Photo by: Garrett Becker
Back in the Brick, Bobcats Host Sacramento State
1/24/2024 3:13:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Montana State reaches the middle point of playing four games in eight days when it hosts Sacramento State, Thursday, Jan. 25 at 7 p.m. in Worthington Arena
NEXT UP: Montana State reaches the middle point of playing four games in eight days when it hosts Sacramento State, Thursday, Jan. 25 at 7 p.m. in Worthington Arena. The Bobcats close out the weekend with Portland State, Saturday at 2 p.m. in The Brick.
A LITTLE ABOUT MONTANA STATE: Montana State dropped a 62-53 decision at Idaho State on Monday night. The Bobcat were led by Taylor Janssen and Madison Hall with 12 points each, while freshman Natalie Picton chipped in 10. The Bobcats' last home game was a 64-55 victory over Montana- the 10th straight win over its rival in Worthington Arena.
A LITTLE ABOUT SACRAMENTO STATE: The Hornets have been led this season by freshman Summah Hanson. The 6-2 forward from Brisbane, Australia recorded 19 points and hauled down seven rebounds in its loss to Northern Arizona, last Saturday.
THE SCOUTING REPORT: Sacramento State is 1-16 overall and 0-6 in Big Sky play after dropping homes games to Northern Colorado (72-59) and Northern Arizona (83-66) last Thursday and Saturday, respectively. Sacramento State's Aaron Kallhoff is in his first season at the helm of the Hornets. He has served five previous seasons as a head coach at the junior college level and spent 10 years as an assistant at five Division I programs: Arkansas State, TCU, LSU, Penn State, and BYU. He earned his first career Division I victory as a head coach on Dec. 2 against CSUN. The Hornets have been led this season by freshman Summah Hanson. The 6-2 forward from Brisbane, Australia recorded 19 points and hauled down seven rebounds against NAU. Hanson is the highest scoring freshman in the Big Sky entering the weekend, with the next closest first-year scorer being Northern Colorado's Tatum West at 7.9 ppg. Hanson also ranks No. 20 in the NCAA in scoring (14.1 ppg) among qualifying freshmen entering the weekend. Hanson's career-high 28 points at Weber State on Jan. 11 were the most by a Hornet freshman in the program's Division I history. Through six BSC games, Benthe Versteeg is the Hornets' leading scorer, averaging 15.3 points, 5.0 assists, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.0 steals per game, while leading the team with 35 field goals made.
ALL JACKED UP: Madison Hall has started all 19 games and is averaging 10.3 points and 3.0 rebounds per game. On Saturday against Montana, she notched a game-high 18 points hitting six-of-14 from the floor and five-of-six at the line. She also matched a season-best five rebounds and dished out four assists. Hall is on a current streak of nine consecutive games in double digits. Hall is averaging 14.3 points per game in Big Sky Conference play, while shooting 50.8% from the field and 85.2% from the line. Last season, Hall (Jackson) played in 29 games, including 16 starts. Over the summer she married Brayden Hall, a former MSU men's basketball manager. Hall has tallied a season-best 17 points on two occasions, the last coming against North Dakota State. As a sophomore, Hall had a career-high 20 points against Idaho State.
OH CANADA: Marah (MARE-ah) Dykstra has started 27-of-46 games as a Bobcat and is currently averaging 8.7 points and 4.9 rebounds per outing, while dishing out a team-best 2.7 assists per game. Dykstra, who sat out games at Northern Arizona and Northern Colorado, returned to the line up on Saturday against Montana. She finished the contest playing 33 minutes and registering 12 points and five rebounds. This fall, she notched her best game at Arizona State on Nov. 10, pouring in 17 points, while adding six rebounds, four assists and three steals. Last winter, the native of Vancouver, B.C., Canada averaged 3.7 points and 3.3 rebounds per contest, while shooting 38.2% from the field and 80.5% (33-41) from the free throw line. Last summer, Dykstra, a 6-2 forward, played for Team Canada at the 2023 FIBA U19 World Cup in Madrid, Spain, July 15-23. During the last offseason she navigated a year-long process and survived two rounds of cuts to make the final 12-player roster. Five players returned to the squad from the 2022 U18 Canadian team that competed in the Women's Americas Championships in Buenos Aires, Argentina, of which Dykstra was a member. Team Canada cruised through pool play, defeating China 83-62, Czech Republic 66-61, Egypt 100-44, and Brazil 89-45. Dykstra averaged seven rebounds per game, the second-best mark of any athlete in opening round action. Dykstra finished World Cup play averaging 23.1 minutes, while chipping in 4.3 points and 6.0 rebounds per game.
