Thursday, February 29
BOZEMAN
7 p.m.
Montana State University
vs
Idaho
Photo by: Bobcat Creative Services
Cats Close Out Home Season
2/28/2024 4:49:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Montana State hosts its final two games of the season this week in Worthington Arena.
NEXT UP: Montana State hosts its final two games of the season this week in Worthington Arena. The Bobcats face Idaho, Thursday, Feb. 29 at 7 p.m., and will celebrate Senior Day, Saturday, March 1 at 2 p.m. MSU celebrates two seniors: Katelynn Limardo and Taylor Janssen.
A LITTLE ABOUT MONTANA STATE: Montana State split a pair of road games last week. The Bobcats dropped a 60-55 decision at Portland State before rebounding with a 55-51 decision over Sacramento State. Against the Hornets, Marah Dykstra led MSU with 13 points, while Natalie Picton and Madison Hall added 11 points, apiece.
A LITTLE ABOUT IDAHO: The Vandals dropped two home games last week in Moscow. Idaho lost to Northern Colorado 57-38 on Thursday night and suffered a 60-55 setback to Northern Arizona on Saturday. Kennedy Johnson averaged 18 points per game for Idaho.
THE SCOUTING REPORT: Idaho enters Thursday's contest 13-14 overall and 6-9 in Big Sky Conference action. The Vandals are under the director of first-year head coach Carrie Eighmey who comes to Moscow via Nebraska-Kearney where she served as head coach for eight seasons. This season, Idaho has been led by transfer Kennedy Johnson, a 5-11 junior guard who played UC Santa Barbara. Kennedy is averaging 13.2 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. She had 11 pts. vs. MSU on Feb. 3.
ALL JACKED UP: Madison Hall has started all 28 games and is averaging 10.8 points and 3.1 rebounds per game. Hall recently saw her streak of 15 consecutive games in double figures snapped at Montana on Feb. 17. Hall is averaging a team-best 12.9 points per game in Big Sky Conference play, while shooting 46.6% from the field and 81.4% from the line. She posted a season-best 19 points in Montana State's win over Northern Colorado, Feb. 8 in Bozeman. Against the Bears she went seven-of-10 from the field and four-of-five at the line. Last season, Hall (nèe 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 24 games for the Bobcats. She will make her 114th career start against Idaho on Thursday night. Limardo suffered a late-game injury against UM on Jan. 20 and missed three games before returning at Eastern Washington. She is averaging an overall team-best 11.1 points and 6.6 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 34.5% from the field and 77.6% from the line. Limardo is first on the team with 38 3-pointers. She is currently sixth on MSU's all-time career three-point makes chart with 167 triples. Last weekend at Portland State and Sacramento State, Limardo averaged 7.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, while chipping in eight assists and a steal.
OH CANADA: Marah (MARE-ah) Dykstra has started 36-of-55 games as a Bobcat and is currently averaging 10.7 points and 5.6 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. Last weekend, she led the Bobcats averaging 14.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game. In MSU's win at Sacramento State, Dykstra notched 13 points, six rebounds and three assists.
THE PRIDE OF ROSEMOUNT: Taylor Janssen averaged 8.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game last weekend. On Feb. 8 against Northern Colorado, 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 22 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 40.8% 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. She is currently shooting 83.3% (45-54) from the charity stripe.
NEW KID ON THE BLOCK: Freshman Natalie Picton, a 5-5 guard from Welland, Ontario, Canada has started all 28 games following the injury to sophomore point guard Dylan Philip. The freshman has filled the role admirably, averaging 7.2 points, 2.2 assists, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game. Picton has reached double figures in nine games, including a season-high 13 points at Northern Arizona. Last Saturday, the Niagara Prep grad registered 11 points and five rebounds in Montana State's 55-51 win at Sacramento State. In Big Sky action, Picton is averaging 8.3 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.7 steals per game. Currently, she is second on the team shooting 81.3% from the charity stripe.
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 5.4 points and 2.6 rebounds per game. She has been in double figures scoring on five occasions, including a season-best 15 against BYU in the season opener. At Portland State on Thursday, she recorded nine points, all coming from three-point territory. On the weekend, she averaged 6.0 points per game.
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 15.9 minutes per game and is chipping in 1.6 points and 2.8 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 48.1% (13-27) from the field. In Big Sky action, Johnson is averaging 2.3 points and 3.6 boards per game.
DULY NOTED: With a Thursday start at Portland State on Feb. 22, Madison Hall became MSU's all-time iron woman, playing in her 125th game for the Bobcats, two ahead of Blaire Braxton and Madeline Smith.
