Monday, March 11
Boise, ID
12 p.m.
Montana State University
17-15,10-8Big Sky
47
vs
44
Northern Colorado
15-15,10-8Big Sky
1
2
3
4
OT 1
F
Northern Colo.
7
12
6
17
2
44
Montana St.
8
7
13
14
5
47
KJ Limardo records a block
Photo by: Bobcat Creative Services
CLAMPING DOWN: Stingy Defense Leads MSU Women's Basketball Team to Overtime Win
3/11/2024 4:43:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Montana State's defense held the fort, and the offense showed up just in time
When offense isn't clicking it may take an extra defensive play to win a close game. That's what Montana State got in a 47-44 overtime win over Northern Colorado in the Big Sky Conference Tournament quarterfinals on Monday.
Madison Hall's strong close-out on a buzzer-beating three-point attempt forced an errant shot that helped the Bobcats preserve the narrow win and provided the coda for an intense defensive effort. MSU forced 26 Bears turnovers and limited UNC to 25.4 percent shooting from the floor and 16.7 percent from three-point range.
"That's who this team has been," said MSU coach Tricia Binford, who raised her Big Sky tourney record to 18-14 as the Bobcats' head coach. "We've been committed to defense all year and today it was two teams really battling defensively. Both teams struggled to put points on the board. I was really proud of our kids' grittiness causing enough mistakes and hitting some free throws down the stretch."
That commitment proved the difference on Monday afternoon. Montana State (17-15) shot just 24.6 percent from the floor and hit only two of 19 three-point attempts. UNC's most pronounced statistical advantage came on the boards, where the Bears grabbed 50 caroms to MSU's 28, but the Cats held one big advantage.
"Our steals," she said when asked how her team was able to withstand UNC's 50-28 advantage on the glass. "The bottom line is we (created) 26 more opportunities for our team."
Montana State's play on the defensive end didn't just terminate UNC offensive possessions, it generated offense. The season-high 26 Bobcat takeaways turnovers led to an 11-5 edge in points-off-turnovers. That helped negate Northern Colorado's (15-15) 18 offensive boards – an opponent season high – gave the Bears 11 second-chance points.
The Bobcat defense carried the day, but a pair of big baskets gave the team a chance. With 4:15 to play, after a steal by Gabi Fields, Delaynie Byrne converted a layup to give UNC its biggest lead of the day, 38-32. "There was an opportunity for UNC to break away, I think we got down six and took a time out and then hit our first three right after that," Binford said of that moment. "That was a turning point for us where I felt like our kids started playing to win the game at that point. That was huge for us to turn the corner at that point."
After that time out, MSU freshman Issy Bunyan found an opening and buried Montana State's first three-pointer of the day with 4:02 left in regulation. Bunyan's layup on the next Bobcat possession answered a UNC bucket, and after two Bears' free throws Marah Dykstra buried a triple to draw the Bobcats within 42-40. "Issy hitting that first (three-pointer) for us was huge," Binford said. "We hit a second, but that's all we ended up with today," Binford said. "Defenses make those things difficult and that was the case today."
Dykstra's triple with 3:11 to play proved the final field goal in regulation, and the only other scoring came on Dykstra's two free throws at the 25 second mark to tie the score. Regulation ended with the team's tied at 42.
Last March, MSU's season ended in heartbreak when Portland State beat the Bobcats 77-62. Montana State struggled to get stops in that game, but that wasn't the case on Monday. "Every year's different," MSU senior KJ Limardo said of her team's effort in the victory, "and today I think we just battled until our hearts were about to give out, honestly."
Everyone's heart faced the possibility of giving out as overtime began. A Bobcat turnover set up a basket on UNC's first possession of the extra period, and MSU didn't score for the first minute-and-a-half. Limardo hit a pair of free throws with 3:21 remaining to tie the score at 44. She made another with 50 seconds left to give MSU a one-point edge.
That set up a wild game-ending sequence. With 37 seconds left Aniah Hall missed a layup for UNC, and Natalie Picton grabbed the rebound. After a Bobcat time out MSU turned the ball over, and UNC called a time out. Pestered by Bunyan on the inbound play, Northern Colorado lost the ball out of bounds near the MSU basket. After the change of possession, Bunyan drained a pair of free throws to stretch MSU's lead to three points.
Down by three, the Bears attempted two shots in the final seconds, neither went, and the Bobcats sealed the win. Fifth-year standout Madison Hall said the disappointment last March motivated the team's veterans. "We went into this game going to lay our bodies on the line, going to communicate, and I think that it really showed out on the floor today," she said. "I'm incredibly proud of us. It was a tight game but it was fun. It was good."
Binford credited her team's resolve, and its defense. ""It certainly was not a fantastic day offensively, but defense always gives you a chance. That's certainly been the case for this team all year."
Montana State's free throw shooting late in the game – the Cats hit nine of their 10 charity tosses after halftime – proved emblematic of her team's resolve, Binford said. "We made some big free throws down the stretch," she said. "That was so important." MSU outscored the Bears by six from the line.
The Bobcats square off with top-seeded Eastern Washington at 12 noon MT on Tuesday. The Bobcats beat Eastern by one in Cheney during the regular season, while the Eagles answered with a two-point win in Bozeman.