THE PRIDE OF ROSEMOUNT: Taylor Janssen notched a season-best 16 points at Portland on Dec. 2, connecting on six-of-10 from the field, including a three-of-four effort from beyond the three-point line. She notched 13 points at Northern Arizona on Jan. 11 - her best in Big Sky action this season. Against NAU, Janssen had a three-of-four performance from long distance. On the season, the product of Rosemount, Minn., is averaging 7.9 points and 3.5 rebounds per game, while shooting 39.4% from the field. Janssen played in all 30 games and averaged 3.9 points and 3.1 rebounds per outing last season. She notched a season-high 11 points against Northern Arizona on Jan. 7, 2023. Janssen pulled down a season-high seven rebounds against Providence (MT) in the season-opener. As a freshman, she connected on 20 straight free throws before missing a charity toss against Weber State. Janssen came up short of the all-time Bobcat record of 25 set by Rebecca Mercer during the 2007-08 season.
NEW KID ON THE BLOCK: Freshman Natalie Picton, a 5-5 guard from Welland, Ontario, Canada has started all 19 games following the injury to sophomore point guard Dylan Philip. The freshman has filled the role admirably, averaging 7.1 points and 2.4 assists per game. Picton has reached double figures in eight games, including a season-high 13 points at Northern Arizona. On Monday at Idaho State, Picton had 10 points, three rebounds and three assists.
THE WONDER FROM WALES: Freshman Issy Bunyan has made an impact in her brief time at MSU. The 6-0 guard from Tonyrefail, Wales, is averaging 5.9 points per game. She has been in double figures scoring on five occasions, including a season-best 15 against BYU in the season opener.
OUT ON A LIMB: Senior Katelynn 'KJ' Limardo has started 17 games for the Bobcats. She made her 106th career start on Saturday against Montana. Limardo is averaging a team-best 12.7 points and 7.2 rebounds per contest. She has been in double digits on 14 occasions, including a career-high 25 points against North Texas on Dec. 21, connecting on seven-of-11 from the field, five-of-nine from long distance and six-of-seven from the line. Limardo also added six rebounds, three steals and two assists against the Mean Green. For her efforts, she was named Big Sky Player of the Week. At Portland on Dec. 2, she notched her first ever double double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. She's notched four double doubles this season, the last on Saturday against Montana with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Limardo's been in double figures in 14 of 17 games this winter. Last year, she played in all 31 games and averaged 5.7 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. Against Saint Mary's on Dec. 12, 2022, Limardo registered a career-high seven triples- which were the second most in a single game at Montana State, behind Tori Martell's 8 3-pointers against North Dakota on Dec. 6, 2020. The 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 shooting 36.7% from the field and 77.8% from the line. Limardo is first on the team with 30 3-pointers. She is currently sixth on MSU's all-time career three-point makes chart with 159 triples.
MADE IN MONTANA: Redshirt freshman Brooke Berry (Billings) came off the bench to make a significant contribution in MSU's win over Wyoming on Dec. 17 registering 10 points on four-of-eight shooting. On Monday at ISU, she had 7 points and three rebounds. Berry is the daughter of former MSU men's player Gale Berry, who was a Bobcat from 1988-90. She made one start against NAU.
NO PLACE LIKE HOME: Over the past 10 seasons the Bobcats have thrived in the warm confines of Worthington Arena. Since the 2012-13 season, Montana State has gone an impressive 121-33 (78.6%) overall and 83-23 (78.3%) in Big Sky Conference play on its home court. During that span - from the start of the 2015-16 Big Sky season to the beginning of 2017-18 in league play- MSU rattled off a 19-game home court win streak. In her 19 seasons at Montana State, Bobcat head coach Tricia Binford is 169-73 (69.8%) overall and 112-48 (70.0%) in Big Sky play in Worthington Arena.
A FEW MORE NOTES: Over the past seven seasons, the Bobcats have claimed three Big Sky regular season titles 2016, 2017, 2020; two Big Sky Conference Tournament titles 2017, 2022; made two NCAA appearances 2017, 2022; and one WNIT appearance 2016…In the last six seasons, no Big Sky Conference team has won more league games than the Bobcats. Montana State has racked up 73 victories in Big Sky play since the 2019-20 season. The Bobcats are followed by Idaho State (68) and Idaho (67)…The Bobcats shot a season-best 51.8% (29-56) from the field in its win over New Mexico at the Cancun Challenge on Thanksgiving weekend. MSU's best Big Sky shooting performance (43.1%) came at No. Arizona.
WIN 300: With its 75-60 win over Weber State on Feb. 9, 2023, MSU head coach Tricia Binford notched her 309th career win, moving her past former Weber State bench boss Carla Taylor (308 -23 years). With MSU's 92-84 victory at Eastern Washington on Dec. 31, 2022, Binford became just the third coach in Big Sky history to record 300 wins- all coming as a member of the league. Binford is second to Montana's Robin Selvig (865, 38 years). In Big Sky play, Binford is second to Selvig (358) with 200 victories. Binford is MSU's winningest coach - men/women. This season marks Binford's 19th with the Bobcat program. She is currently 321-242 overall and 200-121 in BSC play.
