
Freshman Kamden Hilborn
Photo by: R. Dean Hendrickson
Cats Face TCU on Saturday
12/7/2018 2:33:00 PM | Women's Basketball
The Bobcat women’s basketball team continues its travels in the Lone Star State with a stop in Fort Worth on Saturday. Montana State will face TCU, Saturday, Dec. 8 at 12 p.m. (MT).
WHO: Montana State at TCU
WHEN: Saturday, Dec. 8, 2018 @ 12 p.m. (MT)
WHERE: Fort Worth, TX - Schollmaier Arena (6,700)
RECORDS: MSU- 4-3, 0-0; TCU- 6-1, 0-0
SERIES: TCU leads series 1-0
LAST MTG: Jan. 1, 2002 - @ TCU 82, Montana State 68
RADIO: 1450 KMMS AM with Jason Alvine
NEXT UP: The Bobcat women's basketball team continues its travels in the Lone Star State with a stop in Fort Worth on Saturday. Montana State will face TCU, Saturday, Dec. 8 at 12 p.m. (MT). The game against the Horned Frogs will be the fourth MSU has played in Texas, and the third against a Lone Star state team. MSU defeated Texas State on Nov. 17, and dropped a 60-53 decision at Stephen F. Austin on Thursday morning in Nacogdoches.
ON A SERIES NOTE: The Bobcats and TCU have met just once. The Horned Frogs handed Montana State an 82-68 setback on Jan. 1, 2002. Current Bobcat assistant coach Kati Burrows played in the game, coming off the bench to notch five points and two rebounds. Montana State had two players from the Lone Star state on its roster at the time. Tabitha Wesley (DeSoto) recorded a team-high 18 points, while Bertha Collins (Houston) netted 12 points. Also hitting double-digits for MSU was Rebecca Alvidrez with 15 points. Alvidrez, an assistant coach at Stephen F. Austin, will be inducted into the Bobcat Hall of Fame on Feb. 1, 2019 in Bozeman. TCU was led in the victory by Kati Safaritova with 29 points, while Sandora Irvin added 16 points and ten rebounds.
THAT WAS THE GAME THAT WAS:
Montana State held an eleven-point lead at the 7:50 mark of the third quarter following an Oliana Squires' three-pointer. However, Stephen F. Austin responded with a 20-8 run to take a one-point advantage early in the fourth period, en route to a 60-53 victory over the Bobcats on Thursday morning.
Montana State (4-3) looked in control in the first half, breaking away from 18-all with nine straight points to hold a 27-18 cushion heading into intermission.
The Bobcats out-rebounded Stephen F. Austin (6-2) in the first 20-minutes, and held the Lumberjacks to just four offensive boards. MSU sent SFA to the line on three occasions, as well.
SFA turned the table in the second half out-scoring the Bobcats 20-11 in the third frame. MSU received a pair of Blaire Braxton free throws to give the Cats a six-point margin at the 2:24 mark, but the Lumberjacks closed out the quarter with six unanswered points.
Tied at 48-all in the final period, SFA used back-to-back buckets from freshman Heaven Hamling with 4:49 left to create the cushion it needed to secure the win. The Lumberjacks out-rebounded the Bobcats 20-9 in the second half and connected on 15-of-21 at the line, while the Bobcats went just two-of-two.
MSU also got into foul trouble as leading scorer Claire Lundberg picked up her fifth with 7:54 remaining in the contest. Lundberg left with a game-high 18 points.
Also reaching double-figures for MSU was Squires with 13 points, including three triples. MSU was led under the glass by Martha Kuderer with nine rebounds.
For the game, both teams shot 36.7 percent from the field and each had 17 turnovers. The Lumberjacks out-rebounded MSU 35-28.
SFA was paced by Imani Johnson with 18 points and ten rebounds.
PRESEASON WNIT: Montana State played in the preseason WNIT for the first time in its history. Along with MSU and MU, participating in this season's WNIT were Iowa State, Niagara, Northern Illinois, Yale, New Mexico, Texas State, Auburn, Nicholls State, Miami, Stephen F. Austin, Hartford, Morgan State, Northern Iowa and Delaware. The Bobcats fell at #19 Marquette 100-52 in Milwaukee on Nov. 9. MSU rebounded to win its consolation pod defeating Delaware 69-60 and Texas State 67-59. Marquette went on to defeat Northern Iowa 102-61, before falling to Miami 63-55 in the semifinals. Iowa State captured the 2018 WNIT title with a convincing 75-52 decision over Miami on Nov. 18.
