Championship Season Ends in Utah

Friday, March 18

Salt Lake City, UT

7 p.m.

Montana State University

21-10

Utah

17-14

Montana State

Utah

Senior Jasmine Hommes finished her career with 1,448 points and fifth on MSU's all-time scoring list.

Photo by: R. Dean Hendrickson

3/18/2016 11:17:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

For almost 12-minutes the Montana State women’s basketball team played with Pac-12 foe Utah. But a pair of back-to-back three-pointers by the Utes Katie Kuklok ignited a 19-3 run and Utah never looked back, en route to a 95-61 victory, Friday night in the opening round of the WNIT

By: Tom Schulz

For almost 12-minutes the Montana State women's basketball team played with Pac-12 foe Utah. But a pair of back-to-back three-pointers by the Utes Katie Kuklok ignited a 19-3 run and Utah never looked back, en route to a 95-61 victory, Friday night in the opening round of the WNIT.

Utah (17-14), who finished in the middle of the Pac-12 this winter, got out to an early 7-0 advantage. Montana State (21-10) answered with an 18-11 run and tied the game on a Hannah Caudill baseline jumper at the 8:46 mark of the second quarter. The Utes finished the stanza connecting on eight-of-15 from the field to take a 37-21 advantage at intermission.

"When you play an opponent that is big and athletic like Utah, you have to be focused on the details," said MSU 11^th-year head coach Tricia Binford. "During their second quarter run we failed to get the details done."

MSU sophomore Delany Junkermier cut the lead to 13-points with a three-pointer to open the second half, but the Bobcats would get no closer the remainder of the game.

"This team fought to the end," Binford said. "That's been their character all year. Obviously, the season didn't end how we wanted, but this group, led by an outstanding senior class, accomplished a lot of things, including winning a Big Sky Conference championship, and that's something they can always hang their hats on."

Junior Peyton Ferris paced MSU with her third double-double of the season with 15 points and ten rebounds, while Riley Nordgaard also hit double-digits with 11 points. Big Sky MVP Jasmine Hommes finished with nine points to give her 1,448 on her career and moving into fifth on MSU's all-time scoring list.

For the game, the Bobcats shot 31.3 percent from the field, while Utah hit at a 50 percent clip. The Utes also won the battle of the boards, out-rebounding MSU 49-40.

Utah was led by Paige Crozon with 20 points, while Kuklok added 18.