Cats Fall at Big Sky Tournament

Sunday, March 5

Boise, ID

2:30 p.m.

Montana State University

20-11,13-5Big Sky

#7Portland State

15-15,8-10Big Sky

Portland St.

Montana St.

Darian White at the Big Sky Quarterfinals

Darian White posted 14 points on Sunday to move into second on MSU's all-time career scoring list.

Photo by: Garrett Becker

3/5/2023 6:12:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

When it comes to the Big Sky Conference Tournament, Portland State and the three-point line have been Montana State’s kryptonite.

By: Tom Schulz

When it comes to the Big Sky Conference Tournament, Portland State and the three-point line have been Montana State's kryptonite.

Portland State (15-15) connected on 15-of-32 from beyond the arc as the Vikings improved its all-time record against Montana State (20-11) to 4-0 at the league tournament with a 77-65 victory over the Bobcats on Sunday afternoon at Idaho Central Arena.

"The three-ball has been a tough area for us the entire season," said MSU head coach Tricia Binford. "Portland State came in super loose and were hot early. We just didn't counter what they were doing, and we didn't hit our shots."

PSU got out to a 20-9 lead after the opening 10-minutes behind four Viking triples. Portland State held a 35-26 advantage at intermission as Esmeralda Morales posted 17 points, including a five-of-eight effort from long range. PSU shot 41.1% from the field in the first half, while the Bobcats went seven-of-29 (24.1%).

"We didn't have very good balance and we were not efficient with the things we were trying to do," Binford said. "Today, was a lot more physical than what we had at their place a week ago."

The Bobcats defeated the Vikings 63-34 in Portland on Feb. 25 to clinch a share of the regular season Big Sky title.

Portland State built its largest lead at 48-27 at the 5:50 mark of the third period following an Alaya Fitzgerald triple. Montana State cut the margin to eight points on a Darian White three-point play with 8:17 remaining but would get no closer.

White finished her stellar career at MSU with 14 points, while adding seven rebounds and three assists. She moved past current Bobcat assistant coach Katie Bussey into second on MSU's all-time scoring list with 1,716 career points. White played and started in 120 games and became the only player in Big Sky history to record over 1,700 points, 600 rebounds, 400 assists and 200 steals.

Also in double-digits for MSU were Lexi Deden, Leia Beattie and Kola Bad Bear with 14, 12 and 11 points, respectively. Deden just missed her second career double-double pulling down a team-high nine rebounds.

MSU's four-year senior class of White, Bad Bear and Madison Jackson registered 84 victories making it the winningest class in Bobcat history. The trio was part of three 20-win seasons, two regular season Big Sky titles and a Big Sky championship and NCAA Tournament appearance.

"I love these kids," Binford said. "Endings are hard, but journeys are amazing. They've left a tremendous legacy."

PSU, who set a school-record for three-pointers with fifteen, was led by Morales with 28 points.