Thursday, January 21
Cheney, WA
7 p.m.
Montana State University
at
Eastern Washington
Bobcat freshman Haley Blodgett swats the ball away from a UND player on Thursday night.
Photo by: Sepp Jannotta
Clash of the Titans: The only two teams still undefeated in Big Sky play meet Thursday
1/20/2016 4:30:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Montana State will travel to Cheney, Washington on Thursday, Jan. 21 to face Eastern Washington at 7 p.m. (MST) at Reese Court in a clash between the two remaining unbeaten teams in the Big Sky Conference. MSU will close out the weekend at the University of Idaho, Jan. 23 at 3 p.m. (MST) in Moscow.
CLASH OF THE TITANS:
Montana State will travel to Cheney, Washington on Thursday, Jan. 21 to face Eastern Washington at 7 p.m. (MST) at Reese Court in a clash between the two remaining unbeaten teams in the Big Sky Conference. MSU will close out the weekend at the University of Idaho, Jan. 23 at 3 p.m. (MST) in Moscow.
THE LAST TIME OUT:
Montana State junior Peyton Ferris posted a career-high 24 points, including 18 points in the fourth quarter to pace the Bobcats to a 66-58 win over Northern Colorado. The Bobcats opened converting Northern Colorado turnovers into layups to establish a 19-8 advantage. A pair of Delany Junkermier 3-pointers gave MSU its largest lead 27-12 at the 8:21 mark of the second stanza. UNC pulled to within eight points at intermission. The Bobcats were held scoreless for the first 6:30 of the third stanza. UNC cut the margin to 33-29, but four straight points by Alexa Dawkins pushed the margin to eight. The Bears opened the final quarter on an 8-2 run and a 3-pointer by Kyleigh Hiser pulled UNC to within 41-40 at the 8:03 mark. Ferris answered with her first triple of the game, but UNC responded with a three-pointer via Katie Longwell to keep to within one-point. MSU's Jasmine Hommes scored the next five points to give the Bobcats a six-point advantage. Leading by four points with 5:15 left, Ferris collected an offensive rebound off a missed free throw and converted the layup and free throw to give MSU a seven-point advantage with 4:57 remaining. Northern Colorado cut the margin to 54-51 on a triple by Rebecca Howell, but again, Ferris answered with a three-pointer to help secure the win for the Bobcats.
MONTANA STATE PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Peyton Ferris averaged 18 points and eight rebounds coming off the bench to lead Montana State to a pair of Big Sky Conference victories and maintain MSU's ½ game advantage over Eastern Washington atop the league standings. Ferris opened the weekend with 12 points and nine rebounds in MSU's win over North Dakota. In Montana State's win over Northern Colorado, Ferris recorded a career-high 24 points, including 18 points in the fourth quarter, alone. She also registered seven rebounds, two assists and a steal against the Bears. For the weekend, she shot 57 percent from the field (12-21) and 71 percent from the line. Ferris entered the weekend fourth in the nation in field-goal percentage.
THE SCOUTING REPORT:
Eastern Washington (11-6, 5-0) is on a five-game winning streak with the last three victories coming on the road. The Eagles are 6-2 at Reese Court this season. Last weekend, EWU knocked off Southern Utah (85-82) and Northern Arizona (81-71). Thursday's game between the remaining Big Sky unbeatens will be the only meeting for the two rivals under the new league schedule. MSU plays Idaho, Idaho State and Weber State just once this season, as well. Eastern Washington holds a narrow 41-40 advantage in the all-time series dating back to the 1976-77 season. Last year, the two schools split their season series. The last time the Bobcats won in Cheney was Jan. 5, 2013 as MSU dealt EWU a 73-60 setback. On the season, Eastern Washington has been paced by the one-two scoring punch of the Hodgins sisters. Hayley Hodgins (the elder) is averaging a team-best 19.8 points per game. She is also first on the squad with 47 3-point makes and is averaging 37.2 minutes per game. Younger sister Delaney Hodgins averages 15.4 points per contest. Ashli Payne and Tisha Phillips also average double-digits at 11.2 and 10.2 points per outing, respectively. Payne leads EWU under the glass at 8.0 rebounds per game.
