Sunday, November 24
Salt Lake City, UT
7 p.m.
Montana State University
at
Utah
Photo by: Bobcat Creative Services
Cats Hit the Road to Utah
11/22/2024 10:37:00 PM | Women's Basketball
The Bobcats face Utah on Sunday, Nov. 24 at 7 p.m. in the Huntsman Center on the Salt Lake City campus.
NEXT UP: Montana State takes to the road for the first time this season after opening the 2024-25 campaign with four consecutive home games. The Bobcats face Utah on Sunday, Nov. 24 at 7 p.m. in the Huntsman Center on the Salt Lake City campus. MSU plays three straight on the road before returning home to meet South Dakota on December 4.
A LITTLE ABOUT THE BOBCATS: Montana State is off to a 4-0 start after dispatching UC Davis 77-59 last Sunday afternoon in Worthington Arena. MSU's 4-0 record is its best start since the 2003-04 Bobcats opened with a 5-0 mark. Senior Esmeralda Morales and junior Marah Dykstra paced MSU against the Aggies with 21 points apiece, while Katelynn Martin added 14. For her efforts against UCD and Cal Poly, Morales was named Big Sky Conference Player of the Week. For the two games, the product of Spanaway, Wash., averaged 21 points, 4.0 assists, 4.0 steals, and 2.5 rebounds per game, while shooting 51.9% from the field, 56.3% from beyond the three-point arc, and 83.3% from the line.
A LITTLE ABOUT THE UTES: Utah is 3-1 overall and host Saint Joseph's on Friday night. The Utes made national news on Tuesday as head coach Lynne Roberts, who had been with the program since 2015, was named new head coach of the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks. Long-time Utah associate head coach Gavin Petersen was tabbed to replace Roberts. So far this season, the Utes have defeated Southern Utah (105-52), Weber State (86-46), and McNeese State (118-50). Its lone loss came on Nov. 14 to Northwestern (71-69) in Evanston, Ill.
THE MORE YOU KNOW: The Montana State women's basketball team has won the Big Sky Conference regular season or tournament title – or both – in six of the last nine seasons. The Bobcats have posted five of the program's eight 20-win seasons in the last nine years, as well. MSU's last appearance in a NCAA Tournament game was at #1 Stanford on March 18, 2022. The Cardinal defeated MSU 78-37. Taylor Janssen had a team-high 12 points in the loss, while Stanford was led by Hannah Jump with 15. On March 18, 2017, the Bobcats suffered a 91-63 setback at Washington in the NCAAs. Peyton Ferris led MSU with 33 points and seven rebounds, while the Huskies were paced by Kelsey Plum with 29 points.
NO PLACE LIKE HOME: Over the past 10 seasons the Bobcats have thrived in the warm confines of Worthington Arena. Since the 2014-15 season, Montana State has gone an impressive 105-27 (79.6%) overall and 74-18 (80.4%) in Big Sky Conference play on its home court. 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 20 seasons at Montana State, Bobcat head coach Tricia Binford is 175-76 (69.7%) overall and 116-51 (69.5%) in Big Sky play in Worthington Arena.
SO MUCH WINNING: In the last five seasons, no Big Sky Conference team has won more league games than the Bobcats. Montana State has racked up 69 Big Sky wins since the 2019-20 campaign. They are followed in the top five by Northern Arizona (60), Idaho (57), Idaho State (56), and Montana (56).
300 CLUB: 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 207 victories. Binford is MSU's winningest coach - men/women. This season marks Binford's 19th with the Bobcat program. She is currently 333-249 overall and 207-127 in Big Sky Conference play.
COLLEGEINSIDER.COM MID MAJOR TOP 25: This week, Montana State received 29 votes in the mid major poll. Ball State is ranked No. 1 with 750 votes. Future Bobcat opponent Florida Gulf Coast is No. 7. Big Sky rival Northern Arizona appeared in the top 25 for the first time at No. 22 with 94 votes.
