Thursday, February 8
BOZEMAN
7 p.m.
Montana State University
vs
Northern Colorado
Photo by: Aaron Serio
Bobcats Host Northern Colorado Thursday Night
2/7/2024 4:34:00 PM | Women's Basketball
The Bobcats face Northern Colorado, Thursday, Feb. 8 at 7 p.m., and Northern Arizona, Saturday, Feb. 10 at 2 p.m.
NEXT UP: Montana State hosts a pair of Big Sky Conference contests this week in Worthington Arena. The Bobcats face Northern Colorado, Thursday, Feb. 8 at 7 p.m., and Northern Arizona, Saturday, Feb. 10 at 2 p.m.
A LITTLE ABOUT MONTANA STATE: Montana State posted its best road win of the season knocking off then Big Sky Conference-leading Eastern Washington, 62-61, in Cheney. The loss was EWU's first at home in league play, and just it second of the season. No. 19-ranked Gonzaga beat the Eagles 82-80 on Nov. 29, 2023, at Reese Court.
A LITTLE ABOUT NORTHERN COLORADO: Former Montana State assistant Kristen Mattio (2003-05) is in her third season as head coach at Northern Colorado. Last week, UNC split a pair of road games, defeating Weber State 73-63, and losing at Idaho State 76-56.
THE SCOUTING REPORT: Northern Colorado is 10-10 overall and 5-4 in Big Sky Conference play after splitting a pair of road games, last weekend. The Bears opened last week's play dropping a 76-56 decision at Idaho State. UNC trailed 46-26 at intermission and never challenged in the second stanza. Aniah Hall posted 14 points and six rebounds, while Hannah Simental and Tena Ikidi chipped in 10 points, each. On Saturday, the Bears rebounded with a 73-63 victory at Weber State. Delaynie Byrne paced UNC with 19 points and seven boards, while Simental recorded 16 points and Hall 13. On the season, Byrne, a 6-3 senior forward from Arvada, Colo., leads UNC in scoring and rebounding, averaging 15.2 points and 7.8 boards per game. Simental, a 5-8 senior guard from Pueblo, Colo., averages 13.4 points per game, and is UNC's top threat from outside with 52 three-pointers. Northern Colorado defeated Montana State 58-53 on Jan. 13 in Bank of Colorado Arena. UNC went 11-22 from long distance in the win. They were led by Byrne and Simental with 23 and 12 points, respectively. Katelynn Limardo guided the Bobcats with 18 points.
ALL JACKED UP: Madison Hall has started all 23 games and is averaging 10.6 points and 3.1 rebounds per game. Last week, she averaged 12.5 points and 4.0rebounds, while shooting 44% from the field and 100% at the line in wins at Eastern Washington and Idaho. Hall is on a current streak of 13 consecutive games in double digits. She is averaging 13.5 points per game in Big Sky Conference play, while shooting 48.5% from the field and 84.2% from the line. Hall posted a season-best 18 points in MSU's win over rival Montana on Jan. 20. Against the Lady Griz she went six-of-14 from the field and five-of-six 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 19 games for the Bobcats. She made her 108th career start against Idaho on Feb. 3. Limardo suffered a late-game injury against UM and missed three games, before returning at Eastern Washington. She is averaging a team-best 12.3 points and 6.9 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. Limardo also added six rebounds, three steals and two assists against the Mean Green. 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 36.4% from the field and 78.3% from the line. Limardo is first on the team with 33 3-pointers. She is currently sixth on MSU's all-time career three-point makes chart with 162 triples.
OH CANADA: Marah (MARE-ah) Dykstra has started 31-of-50 games as a Bobcat and is currently averaging 9.8 points and 5.5 rebounds per outing, while dishing out a team-best 2.8 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 last Thursday, Dykstra notched a career-high 21 points to guide MSU to the victory. For the game, she connected on 7-12 from the field and 7-8 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 7.0 points and 6.5 rebounds per game in MSU's wins over Eastern Washington and Idaho, last week. Against Idaho, Janssen notched nine points and six rebounds. The product of Rosemount, Minn., has started the last 17 games for the Bobcats following the season-ending injury to Lexi Deden. Janssen notched a season-best 16 points at Portland on Dec. 2. On the season, she's averaging 8.2 points and 3.9 rebounds per game, while shooting 40.5% 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 23 games following the injury to sophomore point guard Dylan Philip. The freshman has filled the role admirably, averaging 7.3 points, 2.2 assists, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.8 steals per game. Picton has reached double figures in eight games, including a season-high 13 points at Northern Arizona. Last week in wins over E. Washington and Idaho, she averaged 8 points and 3 steals 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 5.4 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 of 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 1.9 points and 3.1 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 54.2% (13-24) from the field. In Big Sky action, Johnson is averaging 3.1 points and 4.4 boards per game.
DULY NOTED: Montana State received three votes in this week's CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll.