ALL IN THE FAMILY:
Jasmine Hommes became the 21st member of Montana State's prestigious 1,000-point club and the second Hommes to accomplish the milestone in the Blue and Gold. Hommes' Aunt Blythe Hommes-Hintz, recorded a career 1,265 points from 1993-97. Blythe Hommes is currently 11th on MSU's all-time list, while Jasmine Hommes sits 13th with 1,244 points. Blythe Hommes was also the 1997 Big Sky Conference Most Valuable Player and is a member of the Montana State-Wendy's Athletic Hall of Fame. Another aunt, Brooke Hommes-Dunham (1992-96), was a four-time All-Big Sky Conference Academic pick for the 'Cats.
BUELLER, BUELLER, BUELLER, BUELLER:
Montana State junior Peyton Ferris has picked up where she left of last season after being named the Big Sky Conference's Top Reserve. The Twin Bridges product is second on the squad averaging 14.4 points and is second in rebounding at 6.1 rebounds per game. Ferris is also shooting an impressive 61.8 percent from the field and 78 percent from the charity stripe.
CHIP OFF THE OLD BLOCK:
Like her dad, NBA Hall of Famer John Stockton, Lindsay Stockton has done an outstanding job distributing and taking care of the basketball. Stockton is second on the team averaging 3.9 assists per game. The Spokane product also set a new career-high with six steals in MSU's opening win at Seattle U.
THE LIFE OF RILEY:
Transfer Riley Nordgaard, who sat out under NCAA rules last winter after coming to MSU from Augustana in South Dakota, has made an impact on the Bobcat squad. The Canby, Minnesota product is averaging 10.4 points and a team-best 6.8 rebounds per game. In addition, she has connected on 27-of-59 three-point attempts, shooting 46 percent from beyond the arc. Nordgaard was held scoreless against Northern Colorado last weekend. She did pick things up defensively, averaging 6.5 rpg and 3.5 steals.
FATHER'S DAY:
Lindsay Stockton is the daughter of legendary NBA Hall of Famer and former Utah Jazz standout John Stockton, while Alexa Dawkins' father Dale played football on the University of Miami's 1987 National Championship team. Dawkins later went on to play wide receiver for the New York Jets from 1990-93.
THE LILAC CITY:
Three Bobcat players are from Spokane, Washington - The Lilac City. Lindsay Stockton, Hannah Caudill and Delany Junkermier combined for 41 points, 10 rebounds, 23 assists and eight 3-pointers against North Dakota and Northern Colorado, last week. This winter, Caudill, a graduate of Gonzaga Prep, nailed the decisive 3-pointer with 6.7 seconds remaining at Sacramento State to give the Bobcats the win. She also posted her first double-double of her career dishing out ten assists at Sac State. Against North Dakota she posted a career-high five 3-pointers and finished with 17 points. Fellow Bullpup Lindsay Stockton tallied 12 points, five rebounds, 12 assists and six steals against UND and Northern Colorado, last week. Junkermier, a Mead High School graduate, had her best performance of the weekend against UNC with nine points, all coming from long distance.
HARD BLOCK CAFE:
The Bobcats established a new single-game school record against the University of Montana Western on Dec. 15 with 12 blocked shots, including a team-high three swats by senior Jasmine Hommes. The old mark - held three times - was set last against Valparaiso on Dec. 1, 2013.
TOSSING THE ROCK:
Montana State set a new school record with 32 assists in its 106-59 win at Portland State on Saturday. The old mark of 31 was set against Nevada (1978-88) and Idaho State (2003-04).
THE LAST TIME.....:
The last time Eastern Washington and Montana State met was Feb. 26, 2015 as MSU handed the Eagles a 63-53 set-back in Bozeman. Peyton Ferris had 16 pts and 8 rebounds.
BOZEMAN INK:
Tricia Binford signed three players to National Letters-of-Intent on Nov. 11, 2015. The signees include: Oliana Squires, a 5-8 guard from Colorado Springs, Colorado, Madeline Smith, a 6-1 forward from Snohomish, Washington, and Madison Kast, a 6-1 forward from Visalia, California.
Squires preps at Sand Creek High School and has helped guide the Scorpions to three-consecutive Pikes Peak Conference titles. Last season, she averaged 17.8 points, 4.5 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 3.4 steals per game. For her efforts, Squires was named first-team all-state and first-team all-conference.
Smith preps at Snohomish High School and earned WESCO Player of the Year honors after averaging 15.2 points, 10.1 rebounds and two blocks per game as a junior. In addition, she was a first-team all-conference and a first-team all-area selection for the Panthers.