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 124-34 (78.4%) overall and 86-24 (78.2%) 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 172-74 (69.9%) overall and 115-49 (70.1%) 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 77 victories in Big Sky play since the 2019-20 season. The Bobcats are followed by Idaho State (71) and Idaho (68)…Montana State is 14-3 when holding the opponent under 60 points. The Bobcats are 12-1 on the season when limiting its opponent to 39% shooting from the field or less.
A LITTLE ABOUT MONTANA STATE: Montana State split a pair of road games last week. The Bobcats dropped a 60-55 decision at Portland State before rebounding with a 55-51 decision over Sacramento State. Against the Hornets, Marah Dykstra led MSU with 13 points, while Natalie Picton and Madison Hall added 11 points, apiece.
A LITTLE ABOUT IDAHO: The Vandals dropped two home games last week in Moscow. Idaho lost to Northern Colorado 57-38 on Thursday night and suffered a 60-55 setback to Northern Arizona on Saturday. Kennedy Johnson averaged 18 points per game for Idaho.
THE SCOUTING REPORT: Idaho enters Thursday's contest 13-14 overall and 6-9 in Big Sky Conference action. The Vandals are under the director of first-year head coach Carrie Eighmey who comes to Moscow via Nebraska-Kearney where she served as head coach for eight seasons. This season, Idaho has been led by transfer Kennedy Johnson, a 5-11 junior guard who played UC Santa Barbara. Kennedy is averaging 13.2 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. She had 11 pts. vs. MSU on Feb. 3.
ALL JACKED UP: Madison Hall has started all 28 games and is averaging 10.8 points and 3.1 rebounds per game. Hall recently saw her streak of 15 consecutive games in double figures snapped at Montana on Feb. 17. Hall is averaging a team-best 12.9 points per game in Big Sky Conference play, while shooting 46.6% from the field and 81.4% from the line. She posted a season-best 19 points in Montana State's win over Northern Colorado, Feb. 8 in Bozeman. Against the Bears she went seven-of-10 from the field and four-of-five at the line. Last season, Hall (nèe 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 24 games for the Bobcats. She will make her 114th career start against Idaho on Thursday night. Limardo suffered a late-game injury against UM on Jan. 20 and missed three games before returning at Eastern Washington. She is averaging an overall team-best 11.1 points and 6.6 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 34.5% from the field and 77.6% from the line. Limardo is first on the team with 38 3-pointers. She is currently sixth on MSU's all-time career three-point makes chart with 167 triples. Last weekend at Portland State and Sacramento State, Limardo averaged 7.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, while chipping in eight assists and a steal.
OH CANADA: Marah (MARE-ah) Dykstra has started 36-of-55 games as a Bobcat and is currently averaging 10.7 points and 5.6 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. Last weekend, she led the Bobcats averaging 14.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game. In MSU's win at Sacramento State, Dykstra notched 13 points, six rebounds and three assists.
THE PRIDE OF ROSEMOUNT: Taylor Janssen averaged 8.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game last weekend. On Feb. 8 against Northern Colorado, 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 22 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 40.8% 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. She is currently shooting 83.3% (45-54) from the charity stripe.
NEW KID ON THE BLOCK: Freshman Natalie Picton, a 5-5 guard from Welland, Ontario, Canada has started all 28 games following the injury to sophomore point guard Dylan Philip. The freshman has filled the role admirably, averaging 7.2 points, 2.2 assists, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game. Picton has reached double figures in nine games, including a season-high 13 points at Northern Arizona. Last Saturday, the Niagara Prep grad registered 11 points and five rebounds in Montana State's 55-51 win at Sacramento State. In Big Sky action, Picton is averaging 8.3 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.7 steals per game. Currently, she is second on the team shooting 81.3% from the charity stripe.
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 5.4 points and 2.6 rebounds per game. She has been in double figures scoring on five occasions, including a season-best 15 against BYU in the season opener. At Portland State on Thursday, she recorded nine points, all coming from three-point territory. On the weekend, she averaged 6.0 points per game.
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 15.9 minutes per game and is chipping in 1.6 points and 2.8 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 48.1% (13-27) from the field. In Big Sky action, Johnson is averaging 2.3 points and 3.6 boards per game.
DULY NOTED: With a Thursday start at Portland State on Feb. 22, Madison Hall became MSU's all-time iron woman, playing in her 125th game for the Bobcats, two ahead of Blaire Braxton and Madeline Smith.
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 124-34 (78.4%) overall and 86-24 (78.2%) 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 172-74 (69.9%) overall and 115-49 (70.1%) 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 77 victories in Big Sky play since the 2019-20 season. The Bobcats are followed by Idaho State (71) and Idaho (68)…Montana State is 14-3 when holding the opponent under 60 points. The Bobcats are 12-1 on the season when limiting its opponent to 39% shooting from the field or less.
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