Saturday, February 17
Missoula, Mont.
2 p.m.
Montana State University
at
Montana
Photo by: Bobcat Creative Services
Cat-Lady Griz, Part II
2/14/2024 2:39:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Montana State begins a series of three games on the road beginning with Montana on Saturday, Feb. 17 at 2 p.m., in Dahlberg Arena - Missoula, Mont.
NEXT UP: Montana State begins a series of three games on the road beginning with Montana on Saturday, Feb. 17 at 2 p.m., in Dahlberg Arena - Missoula, Mont. Following its encounter with the Lady Griz, MSU will be at Portland State on Thursday, Feb 22, and Sacramento State, Saturday, Feb. 24. The Bobcats then return for its final homestand of the season against Idaho, Feb. 29, and Eastern Washington, March 2.
A LITTLE ABOUT MONTANA STATE: Montana State saw its five-game winning streak snapped in its 71-58 loss to Northern Arizona on Saturday afternoon in Worthington Arena. The Bobcats head back on the road for a single game at Montana on Saturday at 2 p.m. MSU is 3-8 away from the warm confines of the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse, including a 2-3 ledger in Big Sky Conference play. Montana State's two league wins came at Eastern Washington (62-61) and Idaho (51-46).
A LITTLE ABOUT MONTANA: The Lady Griz snapped a two-game losing skid with an 82-73 decision over Northern Colorado on Saturday afternoon. Montana was paced in the victory by Dani Bartsch with 20 points and 10 rebounds. UM went 13-33 from long distance against the Bears. Last Thursday night, the Lady Griz dropped a 69-60 decision to Northern Arizona. UM was led by Mack Konig with 15 points, while Bartsch added 11 points and 15 rebounds. For the two games, Bartsch averaged 17.5 points and 12.5 rebounds. Montana is 8-4 in Dahlberg Arena this season. Its losses came at the hands of Gonzaga, Washington State, Colorado State and NAU. The Lady Griz are 5-1 at home in Big Sky Conference action.
CAT GRIZ PART II: Montana State and Montana will be playing its 118th installment of the Brawl of the Wild on Saturday afternoon. The Lady Griz hold an 80-37 advantage in the all-time series but the Bobcats have dominated the last 10 years owning a 15-4 record, which includes ten straight victories in Bozeman. The Bobcats are 5-4 against UM in Dahlberg Arena over the same period. Since the 2016-17 season MSU is 13-2 against the Lady Griz. MSU's last loss to Montana (71-57) came in Missoula on Feb. 26, 2022.
THE SCOUTING REPORT: Montana enters Saturday's contest 16-7 overall and 8-4 in Big Sky Conference play. The Bobcats and Lady Griz are tied for third place in the league with MSU holding the tiebreaker due to its 64-55 win over UM on Jan. 20 in Bozeman. Montana is led in scoring by Carmen Gfeller, who is averaging 14.1 points per game, while Dani Bartsch hauls down a team-high 9.9 boards per game. The Lady Griz rank second in the nation in three-pointers per game (11.0), and seventh in three-point attempts per game (28.3) and three-point percentage (38.8%).
ALL JACKED UP: Madison Hall has started all 25 games and is averaging 11.1 points and 3.0 rebounds per game. Last week, she averaged 17 points and 1.5 rebounds, while shooting 61.1% from the field and 84.6% at the line in wins against Northern Colorado and Northern Arizona. Hall is on a current streak of 15 consecutive games in double digits. She is averaging 14.1 points per game in Big Sky Conference play, while shooting 50.4% from the field and 84.3% from the line. Hall posted a season-best 19 points in MSU's win over Northern Colorado, last Thursday. Against the Bears she went seven-of-10 from the field and four-of-five at 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. As a sophomore, Hall had a career-high 20 points against Idaho State.
OUT ON A LIMB: Katelynn 'KJ' Limardo has started 21 games for the Bobcats. She will make her 111th career start against the Lady Griz on Saturday. Limardo suffered a late-game injury against UM on Jan. 20 and missed three games before returning at Eastern Washington. She is averaging a team-best 11.6 points and 6.7 rebounds per contest. Limardo has been in double digits on 15 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. 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 Jan. 20 against Montana with 10 points and 10 rebounds. 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 35.1% from the field and 78.7% from the line. Limardo is first on the team with 34 3-pointers. She is currently sixth on MSU's all-time career three-point makes chart with 163 triples.
