Rebounding Woes Sink Cats

Saturday, February 10

BOZEMAN

2 p.m.

Montana State University

14-11,8-4Big Sky

Northern Arizona

18-6,10-1Big Sky

Northern Ariz.

Montana St.

Marah Dykstra (32) drives to the basket against Northern Arizona on Saturday afternoon.

Photo by: Bobcat Creative Services

2/10/2024 5:25:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

“We were in this game from the start and I thought we were aggressive from the beginning,” said MSU head coach Tricia Binford. “But over the course of the game we just couldn’t get enough stops in a row to get over the hump.”

By: Tom Schulz

Northern Arizona pulled down twenty more rebounds than Montana State leading to a sizeable 20-4 advantage in second chance points, en route to a 71-58 victory over the Bobcats on Saturday afternoon in Worthington Arena.

Montana State (14-11, 8-4) held an early lead at the 4:33 mark of the first quarter on a Taylor Janssen basket. Janssen's layup would prove to be MSU's last advantage of the game as Northern Arizona (18-6, 10-1) hit back-to-back three-pointers. NAU held a 16-13 cushion after the opening ten minutes of play.

"We were in this game from the start and I thought we were aggressive from the beginning," said MSU head coach Tricia Binford. "But over the course of the game we just couldn't get enough stops in a row to get over the hump."

The Lumberjacks built the lead to as much as 10-points in the second period and entered intermission with a nine-point advantage.

NAU pushed its lead to 51-37 at the end of the third period, and the Bobcats would get no closer than 63-55 on a Katelynn Limardo steal and layup with 2:16 left.

Marah Dykstra led MSU with a team-high 18 points, which included a 10-of-13 effort from the line. Madison Hall also hit double digits with 15 points, thirteen of which came in the second half. Hall posted her 15^th straight game in double figures.

NAU outrebounded the Bobcats 44-24. Dykstra and Natalie Picton led MSU under the glass with four rebounds apiece.

"We put ourselves in really difficult situations with their penetration," Binford said. "We have to do a better job of keeping them out of the paint so we're in a better rebounding advantage. That was the difference in the game. The rebounding area is an important part if we want to be successful."

For the game, Montana State shot 37.3% from the field and connected on 18-of-25 at the line. NAU hit at a 44.1% clip and was 13-of-14 from the stripe.

Sophie Glancey led the Lumberjacks with 30 points and seven rebounds.

Montana State plays at Montana on Saturday, Feb. 17 at 2 p.m. in Dahlberg Arena.