Thursday, January 22
Pocatello, ID
7 p.m.
Montana State University
13-5,6-1Big Sky
60
at
79
Idaho State
12-6,5-2Big Sky
1
2
3
4
F
Montana St.
17
13
10
20
60
Idaho St.
20
19
20
20
79
Addison Harris
Photo by: Ken Nowaczyk
Bobcats Drop First League Tilt of 2026 in 79-60 Loss at Idaho State
1/22/2026 9:47:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Bengals ride hot shooting strong defense to win over Montana State
(Jan. 22, 2026) – Idaho State rode hot shooting and stingy defense to beat Montana State 79-60 in Pocatello on Thursday, ending the Bobcats' stand as the last remaining unbeaten Big Sky women's basketball team in league play.
The Bengals shot 57.7 percent, the second-best mark by an MSU opponent this season, and held the Cats to 32.3 percent shooting. Sub-standard halfcourt defense, poor shooting and a 40 to 23 rebounding deficit combined to doom the Bobcats.
"We get every team's best punch," said MSU head coach Tricia Binford, "and that's going to be the case all season. We knew it would be super physical, and they came out with great energy that we didn't match. They dominated every (stat) category tonight."
The first half was an uneven affair marked by 28 combined turnovers, 13 committed by the Bobcats. MSU shot just 30.9 percent, while Idaho State hit at a 60.9 percent clip.
The teams played on even terms for the first 13 minutes, with Idaho State leading 22-20 at that point. A jumper by Alyze Aby and a three-pointer by Camryn Collman sparked a 17-10 ISU run to close the half, giving the Bengals a 39-30 advantage at the intermission.
The second half started much as the first ended, with Idaho State building an cushion against the defending league champion Bobcats. After a putback by MSU's Ella Johnson, the Bengals tore off a 9-1 run to seize control. ISU led 48-33 with 6:27 to play in the third quarter, and the Bobcats never drew closer than 15 points.
Spink scored 17 points and Aspen Caldwell added 15. Four of ISU's starters shot 50 percent or better from the floor. Spink and Piper Carlson shared game-high honors with 10 rebounds each.
Binford said that not much went right for the Cats. "We didn't perfect the simple tonight. We got caught over-dribbling and didn't share the ball. Our defense in the front court needs to be much more solid. When you try to make the home run play it's going to come back and get you, and that happened tonight."
Addison Harris scored 18 points to lead all scorers, while Jamison Philip added 14 points and Isobel Bynyan 11. Taylee Chirrick snagged eight rebounds and five steals, and dished out five assists.
Montana State falls to 13-5 overall, 6-1 in Big Sky play. The Cats and Idaho are the league's remaining teams with only one conference loss. Idaho State is no 12-6 overall, 5-2 in the league. The Bobcats play Weber State in Ogden on Saturday at 2 pm, while ISU hosts Montana Saturday at 2 pm.
#GoCatsGo
The Bengals shot 57.7 percent, the second-best mark by an MSU opponent this season, and held the Cats to 32.3 percent shooting. Sub-standard halfcourt defense, poor shooting and a 40 to 23 rebounding deficit combined to doom the Bobcats.
"We get every team's best punch," said MSU head coach Tricia Binford, "and that's going to be the case all season. We knew it would be super physical, and they came out with great energy that we didn't match. They dominated every (stat) category tonight."
The first half was an uneven affair marked by 28 combined turnovers, 13 committed by the Bobcats. MSU shot just 30.9 percent, while Idaho State hit at a 60.9 percent clip.
The teams played on even terms for the first 13 minutes, with Idaho State leading 22-20 at that point. A jumper by Alyze Aby and a three-pointer by Camryn Collman sparked a 17-10 ISU run to close the half, giving the Bengals a 39-30 advantage at the intermission.
The second half started much as the first ended, with Idaho State building an cushion against the defending league champion Bobcats. After a putback by MSU's Ella Johnson, the Bengals tore off a 9-1 run to seize control. ISU led 48-33 with 6:27 to play in the third quarter, and the Bobcats never drew closer than 15 points.
Spink scored 17 points and Aspen Caldwell added 15. Four of ISU's starters shot 50 percent or better from the floor. Spink and Piper Carlson shared game-high honors with 10 rebounds each.
Binford said that not much went right for the Cats. "We didn't perfect the simple tonight. We got caught over-dribbling and didn't share the ball. Our defense in the front court needs to be much more solid. When you try to make the home run play it's going to come back and get you, and that happened tonight."
Addison Harris scored 18 points to lead all scorers, while Jamison Philip added 14 points and Isobel Bynyan 11. Taylee Chirrick snagged eight rebounds and five steals, and dished out five assists.
Montana State falls to 13-5 overall, 6-1 in Big Sky play. The Cats and Idaho are the league's remaining teams with only one conference loss. Idaho State is no 12-6 overall, 5-2 in the league. The Bobcats play Weber State in Ogden on Saturday at 2 pm, while ISU hosts Montana Saturday at 2 pm.
#GoCatsGo
Team Stats
MSU
ISU
FG%
.323
.577
3FG%
.257
.538
FT%
.524
.800
RB
23
40
TO
21
27
STL
13
17
Game Leaders
Pts
18
FGM
7
3FGM
4
FTM
0
Pts
14
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Pts
6
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
G
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