OH CANADA: Marah (MARE-ah) Dykstra has started 33-of-52 games as a Bobcat and is currently averaging 10.3 points and 5.4 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 Jan. 20 against Montana, finishing with 12 points and five rebounds. Against Eastern Washington Feb. 1, Dykstra notched a career-high 21 points to guide MSU to the victory. For the game, she connected on seven-of-12 from the field and seven-of-eight at the line. Against Portland State on Jan. 27, Dykstra had 17 points and pulled down a career-high 14 rebounds for her first career double-double. 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. This summer she played for Team Canada at the 2023 FIBA U19 World Cup in Madrid, Spain, July 15-23. During the last offseason Dykstra 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 averaged 13 points and 1.5 rebounds per game against Northern Colorado and Northern Arizona last week. Against UNC, Janssen notched a career-high 17 points going five-of-seven from the field and hitting all five free throw attempts. The product of Rosemount, Minn., has started the last 19 games for the Bobcats following the season-ending injury to Lexi Deden. On the season, she's averaging 8.6 points and 3.7 rebounds per game, while shooting 41.4% 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. 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 25 games following the injury to sophomore point guard Dylan Philip. The freshman has filled the role admirably, averaging 7.2 points, 2.3 assists, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per game. Picton has reached double figures in eight games, including a season-high 13 points at Northern Arizona. Last week against Northern Colorado and Northern Arizona, she averaged 6.0 points, 3.5 assists, and 3.0 rebounds per game.
THE WONDER FROM WALES: Freshman Issy Bunyan has made an impact in her short time at MSU. The 6-0 guard from Tonyrefail, Wales, is averaging 5.2 points per game. She has been in double figures scoring on five occasions, including a season-best 15 against BYU in the season opener.
MADE IN MONTANA: Redshirt freshman Brooke Berry (Billings) came off the bench to make a big contribution in MSU's win over Wyoming on Dec. 17 registering 10 points on 4-of-8 shooting. At ISU on Jan. 22, she had seven 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.
MAKING THE MOST OF IT: True-freshman Ella Johnson was pulled off a redshirt season prior to Montana State's game at Portland on Dec. 2 due to numerous Bobcat injuries. Since that time, the 6-2 forward from Elk River, Minn., has made the most of her playing time, which has increased from two-minutes of action against North Texas to a season-high 31 minutes at Northern Colorado. Johnson is averaging 16.1 minutes per game and is chipping in 1.6 points and 2.9 rebounds per game. She recorded a season-best eight points in MSU's win over Portland State on Jan. 27, and pulled down a season-high eight rebounds against the Vikings, as well. On the season, she is shooting 50% (13-26) from the field. In Big Sky action, Johnson is averaging 2.5 points and 3.9 boards per game.
DULY NOTED: Madison Hall plays in her 125th game at MSU on Saturday, which matches Blaire Braxton and Madeline Smith for the most in Montana State history.
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 76 victories in Big Sky play since the 2019-20 season. The Bobcats are followed by Idaho State (69) and Idaho (67)…Montana State is 13-3 when holding the opponent under 60 points. The Bobcats are 11-1 on the season when limiting its opponent to 39% shooting from the field or less.
A LITTLE ABOUT MONTANA STATE: Montana State saw its five-game winning streak snapped in its 71-58 loss to Northern Arizona on Saturday afternoon in Worthington Arena. The Bobcats head back on the road for a single game at Montana on Saturday at 2 p.m. MSU is 3-8 away from the warm confines of the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse, including a 2-3 ledger in Big Sky Conference play. Montana State's two league wins came at Eastern Washington (62-61) and Idaho (51-46).
A LITTLE ABOUT MONTANA: The Lady Griz snapped a two-game losing skid with an 82-73 decision over Northern Colorado on Saturday afternoon. Montana was paced in the victory by Dani Bartsch with 20 points and 10 rebounds. UM went 13-33 from long distance against the Bears. Last Thursday night, the Lady Griz dropped a 69-60 decision to Northern Arizona. UM was led by Mack Konig with 15 points, while Bartsch added 11 points and 15 rebounds. For the two games, Bartsch averaged 17.5 points and 12.5 rebounds. Montana is 8-4 in Dahlberg Arena this season. Its losses came at the hands of Gonzaga, Washington State, Colorado State and NAU. The Lady Griz are 5-1 at home in Big Sky Conference action.
CAT GRIZ PART II: Montana State and Montana will be playing its 118th installment of the Brawl of the Wild on Saturday afternoon. The Lady Griz hold an 80-37 advantage in the all-time series but the Bobcats have dominated the last 10 years owning a 15-4 record, which includes ten straight victories in Bozeman. The Bobcats are 5-4 against UM in Dahlberg Arena over the same period. Since the 2016-17 season MSU is 13-2 against the Lady Griz. MSU's last loss to Montana (71-57) came in Missoula on Feb. 26, 2022.