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 123-33 (78.9%) overall and 85-23 (78.7%) 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 171-73 (70.1%) overall and 114-48 (70.4%) 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 75 victories in Big Sky play since the 2019-20 season. The Bobcats are followed by Idaho State (69) and Idaho (67)…Montana State is 12-3 when holding the opponent under 60 points. The Bobcats are 10-1 on the season when limiting its opponent to 39% shooting from the field or less.
A LITTLE ABOUT MONTANA STATE: Montana State posted its best road win of the season knocking off then Big Sky Conference-leading Eastern Washington, 62-61, in Cheney. The loss was EWU's first at home in league play, and just it second of the season. No. 19-ranked Gonzaga beat the Eagles 82-80 on Nov. 29, 2023, at Reese Court.
A LITTLE ABOUT NORTHERN COLORADO: Former Montana State assistant Kristen Mattio (2003-05) is in her third season as head coach at Northern Colorado. Last week, UNC split a pair of road games, defeating Weber State 73-63, and losing at Idaho State 76-56.
THE SCOUTING REPORT: Northern Colorado is 10-10 overall and 5-4 in Big Sky Conference play after splitting a pair of road games, last weekend. The Bears opened last week's play dropping a 76-56 decision at Idaho State. UNC trailed 46-26 at intermission and never challenged in the second stanza. Aniah Hall posted 14 points and six rebounds, while Hannah Simental and Tena Ikidi chipped in 10 points, each. On Saturday, the Bears rebounded with a 73-63 victory at Weber State. Delaynie Byrne paced UNC with 19 points and seven boards, while Simental recorded 16 points and Hall 13. On the season, Byrne, a 6-3 senior forward from Arvada, Colo., leads UNC in scoring and rebounding, averaging 15.2 points and 7.8 boards per game. Simental, a 5-8 senior guard from Pueblo, Colo., averages 13.4 points per game, and is UNC's top threat from outside with 52 three-pointers. Northern Colorado defeated Montana State 58-53 on Jan. 13 in Bank of Colorado Arena. UNC went 11-22 from long distance in the win. They were led by Byrne and Simental with 23 and 12 points, respectively. Katelynn Limardo guided the Bobcats with 18 points.
ALL JACKED UP: Madison Hall has started all 23 games and is averaging 10.6 points and 3.1 rebounds per game. Last week, she averaged 12.5 points and 4.0rebounds, while shooting 44% from the field and 100% at the line in wins at Eastern Washington and Idaho. Hall is on a current streak of 13 consecutive games in double digits. She is averaging 13.5 points per game in Big Sky Conference play, while shooting 48.5% from the field and 84.2% from the line. Hall posted a season-best 18 points in MSU's win over rival Montana on Jan. 20. Against the Lady Griz she went six-of-14 from the field and five-of-six 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 19 games for the Bobcats. She made her 108th career start against Idaho on Feb. 3. Limardo suffered a late-game injury against UM and missed three games, before returning at Eastern Washington. She is averaging a team-best 12.3 points and 6.9 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. Limardo also added six rebounds, three steals and two assists against the Mean Green. 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 36.4% from the field and 78.3% from the line. Limardo is first on the team with 33 3-pointers. She is currently sixth on MSU's all-time career three-point makes chart with 162 triples.
OH CANADA: Marah (MARE-ah) Dykstra has started 31-of-50 games as a Bobcat and is currently averaging 9.8 points and 5.5 rebounds per outing, while dishing out a team-best 2.8 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 last Thursday, Dykstra notched a career-high 21 points to guide MSU to the victory. For the game, she connected on 7-12 from the field and 7-8 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 7.0 points and 6.5 rebounds per game in MSU's wins over Eastern Washington and Idaho, last week. Against Idaho, Janssen notched nine points and six rebounds. The product of Rosemount, Minn., has started the last 17 games for the Bobcats following the season-ending injury to Lexi Deden. Janssen notched a season-best 16 points at Portland on Dec. 2. On the season, she's averaging 8.2 points and 3.9 rebounds per game, while shooting 40.5% 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 23 games following the injury to sophomore point guard Dylan Philip. The freshman has filled the role admirably, averaging 7.3 points, 2.2 assists, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.8 steals per game. Picton has reached double figures in eight games, including a season-high 13 points at Northern Arizona. Last week in wins over E. Washington and Idaho, she averaged 8 points and 3 steals 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 5.4 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 of 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 1.9 points and 3.1 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 54.2% (13-24) from the field. In Big Sky action, Johnson is averaging 3.1 points and 4.4 boards per game.
DULY NOTED: Montana State received three votes in this week's CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll.
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 123-33 (78.9%) overall and 85-23 (78.7%) 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 171-73 (70.1%) overall and 114-48 (70.4%) 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 75 victories in Big Sky play since the 2019-20 season. The Bobcats are followed by Idaho State (69) and Idaho (67)…Montana State is 12-3 when holding the opponent under 60 points. The Bobcats are 10-1 on the season when limiting its opponent to 39% shooting from the field or less.
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