with 19 points, while Taylor Janssen scored 15 and Lexi Deden and Kola Bad Bear each added 10. Janssen grabbed nine boards.
Hickock led all players with 22 points for Weber State.
MSU now heads to Idaho for a Monday night contest which will be the team's eighth in 18 days.