Kast led the Redwood High School to a 20-6 overall mark last season, averaging 11.8 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.2 blocks, 2.4 steals and 1.8 assists per game. For her efforts, she was named first-team All-West Yosemite League and was a Fresno Bee All-Star selection.
Montana State will travel to Cheney, Washington on Thursday, Jan. 21 to face Eastern Washington at 7 p.m. (MST) at Reese Court in a clash between the two remaining unbeaten teams in the Big Sky Conference. MSU will close out the weekend at the University of Idaho, Jan. 23 at 3 p.m. (MST) in Moscow.
THE LAST TIME OUT:
Montana State junior Peyton Ferris posted a career-high 24 points, including 18 points in the fourth quarter to pace the Bobcats to a 66-58 win over Northern Colorado. The Bobcats opened converting Northern Colorado turnovers into layups to establish a 19-8 advantage. A pair of Delany Junkermier 3-pointers gave MSU its largest lead 27-12 at the 8:21 mark of the second stanza. UNC pulled to within eight points at intermission. The Bobcats were held scoreless for the first 6:30 of the third stanza. UNC cut the margin to 33-29, but four straight points by Alexa Dawkins pushed the margin to eight. The Bears opened the final quarter on an 8-2 run and a 3-pointer by Kyleigh Hiser pulled UNC to within 41-40 at the 8:03 mark. Ferris answered with her first triple of the game, but UNC responded with a three-pointer via Katie Longwell to keep to within one-point. MSU's Jasmine Hommes scored the next five points to give the Bobcats a six-point advantage. Leading by four points with 5:15 left, Ferris collected an offensive rebound off a missed free throw and converted the layup and free throw to give MSU a seven-point advantage with 4:57 remaining. Northern Colorado cut the margin to 54-51 on a triple by Rebecca Howell, but again, Ferris answered with a three-pointer to help secure the win for the Bobcats.
MONTANA STATE PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Peyton Ferris averaged 18 points and eight rebounds coming off the bench to lead Montana State to a pair of Big Sky Conference victories and maintain MSU's ½ game advantage over Eastern Washington atop the league standings. Ferris opened the weekend with 12 points and nine rebounds in MSU's win over North Dakota. In Montana State's win over Northern Colorado, Ferris recorded a career-high 24 points, including 18 points in the fourth quarter, alone. She also registered seven rebounds, two assists and a steal against the Bears. For the weekend, she shot 57 percent from the field (12-21) and 71 percent from the line. Ferris entered the weekend fourth in the nation in field-goal percentage.
THE SCOUTING REPORT:
Eastern Washington (11-6, 5-0) is on a five-game winning streak with the last three victories coming on the road. The Eagles are 6-2 at Reese Court this season. Last weekend, EWU knocked off Southern Utah (85-82) and Northern Arizona (81-71). Thursday's game between the remaining Big Sky unbeatens will be the only meeting for the two rivals under the new league schedule. MSU plays Idaho, Idaho State and Weber State just once this season, as well. Eastern Washington holds a narrow 41-40 advantage in the all-time series dating back to the 1976-77 season. Last year, the two schools split their season series. The last time the Bobcats won in Cheney was Jan. 5, 2013 as MSU dealt EWU a 73-60 setback. On the season, Eastern Washington has been paced by the one-two scoring punch of the Hodgins sisters. Hayley Hodgins (the elder) is averaging a team-best 19.8 points per game. She is also first on the squad with 47 3-point makes and is averaging 37.2 minutes per game. Younger sister Delaney Hodgins averages 15.4 points per contest. Ashli Payne and Tisha Phillips also average double-digits at 11.2 and 10.2 points per outing, respectively. Payne leads EWU under the glass at 8.0 rebounds per game.
ALL IN THE FAMILY:
Jasmine Hommes became the 21st member of Montana State's prestigious 1,000-point club and the second Hommes to accomplish the milestone in the Blue and Gold. Hommes' Aunt Blythe Hommes-Hintz, recorded a career 1,265 points from 1993-97. Blythe Hommes is currently 11th on MSU's all-time list, while Jasmine Hommes sits 13th with 1,244 points. Blythe Hommes was also the 1997 Big Sky Conference Most Valuable Player and is a member of the Montana State-Wendy's Athletic Hall of Fame. Another aunt, Brooke Hommes-Dunham (1992-96), was a four-time All-Big Sky Conference Academic pick for the 'Cats.
