Cats Capture Big Sky Title

Thursday, February 27

BOZEMAN

7 p.m.

Montana State University

26-2,16-0Big Sky

Portland State

4-21,1-15Big Sky

Portland St.

Montana St.

Natalie Picton had a game-high 14 points to guide MSU to a 78-49 win over Portland State on Thursday night in Worthington Arena.

Photo by: Brian Morse

2/27/2025 10:44:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

MSU also recorded its 26th win of the season, a school record, and registered its 19th consecutive victory, also a new program best.

By: Tom Schulz

Playing without the services of two starters Montana State went to its strengths- defense and depth. The Bobcats ratchetted its intensity in the second half and its bench provided 42 points as the Bobcats defeated Portland State 78-49 on Thursday night to capture a piece of a Big Sky Conference title.

MSU also recorded its 26^th win of the season, a school record, and registered its 19^th consecutive victory, also a new program best.

"I told the kids afterwards to take a deep breath and realize how hard it is to win a championship," said MSU head coach Tricia Binford, who now has five league regular season titles under her belt. "It takes working hard every day, being selfless, and buying into our core values. These kids have embraced a championship mentality, and now we need to continue to move the needle."

Montana State (26-2, 15-0) found itself trailing Portland State (4-21, 1-15) after the opening ten minutes as the Vikings shot 54.5% from the field, while the Bobcats turned the ball over an uncharacteristic six times.

Freshman Addison Harris, receiving her first start as a Bobcat, got MSU on track in the second quarter, scoring eight points, while the defense held PSU to just 20% from the field. Montana State owned a 29-25 advantage at intermission.

Back-to-back triples by Esmeralda Morales and Katelynn Martin to open the third period gave MSU an eight-point cushion. PSU whittled the margin back to two points, but the Bobcats responded, going on a 10-2 run in the final three minutes to grab a 13-point lead heading into the final frame.

"We were pretty flat, especially on the defensive end," Binford said. "But I thought we picked-up the pace in the second half and that started getting our offense going."

The Bobcats scored the first seven points of the fourth quarter to open the contest, building its largest lead at 78-45 on a pair of Natalie Picton free throws with 2:34 left.

Picton led all scorers with 14 points, while Harris and Martin added 12 apiece. Ella Johnson led MSU with six rebounds as the Bobcats outrebounded the Vikings 39-27.

Montana State hosts Sacramento State on Saturday at 2 p.m. A win over the Hornets would give the Bobcats the outright Big Sky Conference title.