Montana State University
Northern Colorado
Cats Battle but Fall Short in Greeley
1/13/2024 5:24:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Limardo finished with her third double-double of the season recording a team-high 18 points and ten rebounds.
Montana State overcame a 10-point third quarter deficit and grabbed a two-point lead with 3 minutes, 22 seconds left but couldn't hang on as Northern Colorado closed out the contest with a 7-0 run en route to a 58-53 victory over the Bobcats on Saturday afternoon in Bank of Colorado Arena.
Montana State (8-9, 2-2) jumped out to an early 15-9 lead as freshman Lea Boulanger capped off a 9-2 run with a layup. Senior Katelynn Limardo sparked MSU in the opening period with seven points, but Northern Colorado (7-7, 2-1) was able to cut the margin to two points heading into the second stanza.
A Taylor Janssen layup opened the second quarter giving MSU a 19-15 lead, but UNC answered with a 13-2 run to push its advantage to 28-21. The Bears entered intermission with a 33-23 cushion.
Northern Colorado held its 10-point lead three minutes into the second half but an 11-4 run by the Bobcats cut the margin to 43-40 on a pair of Limardo free throws with 10 seconds remaining in the quarter.
UNC regained the momentum building a 51-43 advantage at the 6:08 mark of the final frame, but again, the Bobcats battled back with a 10-0 run grabbing a 53-51 lead on a Madison Hall three-pointer with 3 minutes, 22 seconds left. Hall's basket proved to be the last for the Bobcats as the Bears closed out the game with seven consecutive points.
"Unfortunately, we had too many unforced turnovers and were too inconsistent with our offense," said MSU head coach Tricia Binford. "Our starting five played the entire fourth quarter, so there was some fatigue there. I'm proud of the way the team battled, and we gave ourselves a chance."
Limardo finished with her third double-double of the season recording a team-high 18 points and ten rebounds. She also notched five steals. Also, in double digits was Hall with 12.
Delaynie Byrne and Hannah Simental led UNC with 23 and 12 points, respectively. The duo combined on eight-of-15 from beyond the arc. In all, the Bears connected on 11-of-22 attempts from long distance.
"The three-ball really got us in the first half," Binford said. "And, we had too many dry spells to overcome on the offensive end."
For the game, the Bobcats shot 40% percent from the field, but converted just four-of-13 three-point attempts. UNC shot 41.7% and outrebounded the Bobcats 36-26, including an 11-5 advantage on the offensive glass.
The Bobcats host Montana, Saturday, Jan. 20 at 2 p.m., in Worthington Arena.