ESMÈ...ZING: Senior transfer Esmeralda Morales is leading the team in scoring averaging 17.3 points per game in four contests to date. Morales, who spent the last three years at Portland State, is coming off Big Sky Conference Player of the Week performances against Cal Poly and UC Davis. For the two games, the product of Spanaway, Wash., averaged 21 points, 4.0 assists, 4.0 steals, and 2.5 rebounds per game, while shooting 51.9% from the field, 56.3% from beyond the three-point arc, and 83.3% from the line. Morales scored 21 points in both contests. She matched a career-high six steals against Cal Poly and connected on five-of-eight three-pointers against UC Davis. Morales is no stranger to Montana State being a three-year veteran of the league. As a junior she led the Big Sky in scoring averaging 16.5 points per game, while knocking down 87 three-pointers. Morales also led the league shooting 90.3% from the free throw line. For her efforts, she was an All-Big Sky First Team selection, PSU's first in four seasons. During her three seasons in Portland, Morales recorded 1,365 points, averaging 15.0 per contest over the course of 91 games. In addition, during her time on the Park Blocks she dished out 287 assists, had 151 steals and pulled down 217 rebounds. The Bobcat faithful remember her 28-point output to knock MSU out of the first round of the Big Sky tournament during the 2022-23 season. Morales, along with teammate Marah Dykstra, were 2024-25 Big Sky preseason all-conference picks.
THE STORY YOU JUST HEARD IS TRUE; ONLY THE NAME HAS CHANGED: Katelynn 'KJ' Limardo married former Montana State track and field standout and two-time Big Sky Conference high jump champion, Noah Martin, over the summer. 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 currently averaging 10 points and a team-high 5.8 rebounds per game. Martin recorded a season-high 14 points and eight rebounds against UC Davis on Nov. 17. She has been in double-digit scoring on two occasions this fall. As a fifth-year player, Martin is 30 points away from becoming the 27th player in Bobcat history to reach the 1,000-point milestone. She is currently 19th all-time in rebounds (553), and fifth in both three-pointers made (177) and games played (123). Last year Martin played and started in 29 games. She was named to the first-ever Big Sky Conference All-Defensive Team and finished the season averaging 11 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.8 steals per contest. Martin registered 19 games in double figure scoring, including a career-best 25 against North Texas on Dec. 21. Against UNT, she connected on 7-11 from the field, five-of-nine from long distance and six-of-seven at the line.
OH CANADA: Marah (MARE-ah) Dykstra has started 45-of-64 games as a Bobcat and is currently averaging 12.8 points and 4.0 rebounds per outing, while dishing out 3.0 assists per game. The native of Vancouver, B.C., Canada matched a career-high with a 21-point effort against UC Davis on Nov. 17. She has been in double-figure scoring on three occasions this season. Last winter, Dykstra was a Second-Team All-Big Sky honoree after averaging 11 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. Dykstra pulled down a career-high 14 rebounds against Sacramento State. Two summers ago, she played for Team Canada at the 2023 FIBA U19 World Cup in Madrid, Spain. Dykstra was also a member of the 2022 U18 Canadian team that competed in the Women's Americas Championships in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Dykstra's sister Louise plays at Northern Colorado.
UNDER MY UMBRELLA, ELLA, ELLA: Sophomore forward Ella Johnson (Elk River, Minn.) has started the last three games for the Bobcats and is averaging 6.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.5 steals, 1.3 assists and 1.3 blocks per game. Johnson poured in a career-high 14 points against Troy on Nov. 7. For the game, Johnson connected on five-of-eight from the field, including a four-of-five effort from beyond the three-point arc. Johnson was tabbed to redshirt the 2023-24 campaign but was called into to duty on Dec. 2 at Portland due to injuries on the Bobcat team. She finished her freshman season playing in 23 games, averaging 1.5 points and 2.9 rebounds. Johnson pulled down a season best eight rebounds against Portland State on Jan. 27, 2024.
