Hot Start, Stingy Defense Lifts Cats to Win at Idaho

Saturday, February 3

Moscow, ID

3 p.m. (MT)

Montana State University

13-10,7-3Big Sky

Idaho

10-11,3-6Big Sky

Montana St.

Idaho

Marah dykstra hits a jumper against Idaho on Saturday afternoon in ICCU Arena.

Photo by: Idaho Sports Information

2/3/2024 6:04:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

“It was huge to get off to a good start,” said MSU head coach Tricia Binford.

By: Tom Schulz

Montana State shot 56.3% from the field in the first quarter building a 16-point cushion and its defense held an opponent under 50 points for the fourth time this season en route to a 51-46 win over Idaho on Saturday afternoon at ICCU Arena.

Montana State (13-10, 7-3) opened the contest on an 18-2 run as six different players scored, including a six-point outburst from fifth-year guard Madison Jackson. The Bobcats held a 20-8 lead after the opening 10 minutes and owned a 30-17 advantage at intermission.

"It was huge to get off to a good start," said MSU head coach Tricia Binford. "But we saw what Idaho did against Montana on Thursday and knew they could claw their way back into the game. We just needed to stay the course. I thought we hit some clutch shots, and we did a good job getting the ball into our veterans' hands down the stretch."

MSU struggled offensively in the third quarter connecting on two-of-ten from the field, but its six-of-nine effort at the line was enough to hold off Idaho (10-11, 3-6) and build a 15-point lead with a minute left in the period. The Vandals whittled the margin to 40-30 heading into the final frame.

Idaho opened the fourth quarter with nine consecutive points from Asha Phillips, including two 3-pointers, to cut MSU's lead to one. A Hall jumper ended MSU's drought, but a Vandal layup with 5 minutes, 47 seconds left cut the margin to 42-41. Again, the Bobcats answered with a Taylor Janssen basket in the paint.

Following the media timeout, Hall hit the biggest bucket of the game – a three-pointer- with just over four minutes remaining. "We called the play for Jack (Hall) in the timeout and she hit the open three," Binford said. "That was a critical piece. She is a clutch player, and we want the ball in her hands."

A minute and a half later, Hall converted a contested layup to give MSU a 49-41 lead. Natalie Picton's steal and layin with 22-seconds left secured the Bobcat victory.

"Sweeps are hard, and they're harder on the road," Binford said of MSU's wins over Idaho and Eastern Washington. "This is a gritty and resilient group. They defend and work hard and they fight for each other."

Hall finished with a team-best 15 points, connecting on seven-of-10 from the field. Picton and Janssen each added nine, while Marah Dykstra chipped in eight along with a team-high seven rebounds.

With the win, MSU moves into third place in the Big Sky standings, 1 ½ games back of league-leading Northern Arizona. MSU hosts Northern Colorado on Thursday night at 7 p.m. in Worthington Arena.