A LITTLE ABOUT MONTANA STATE: Montana State dropped a 62-53 decision at Idaho State on Monday night. The Bobcat were led by Taylor Janssen and Madison Hall with 12 points each, while freshman Natalie Picton chipped in 10. The Bobcats' last home game was a 64-55 victory over Montana- the 10th straight win over its rival in Worthington Arena.
A LITTLE ABOUT SACRAMENTO STATE: The Hornets have been led this season by freshman Summah Hanson. The 6-2 forward from Brisbane, Australia recorded 19 points and hauled down seven rebounds in its loss to Northern Arizona, last Saturday.
THE SCOUTING REPORT: Sacramento State is 1-16 overall and 0-6 in Big Sky play after dropping homes games to Northern Colorado (72-59) and Northern Arizona (83-66) last Thursday and Saturday, respectively. Sacramento State's Aaron Kallhoff is in his first season at the helm of the Hornets. He has served five previous seasons as a head coach at the junior college level and spent 10 years as an assistant at five Division I programs: Arkansas State, TCU, LSU, Penn State, and BYU. He earned his first career Division I victory as a head coach on Dec. 2 against CSUN. The Hornets have been led this season by freshman Summah Hanson. The 6-2 forward from Brisbane, Australia recorded 19 points and hauled down seven rebounds against NAU. Hanson is the highest scoring freshman in the Big Sky entering the weekend, with the next closest first-year scorer being Northern Colorado's Tatum West at 7.9 ppg. Hanson also ranks No. 20 in the NCAA in scoring (14.1 ppg) among qualifying freshmen entering the weekend. Hanson's career-high 28 points at Weber State on Jan. 11 were the most by a Hornet freshman in the program's Division I history. Through six BSC games, Benthe Versteeg is the Hornets' leading scorer, averaging 15.3 points, 5.0 assists, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.0 steals per game, while leading the team with 35 field goals made.
ALL JACKED UP: Madison Hall has started all 19 games and is averaging 10.3 points and 3.0 rebounds per game. On Saturday against Montana, she notched a game-high 18 points hitting six-of-14 from the floor and five-of-six at the line. She also matched a season-best five rebounds and dished out four assists. Hall is on a current streak of nine consecutive games in double digits. Hall is averaging 14.3 points per game in Big Sky Conference play, while shooting 50.8% from the field and 85.2% from the line. Last season, Hall (Jackson) played in 29 games, including 16 starts. Over the summer she married Brayden Hall, a former MSU men's basketball manager. Hall has tallied a season-best 17 points on two occasions, the last coming against North Dakota State. As a sophomore, Hall had a career-high 20 points against Idaho State.
OH CANADA: Marah (MARE-ah) Dykstra has started 27-of-46 games as a Bobcat and is currently averaging 8.7 points and 4.9 rebounds per outing, while dishing out a team-best 2.7 assists per game. Dykstra, who sat out games at Northern Arizona and Northern Colorado, returned to the line up on Saturday against Montana. She finished the contest playing 33 minutes and registering 12 points and five rebounds. This fall, she notched her best game at Arizona State on Nov. 10, pouring in 17 points, while adding six rebounds, four assists and three steals. Last winter, the native of Vancouver, B.C., Canada averaged 3.7 points and 3.3 rebounds per contest, while shooting 38.2% from the field and 80.5% (33-41) from the free throw line. Last summer, Dykstra, a 6-2 forward, played for Team Canada at the 2023 FIBA U19 World Cup in Madrid, Spain, July 15-23. During the last offseason she navigated a year-long process and survived two rounds of cuts to make the final 12-player roster. Five players returned to the squad from the 2022 U18 Canadian team that competed in the Women's Americas Championships in Buenos Aires, Argentina, of which Dykstra was a member. Team Canada cruised through pool play, defeating China 83-62, Czech Republic 66-61, Egypt 100-44, and Brazil 89-45. Dykstra averaged seven rebounds per game, the second-best mark of any athlete in opening round action. Dykstra finished World Cup play averaging 23.1 minutes, while chipping in 4.3 points and 6.0 rebounds per game.