Q- NAME THREE ATHLETES ASSOCIATED WITH ELLENSBURG, WASH.? A- BLEDSOE, KITNA AND PHILIP: Montana State sophomore guard Dylan Philip is the most recent sports star to come out of Ellensburg, Wash. The 5-8 guard who sat out last season due to a foot injury has started all four games this fall. Philip is averaging 6.3 points and 3.0 rebounds per game. She notched a season-high 11 points in MSU's win over Cal Poly on Nov. 12. As a true-freshman, Philip played in 29 games and averaged 8.1 minutes of action. She finished the season averaging 1.9 points per contest. Philip's sister Jamison recently signed with the Bobcats to play next year.
THE WONDER FROM WALES: Sophomore Issy Bunyan has played in all four games and averages 13.2 minutes per contest. The product of Tonyrefail, Wales, is averaging 4.3 points, 2.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.8 steals per game. Bunyan recorded a season-high eight points in MSU's season-opening win over Chadron State. Last year as a true freshman, she played in all 33 games and averaged 5.1 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.2 steals per game. Bunyan recorded five games in double figures, including a season-high 15 against BYU in the first game of her career. This summer, she was one of 12 players selected to the Great Britain U20 team which competed in The International Basketball Federation (FIBA) European Division B Championship in Sofia, Bulgaria.
WELL, WELL, WELLAND: Sophomore Natalie Picton, a 5-5 guard from Welland, Ontario, Canada is averaging 2.8 points and 1.8 assists per game. Against UC Davis on Nov. 17, Picton came off the bench to post six points and two steals. Last winter, as a true freshman, she played and started in all 33 games and finished the season averaging 7.3 points, 2.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.7 steals per games. Picton recorded 11 games in double digits, including a season-high 14 points against Idaho. She also registered 29 three-pointers, including three triples against Sacramento State and Idaho. Picton dished out 70 assists, including a season best five assists on three occasions.
MADE IN MONTANA: Sophomore Brooke Berry (Billings Skyview) has come off the bench in all four games to date and is averaging 2.0 points and a rebound per outing. Berry notched six points and three boards in the season opener against Chadron State. Last winter, Berry had a career-high 10 points against Wyoming. She is the daughter of former MSU men's player Gale Berry, who was a Bobcat from 1988-90.
FAB FROSH: Montana State's freshmen class of Taylee Chirrick, Teagan Erickson, and Addison Harris have all seen significant action this season. Combined, the trio has averaged 19.7 points, 15.3 rebounds, 5.0 steals and 3.3 assists per game.
A LITTLE ABOUT THE BOBCATS: Montana State is off to a 4-0 start after dispatching UC Davis 77-59 last Sunday afternoon in Worthington Arena. MSU's 4-0 record is its best start since the 2003-04 Bobcats opened with a 5-0 mark. Senior Esmeralda Morales and junior Marah Dykstra paced MSU against the Aggies with 21 points apiece, while Katelynn Martin added 14. For her efforts against UCD and Cal Poly, Morales was named Big Sky Conference Player of the Week. For the two games, the product of Spanaway, Wash., averaged 21 points, 4.0 assists, 4.0 steals, and 2.5 rebounds per game, while shooting 51.9% from the field, 56.3% from beyond the three-point arc, and 83.3% from the line.
A LITTLE ABOUT THE UTES: Utah is 3-1 overall and host Saint Joseph's on Friday night. The Utes made national news on Tuesday as head coach Lynne Roberts, who had been with the program since 2015, was named new head coach of the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks. Long-time Utah associate head coach Gavin Petersen was tabbed to replace Roberts. So far this season, the Utes have defeated Southern Utah (105-52), Weber State (86-46), and McNeese State (118-50). Its lone loss came on Nov. 14 to Northwestern (71-69) in Evanston, Ill.
THE MORE YOU KNOW: The Montana State women's basketball team has won the Big Sky Conference regular season or tournament title – or both – in six of the last nine seasons. The Bobcats have posted five of the program's eight 20-win seasons in the last nine years, as well. MSU's last appearance in a NCAA Tournament game was at #1 Stanford on March 18, 2022. The Cardinal defeated MSU 78-37. Taylor Janssen had a team-high 12 points in the loss, while Stanford was led by Hannah Jump with 15. On March 18, 2017, the Bobcats suffered a 91-63 setback at Washington in the NCAAs. Peyton Ferris led MSU with 33 points and seven rebounds, while the Huskies were paced by Kelsey Plum with 29 points.