BOBCAT TOURNAMENT NOTES
* MSU's 47 points is its fewest in a Big Sky Tournament game, and the 44 points allowed is the fewest by a Bobcat opponent
* Montana State's only other overtime game in league tournament history was a 64-51 win over Montana in 2002
* The Cats now stand 2-1 against UNC in tournament play
* Tricia Binford's 18 tournament wins is second to UM's Robin Selvig in Big Sky history, and is also more than seven of the league's other nine current programs
#GoCatsGo
Madison Hall's strong close-out on a buzzer-beating three-point attempt forced an errant shot that helped the Bobcats preserve the narrow win and provided the coda for an intense defensive effort. MSU forced 26 Bears turnovers and limited UNC to 25.4 percent shooting from the floor and 16.7 percent from three-point range.
"That's who this team has been," said MSU coach Tricia Binford, who raised her Big Sky tourney record to 18-14 as the Bobcats' head coach. "We've been committed to defense all year and today it was two teams really battling defensively. Both teams struggled to put points on the board. I was really proud of our kids' grittiness causing enough mistakes and hitting some free throws down the stretch."
That commitment proved the difference on Monday afternoon. Montana State (17-15) shot just 24.6 percent from the floor and hit only two of 19 three-point attempts. UNC's most pronounced statistical advantage came on the boards, where the Bears grabbed 50 caroms to MSU's 28, but the Cats held one big advantage.
"Our steals," she said when asked how her team was able to withstand UNC's 50-28 advantage on the glass. "The bottom line is we (created) 26 more opportunities for our team."
Montana State's play on the defensive end didn't just terminate UNC offensive possessions, it generated offense. The season-high 26 Bobcat takeaways turnovers led to an 11-5 edge in points-off-turnovers. That helped negate Northern Colorado's (15-15) 18 offensive boards – an opponent season high – gave the Bears 11 second-chance points.
The Bobcat defense carried the day, but a pair of big baskets gave the team a chance. With 4:15 to play, after a steal by Gabi Fields, Delaynie Byrne converted a layup to give UNC its biggest lead of the day, 38-32. "There was an opportunity for UNC to break away, I think we got down six and took a time out and then hit our first three right after that," Binford said of that moment. "That was a turning point for us where I felt like our kids started playing to win the game at that point. That was huge for us to turn the corner at that point."
After that time out, MSU freshman Issy Bunyan found an opening and buried Montana State's first three-pointer of the day with 4:02 left in regulation. Bunyan's layup on the next Bobcat possession answered a UNC bucket, and after two Bears' free throws Marah Dykstra buried a triple to draw the Bobcats within 42-40. "Issy hitting that first (three-pointer) for us was huge," Binford said. "We hit a second, but that's all we ended up with today," Binford said. "Defenses make those things difficult and that was the case today."
Dykstra's triple with 3:11 to play proved the final field goal in regulation, and the only other scoring came on Dykstra's two free throws at the 25 second mark to tie the score. Regulation ended with the team's tied at 42.
Last March, MSU's season ended in heartbreak when Portland State beat the Bobcats 77-62. Montana State struggled to get stops in that game, but that wasn't the case on Monday. "Every year's different," MSU senior KJ Limardo said of her team's effort in the victory, "and today I think we just battled until our hearts were about to give out, honestly."
Everyone's heart faced the possibility of giving out as overtime began. A Bobcat turnover set up a basket on UNC's first possession of the extra period, and MSU didn't score for the first minute-and-a-half. Limardo hit a pair of free throws with 3:21 remaining to tie the score at 44. She made another with 50 seconds left to give MSU a one-point edge.
That set up a wild game-ending sequence. With 37 seconds left Aniah Hall missed a layup for UNC, and Natalie Picton grabbed the rebound. After a Bobcat time out MSU turned the ball over, and UNC called a time out. Pestered by Bunyan on the inbound play, Northern Colorado lost the ball out of bounds near the MSU basket. After the change of possession, Bunyan drained a pair of free throws to stretch MSU's lead to three points.
Down by three, the Bears attempted two shots in the final seconds, neither went, and the Bobcats sealed the win. Fifth-year standout Madison Hall said the disappointment last March motivated the team's veterans. "We went into this game going to lay our bodies on the line, going to communicate, and I think that it really showed out on the floor today," she said. "I'm incredibly proud of us. It was a tight game but it was fun. It was good."
Binford credited her team's resolve, and its defense. ""It certainly was not a fantastic day offensively, but defense always gives you a chance. That's certainly been the case for this team all year."
Montana State's free throw shooting late in the game – the Cats hit nine of their 10 charity tosses after halftime – proved emblematic of her team's resolve, Binford said. "We made some big free throws down the stretch," she said. "That was so important." MSU outscored the Bears by six from the line.
The Bobcats square off with top-seeded Eastern Washington at 12 noon MT on Tuesday. The Bobcats beat Eastern by one in Cheney during the regular season, while the Eagles answered with a two-point win in Bozeman.
BOBCAT TOURNAMENT NOTES
* MSU's 47 points is its fewest in a Big Sky Tournament game, and the 44 points allowed is the fewest by a Bobcat opponent
* Montana State's only other overtime game in league tournament history was a 64-51 win over Montana in 2002
* The Cats now stand 2-1 against UNC in tournament play
* Tricia Binford's 18 tournament wins is second to UM's Robin Selvig in Big Sky history, and is also more than seven of the league's other nine current programs
#GoCatsGo
Team Stats
UNC
MSU
FG%
.254
.246
3FG%
.167
.105
FT%
.846
.773
RB
50
28
TO
26
15
STL
6
15
Game Leaders
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
11
FGM
1
3FGM
0
FTM
9
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
7
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
F
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
G
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