THE PRIDE OF ROSEMOUNT: Taylor Janssen notched a season-best 16 points at Portland on Dec. 2, connecting on six-of-10 from the field, including a three-of-four effort from beyond the three-point line. She notched 13 points at Northern Arizona on Jan. 11 - her best in Big Sky action this season. Against NAU, Janssen had a three-of-four performance from long distance. On the season, the product of Rosemount, Minn., is averaging 7.9 points and 3.5 rebounds per game, while shooting 39.4% from the field. Janssen played in all 30 games and averaged 3.9 points and 3.1 rebounds per outing last season. She notched a season-high 11 points against Northern Arizona on Jan. 7, 2023. Janssen pulled down a season-high seven rebounds against Providence (MT) in the season-opener. As a freshman, she connected on 20 straight free throws before missing a charity toss against Weber State. Janssen came up short of the all-time Bobcat record of 25 set by Rebecca Mercer during the 2007-08 season.
NEW KID ON THE BLOCK: Freshman Natalie Picton, a 5-5 guard from Welland, Ontario, Canada has started all 19 games following the injury to sophomore point guard Dylan Philip. The freshman has filled the role admirably, averaging 7.1 points and 2.4 assists per game. Picton has reached double figures in eight games, including a season-high 13 points at Northern Arizona. On Monday at Idaho State, Picton had 10 points, three rebounds and three assists.
THE WONDER FROM WALES: Freshman Issy Bunyan has made an impact in her brief time at MSU. The 6-0 guard from Tonyrefail, Wales, is averaging 5.9 points per game. She has been in double figures scoring on five occasions, including a season-best 15 against BYU in the season opener.
OUT ON A LIMB: Senior Katelynn 'KJ' Limardo has started 17 games for the Bobcats. She made her 106th career start on Saturday against Montana. Limardo is averaging a team-best 12.7 points and 7.2 rebounds per contest. She has been in double digits on 14 occasions, including a career-high 25 points against North Texas on Dec. 21, connecting on seven-of-11 from the field, five-of-nine from long distance and six-of-seven from the line. Limardo also added six rebounds, three steals and two assists against the Mean Green. For her efforts, she was named Big Sky Player of the Week. At Portland on Dec. 2, she notched her first ever double double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. She's notched four double doubles this season, the last on Saturday against Montana with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Limardo's been in double figures in 14 of 17 games this winter. Last year, she played in all 31 games and averaged 5.7 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. Against Saint Mary's on Dec. 12, 2022, Limardo registered a career-high seven triples- which were the second most in a single game at Montana State, behind Tori Martell's 8 3-pointers against North Dakota on Dec. 6, 2020. The 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 shooting 36.7% from the field and 77.8% from the line. Limardo is first on the team with 30 3-pointers. She is currently sixth on MSU's all-time career three-point makes chart with 159 triples.
MADE IN MONTANA: Redshirt freshman Brooke Berry (Billings) came off the bench to make a significant contribution in MSU's win over Wyoming on Dec. 17 registering 10 points on four-of-eight shooting. On Monday at ISU, she had 7 points and three rebounds. Berry is the daughter of former MSU men's player Gale Berry, who was a Bobcat from 1988-90. She made one start against NAU.
NO PLACE LIKE HOME: Over the past 10 seasons the Bobcats have thrived in the warm confines of Worthington Arena. Since the 2012-13 season, Montana State has gone an impressive 121-33 (78.6%) overall and 83-23 (78.3%) in Big Sky Conference play on its home court. During that span - from the start of the 2015-16 Big Sky season to the beginning of 2017-18 in league play- MSU rattled off a 19-game home court win streak. In her 19 seasons at Montana State, Bobcat head coach Tricia Binford is 169-73 (69.8%) overall and 112-48 (70.0%) in Big Sky play in Worthington Arena.
A FEW MORE NOTES: Over the past seven seasons, the Bobcats have claimed three Big Sky regular season titles 2016, 2017, 2020; two Big Sky Conference Tournament titles 2017, 2022; made two NCAA appearances 2017, 2022; and one WNIT appearance 2016…In the last six seasons, no Big Sky Conference team has won more league games than the Bobcats. Montana State has racked up 73 victories in Big Sky play since the 2019-20 season. The Bobcats are followed by Idaho State (68) and Idaho (67)…The Bobcats shot a season-best 51.8% (29-56) from the field in its win over New Mexico at the Cancun Challenge on Thanksgiving weekend. MSU's best Big Sky shooting performance (43.1%) came at No. Arizona.
WIN 300: With its 75-60 win over Weber State on Feb. 9, 2023, MSU head coach Tricia Binford notched her 309th career win, moving her past former Weber State bench boss Carla Taylor (308 -23 years). With MSU's 92-84 victory at Eastern Washington on Dec. 31, 2022, Binford became just the third coach in Big Sky history to record 300 wins- all coming as a member of the league. Binford is second to Montana's Robin Selvig (865, 38 years). In Big Sky play, Binford is second to Selvig (358) with 200 victories. Binford is MSU's winningest coach - men/women. This season marks Binford's 19th with the Bobcat program. She is currently 321-242 overall and 200-121 in BSC play.
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