NO PLACE LIKE HOME: Over the past 10 seasons the Bobcats have thrived in the warm confines of Worthington Arena. Since the 2014-15 season, Montana State has gone an impressive 105-27 (79.6%) overall and 74-18 (80.4%) in Big Sky Conference play on its home court. 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 20 seasons at Montana State, Bobcat head coach Tricia Binford is 175-76 (69.7%) overall and 116-51 (69.5%) in Big Sky play in Worthington Arena.
SO MUCH WINNING: In the last five seasons, no Big Sky Conference team has won more league games than the Bobcats. Montana State has racked up 69 Big Sky wins since the 2019-20 campaign. They are followed in the top five by Northern Arizona (60), Idaho (57), Idaho State (56), and Montana (56).
300 CLUB: 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 207 victories. Binford is MSU's winningest coach - men/women. This season marks Binford's 19th with the Bobcat program. She is currently 333-249 overall and 207-127 in Big Sky Conference play.
COLLEGEINSIDER.COM MID MAJOR TOP 25: This week, Montana State received 29 votes in the mid major poll. Ball State is ranked No. 1 with 750 votes. Future Bobcat opponent Florida Gulf Coast is No. 7. Big Sky rival Northern Arizona appeared in the top 25 for the first time at No. 22 with 94 votes.
ESMÈ...ZING: Senior transfer Esmeralda Morales is leading the team in scoring averaging 17.3 points per game in four contests to date. Morales, who spent the last three years at Portland State, is coming off Big Sky Conference Player of the Week performances against Cal Poly and UC Davis. For the two games, the product of Spanaway, Wash., averaged 21 points, 4.0 assists, 4.0 steals, and 2.5 rebounds per game, while shooting 51.9% from the field, 56.3% from beyond the three-point arc, and 83.3% from the line. Morales scored 21 points in both contests. She matched a career-high six steals against Cal Poly and connected on five-of-eight three-pointers against UC Davis. Morales is no stranger to Montana State being a three-year veteran of the league. As a junior she led the Big Sky in scoring averaging 16.5 points per game, while knocking down 87 three-pointers. Morales also led the league shooting 90.3% from the free throw line. For her efforts, she was an All-Big Sky First Team selection, PSU's first in four seasons. During her three seasons in Portland, Morales recorded 1,365 points, averaging 15.0 per contest over the course of 91 games. In addition, during her time on the Park Blocks she dished out 287 assists, had 151 steals and pulled down 217 rebounds. The Bobcat faithful remember her 28-point output to knock MSU out of the first round of the Big Sky tournament during the 2022-23 season. Morales, along with teammate Marah Dykstra, were 2024-25 Big Sky preseason all-conference picks.
THE STORY YOU JUST HEARD IS TRUE; ONLY THE NAME HAS CHANGED: Katelynn 'KJ' Limardo married former Montana State track and field standout and two-time Big Sky Conference high jump champion, Noah Martin, over the summer. 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 currently averaging 10 points and a team-high 5.8 rebounds per game. Martin recorded a season-high 14 points and eight rebounds against UC Davis on Nov. 17. She has been in double-digit scoring on two occasions this fall. As a fifth-year player, Martin is 30 points away from becoming the 27th player in Bobcat history to reach the 1,000-point milestone. She is currently 19th all-time in rebounds (553), and fifth in both three-pointers made (177) and games played (123). Last year Martin played and started in 29 games. She was named to the first-ever Big Sky Conference All-Defensive Team and finished the season averaging 11 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.8 steals per contest. Martin registered 19 games in double figure scoring, including a career-best 25 against North Texas on Dec. 21. Against UNT, she connected on 7-11 from the field, five-of-nine from long distance and six-of-seven at the line.
