Bobcat Veterans Lead Montana State Women to Win at Portland

Friday, November 11

Portland, OR

6 p.m.

Montana State University

PORTLAND

Katie Bussey and the Bobcats defeated Portland 66-53 in the season-opener for both squads.

Photo by: Kelly Gorham

Bobcat Veterans Lead Montana State Women to Win at Portland

11/11/2011 10:10:00 PM | Women's Basketball

By: Tom Schulz

Montana State senior Katie Bussey recorded a game-high 22 points, while junior Rachel Semansky added 21 points and 11 rebounds to lift the Bobcats to a 66-53 victory over Portland, Friday night in Chiles Center in the season opener for both squads.

Bussey, a 5-9 guard from Alamosa, Colo., connected on nine-of-14 from the field, including three 3-pointers. She also added a team-high six assists and two steals.

Semansky, a 6-0 native of Highwood, matched Bussey's performance converting nine-of-11 from the floor and chipping in two assists, a block and a steal.

“I thought our defense dictated the game,” said MSU head coach Tricia Binford. “We definitely jumped out early and responded well. I'm proud of our effort and really couldn't ask for anything more.”

Montana State opened the game with a 14-4 run- its largest lead of the first half. The Bobcats entered intermission with a 28-26 advantage.

MSU started the second stanza on a 20-6 run sparked by 10 points from Bussey. The Bobcats took their largest lead of the night at 57-38 following a Semansky layin with 7:03 left and cruised down the stretch.

“We had great balance and that is a strength of ours,” Binford said. “I thought we also did a nice job with our shot selection. We certainly have plenty to work on, but this was a great start.”

For the game, Montana State shot 50 percent from the field, including a blistering 52 percent in the opening period.

The Bobcats also controlled the boards, out-rebounding the Pilots 40-34. Also posting double-figure rebounds for MSU was Ashley Albert matching a team-high 11 boards.

Albert, a sophomore from Hamilton, had a solid performance for the Bobcats, adding nine points, five assists, two steals and a block.

Portland was paced in the loss by Natalie Day with 19 points and six rebounds.

MSU will play at Oregon State on Sunday at 3 p.m. (MST).