BUELLER, BUELLER, BUELLER, BUELLER:
Montana State junior Peyton Ferris has picked up where she left of last season after being named the Big Sky Conference's Top Reserve. The Twin Bridges product is second on the squad averaging 14.4 points and is second in rebounding at 6.1 rebounds per game. Ferris is also shooting an impressive 61.8 percent from the field and 78 percent from the charity stripe.
CHIP OFF THE OLD BLOCK:
Like her dad, NBA Hall of Famer John Stockton, Lindsay Stockton has done an outstanding job distributing and taking care of the basketball. Stockton is second on the team averaging 3.9 assists per game. The Spokane product also set a new career-high with six steals in MSU's opening win at Seattle U.
THE LIFE OF RILEY:
Transfer Riley Nordgaard, who sat out under NCAA rules last winter after coming to MSU from Augustana in South Dakota, has made an impact on the Bobcat squad. The Canby, Minnesota product is averaging 10.4 points and a team-best 6.8 rebounds per game. In addition, she has connected on 27-of-59 three-point attempts, shooting 46 percent from beyond the arc. Nordgaard was held scoreless against Northern Colorado last weekend. She did pick things up defensively, averaging 6.5 rpg and 3.5 steals.
FATHER'S DAY:
Lindsay Stockton is the daughter of legendary NBA Hall of Famer and former Utah Jazz standout John Stockton, while Alexa Dawkins' father Dale played football on the University of Miami's 1987 National Championship team. Dawkins later went on to play wide receiver for the New York Jets from 1990-93.
THE LILAC CITY:
Three Bobcat players are from Spokane, Washington - The Lilac City. Lindsay Stockton, Hannah Caudill and Delany Junkermier combined for 41 points, 10 rebounds, 23 assists and eight 3-pointers against North Dakota and Northern Colorado, last week. This winter, Caudill, a graduate of Gonzaga Prep, nailed the decisive 3-pointer with 6.7 seconds remaining at Sacramento State to give the Bobcats the win. She also posted her first double-double of her career dishing out ten assists at Sac State. Against North Dakota she posted a career-high five 3-pointers and finished with 17 points. Fellow Bullpup Lindsay Stockton tallied 12 points, five rebounds, 12 assists and six steals against UND and Northern Colorado, last week. Junkermier, a Mead High School graduate, had her best performance of the weekend against UNC with nine points, all coming from long distance.
HARD BLOCK CAFE:
The Bobcats established a new single-game school record against the University of Montana Western on Dec. 15 with 12 blocked shots, including a team-high three swats by senior Jasmine Hommes. The old mark - held three times - was set last against Valparaiso on Dec. 1, 2013.
TOSSING THE ROCK:
Montana State set a new school record with 32 assists in its 106-59 win at Portland State on Saturday. The old mark of 31 was set against Nevada (1978-88) and Idaho State (2003-04).
THE LAST TIME.....:
The last time Eastern Washington and Montana State met was Feb. 26, 2015 as MSU handed the Eagles a 63-53 set-back in Bozeman. Peyton Ferris had 16 pts and 8 rebounds.
BOZEMAN INK:
Tricia Binford signed three players to National Letters-of-Intent on Nov. 11, 2015. The signees include: Oliana Squires, a 5-8 guard from Colorado Springs, Colorado, Madeline Smith, a 6-1 forward from Snohomish, Washington, and Madison Kast, a 6-1 forward from Visalia, California.
Squires preps at Sand Creek High School and has helped guide the Scorpions to three-consecutive Pikes Peak Conference titles. Last season, she averaged 17.8 points, 4.5 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 3.4 steals per game. For her efforts, Squires was named first-team all-state and first-team all-conference.
Smith preps at Snohomish High School and earned WESCO Player of the Year honors after averaging 15.2 points, 10.1 rebounds and two blocks per game as a junior. In addition, she was a first-team all-conference and a first-team all-area selection for the Panthers.
Kast led the Redwood High School to a 20-6 overall mark last season, averaging 11.8 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.2 blocks, 2.4 steals and 1.8 assists per game. For her efforts, she was named first-team All-West Yosemite League and was a Fresno Bee All-Star selection.
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