THE SCOUTING REPORT: Montana enters Saturday's contest 16-7 overall and 8-4 in Big Sky Conference play. The Bobcats and Lady Griz are tied for third place in the league with MSU holding the tiebreaker due to its 64-55 win over UM on Jan. 20 in Bozeman. Montana is led in scoring by Carmen Gfeller, who is averaging 14.1 points per game, while Dani Bartsch hauls down a team-high 9.9 boards per game. The Lady Griz rank second in the nation in three-pointers per game (11.0), and seventh in three-point attempts per game (28.3) and three-point percentage (38.8%).
ALL JACKED UP: Madison Hall has started all 25 games and is averaging 11.1 points and 3.0 rebounds per game. Last week, she averaged 17 points and 1.5 rebounds, while shooting 61.1% from the field and 84.6% at the line in wins against Northern Colorado and Northern Arizona. Hall is on a current streak of 15 consecutive games in double digits. She is averaging 14.1 points per game in Big Sky Conference play, while shooting 50.4% from the field and 84.3% from the line. Hall posted a season-best 19 points in MSU's win over Northern Colorado, last Thursday. Against the Bears she went seven-of-10 from the field and four-of-five at 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. As a sophomore, Hall had a career-high 20 points against Idaho State.
OUT ON A LIMB: Katelynn 'KJ' Limardo has started 21 games for the Bobcats. She will make her 111th career start against the Lady Griz on Saturday. Limardo suffered a late-game injury against UM on Jan. 20 and missed three games before returning at Eastern Washington. She is averaging a team-best 11.6 points and 6.7 rebounds per contest. Limardo has been in double digits on 15 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. 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 Jan. 20 against Montana with 10 points and 10 rebounds. 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 35.1% from the field and 78.7% from the line. Limardo is first on the team with 34 3-pointers. She is currently sixth on MSU's all-time career three-point makes chart with 163 triples.
OH CANADA: Marah (MARE-ah) Dykstra has started 33-of-52 games as a Bobcat and is currently averaging 10.3 points and 5.4 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 Jan. 20 against Montana, finishing with 12 points and five rebounds. Against Eastern Washington Feb. 1, Dykstra notched a career-high 21 points to guide MSU to the victory. For the game, she connected on seven-of-12 from the field and seven-of-eight at the line. Against Portland State on Jan. 27, Dykstra had 17 points and pulled down a career-high 14 rebounds for her first career double-double. 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. This summer she played for Team Canada at the 2023 FIBA U19 World Cup in Madrid, Spain, July 15-23. During the last offseason Dykstra 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 averaged 13 points and 1.5 rebounds per game against Northern Colorado and Northern Arizona last week. Against UNC, Janssen notched a career-high 17 points going five-of-seven from the field and hitting all five free throw attempts. The product of Rosemount, Minn., has started the last 19 games for the Bobcats following the season-ending injury to Lexi Deden. On the season, she's averaging 8.6 points and 3.7 rebounds per game, while shooting 41.4% 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. 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 25 games following the injury to sophomore point guard Dylan Philip. The freshman has filled the role admirably, averaging 7.2 points, 2.3 assists, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per game. Picton has reached double figures in eight games, including a season-high 13 points at Northern Arizona. Last week against Northern Colorado and Northern Arizona, she averaged 6.0 points, 3.5 assists, and 3.0 rebounds per game.
THE WONDER FROM WALES: Freshman Issy Bunyan has made an impact in her short time at MSU. The 6-0 guard from Tonyrefail, Wales, is averaging 5.2 points per game. She has been in double figures scoring on five occasions, including a season-best 15 against BYU in the season opener.
MADE IN MONTANA: Redshirt freshman Brooke Berry (Billings) came off the bench to make a big contribution in MSU's win over Wyoming on Dec. 17 registering 10 points on 4-of-8 shooting. At ISU on Jan. 22, she had seven 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.
MAKING THE MOST OF IT: True-freshman Ella Johnson was pulled off a redshirt season prior to Montana State's game at Portland on Dec. 2 due to numerous Bobcat injuries. Since that time, the 6-2 forward from Elk River, Minn., has made the most of her playing time, which has increased from two-minutes of action against North Texas to a season-high 31 minutes at Northern Colorado. Johnson is averaging 16.1 minutes per game and is chipping in 1.6 points and 2.9 rebounds per game. She recorded a season-best eight points in MSU's win over Portland State on Jan. 27, and pulled down a season-high eight rebounds against the Vikings, as well. On the season, she is shooting 50% (13-26) from the field. In Big Sky action, Johnson is averaging 2.5 points and 3.9 boards per game.
DULY NOTED: Madison Hall plays in her 125th game at MSU on Saturday, which matches Blaire Braxton and Madeline Smith for the most in Montana State history.
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 76 victories in Big Sky play since the 2019-20 season. The Bobcats are followed by Idaho State (69) and Idaho (67)…Montana State is 13-3 when holding the opponent under 60 points. The Bobcats are 11-1 on the season when limiting its opponent to 39% shooting from the field or less.
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