OH CANADA: Marah (MARE-ah) Dykstra has started 45-of-64 games as a Bobcat and is currently averaging 12.8 points and 4.0 rebounds per outing, while dishing out 3.0 assists per game. The native of Vancouver, B.C., Canada matched a career-high with a 21-point effort against UC Davis on Nov. 17. She has been in double-figure scoring on three occasions this season. Last winter, Dykstra was a Second-Team All-Big Sky honoree after averaging 11 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. Dykstra pulled down a career-high 14 rebounds against Sacramento State. Two summers ago, she played for Team Canada at the 2023 FIBA U19 World Cup in Madrid, Spain. Dykstra was also a member of the 2022 U18 Canadian team that competed in the Women's Americas Championships in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Dykstra's sister Louise plays at Northern Colorado.
UNDER MY UMBRELLA, ELLA, ELLA: Sophomore forward Ella Johnson (Elk River, Minn.) has started the last three games for the Bobcats and is averaging 6.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.5 steals, 1.3 assists and 1.3 blocks per game. Johnson poured in a career-high 14 points against Troy on Nov. 7. For the game, Johnson connected on five-of-eight from the field, including a four-of-five effort from beyond the three-point arc. Johnson was tabbed to redshirt the 2023-24 campaign but was called into to duty on Dec. 2 at Portland due to injuries on the Bobcat team. She finished her freshman season playing in 23 games, averaging 1.5 points and 2.9 rebounds. Johnson pulled down a season best eight rebounds against Portland State on Jan. 27, 2024.
Q- NAME THREE ATHLETES ASSOCIATED WITH ELLENSBURG, WASH.? A- BLEDSOE, KITNA AND PHILIP: Montana State sophomore guard Dylan Philip is the most recent sports star to come out of Ellensburg, Wash. The 5-8 guard who sat out last season due to a foot injury has started all four games this fall. Philip is averaging 6.3 points and 3.0 rebounds per game. She notched a season-high 11 points in MSU's win over Cal Poly on Nov. 12. As a true-freshman, Philip played in 29 games and averaged 8.1 minutes of action. She finished the season averaging 1.9 points per contest. Philip's sister Jamison recently signed with the Bobcats to play next year.
THE WONDER FROM WALES: Sophomore Issy Bunyan has played in all four games and averages 13.2 minutes per contest. The product of Tonyrefail, Wales, is averaging 4.3 points, 2.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.8 steals per game. Bunyan recorded a season-high eight points in MSU's season-opening win over Chadron State. Last year as a true freshman, she played in all 33 games and averaged 5.1 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.2 steals per game. Bunyan recorded five games in double figures, including a season-high 15 against BYU in the first game of her career. This summer, she was one of 12 players selected to the Great Britain U20 team which competed in The International Basketball Federation (FIBA) European Division B Championship in Sofia, Bulgaria.
WELL, WELL, WELLAND: Sophomore Natalie Picton, a 5-5 guard from Welland, Ontario, Canada is averaging 2.8 points and 1.8 assists per game. Against UC Davis on Nov. 17, Picton came off the bench to post six points and two steals. Last winter, as a true freshman, she played and started in all 33 games and finished the season averaging 7.3 points, 2.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.7 steals per games. Picton recorded 11 games in double digits, including a season-high 14 points against Idaho. She also registered 29 three-pointers, including three triples against Sacramento State and Idaho. Picton dished out 70 assists, including a season best five assists on three occasions.
MADE IN MONTANA: Sophomore Brooke Berry (Billings Skyview) has come off the bench in all four games to date and is averaging 2.0 points and a rebound per outing. Berry notched six points and three boards in the season opener against Chadron State. Last winter, Berry had a career-high 10 points against Wyoming. She is the daughter of former MSU men's player Gale Berry, who was a Bobcat from 1988-90.
FAB FROSH: Montana State's freshmen class of Taylee Chirrick, Teagan Erickson, and Addison Harris have all seen significant action this season. Combined, the trio has averaged 19.7 points, 15.3 rebounds, 5.0 steals and 3.3 assists per game.
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