MORE ON THE HORNED FROGS: TCU is 6-1 overall with its lone loss coming in a 61-58 decision to BYU on Nov. 23. The Horned Frogs are coming off a 63-38 win over Army on Dec. 2. TCU was paced in the victory by Jordan Moore with 22 points and eight rebounds. Moore connected on 10-13 from the field. Moore, a 6-3 senior from Round Rock, Texas, leads TCU in scoring averaging 16.4 points per game. She is also tops on the squad pulling down 7.4 rebounds per outing. Also averaging double-digits for the Horned Frogs are Kianna Ray (12.1 ppg) and Amy Okonkwo (11.7). Saturday's game will also be a reunion for Bobcat head coach Tricia Binford and TCU head coach Raegan Pebley. Pebley hired Binford at Utah State in 2003. The duo helped resurrect the Utah State women's basketball program that had been on a 17-year hiatus. Binford spent two seasons on Pebley's coaching staff n Logan, Utah.
LAUDING LUNDBERG: Transfer Claire Lundberg has already made an impact on the court for the Bobcat women's basketball program. Lundberg was named last week's Big Sky Conference Player of the Week for Nov. 20 after averaging 27 points and six rebounds per game as MSU knocked-off Delaware and Texas State in WNIT action. For the two games, the native of Andover, Minn., shot 76.2 percent from the field, 83.3 percent from beyond the arc; and was 17-17 at the charity stripe. In addition, she registered three steals. The Anoka High School product is third in the Big Sky averaging 18.9 points per contest. She is first in the league in field-goal percentage (56.0) and second free throw percentage (89.3). Her current free throw percentage ranks 40th in the nation, while her field-goal percentage ranks 47th overall. Lundberg had connected on her first 22 free throw attempts of the season, before missing her first FT at Wyoming. Against Texas State on Nov. 17, Lundberg didn't miss a shot in 30 minutes of action, connecting on eight-of-eight from the field; four-of-four from long distance; and six-of-six from the line. The 6-1 Seton Hall transfer posted a season-best 28 points in Montana State's 69-60 win over Delaware on Nov. 16. In MSU's loss at Stephen F. Austin on Thursday, Lundberg led all scorers with 18 points, connecting on eight-of-12 from the field, before fouling out with just under eight minutes remaining in the game.
KUDERER'S KUDOS: Junior Martha Kuderer, who also sat out last season after transferring from Seton Hall, had an outstanding couple of games against Delaware and Texas State Nov. 16-17 to close out MSU's play in the WNIT. Kuderer, a 5-11 forward from Eden Prairie, Minn., averaged 19 points and 7.5 rebounds, while shooting 62.5 percent from the field against the Blue Hens and Bobcats. She had her best outing against Texas State with a season-high 21 points, connecting on 8-12 from the floor. In MSU's win over Delaware, Kuderer posted 17 points and 10 rebounds for her first double-double as a Bobcat. Against Stephen F. Austin, Kuderer recorded eight points, including a pair of three-pointers. She paced MSU under the boards with a team-high nine rebounds, while also dishing out three assists and adding one steal.
HOLY MOLY, OLI: Oliana Squires is averaging 11.1 points per game through the first seven games of the season. The Colorado Springs, Colo., product notched a season-high 14 points at Marquette. Against the No. 19-ranked team in the nation, Squires nailed four 3-pointers. She has been in double-digit scoring in five of MSU's seven games to date. Squires is currently ranked fourth in the Big Sky in three-point field-goals attempted; eighth in 3-point FG percentage at 28.8; and ninth in 3-point FG per game at 2.14.
TORI, TORI, TORI: Montana State sharp-shooter Tori Martell is still looking for a consistent stroke this season. The Somerset, Wis., native is nine-of-48 from long distance. Last season, Martell connected on 36 three-pointers, including 19 in the last eight games of the season. She is currently averaging 6.6 points per game. Martel was held scoreless at Stephen F. Austin on Thursday shooting zero-of-six from long distance.
BARDS OF THE BLOCK: Juniors Madeline Smith and Blaire Braxton have manned the blocks for the Bobcats the past two seasons. The duo has swapped starting time at the five and each average over 17.5 minutes or more per contest. Braxton, a product of Highlands Ranch, Colo., is first on the team hauling down 6.0 rebounds per game, while Smith, from Snohomish, Wash., is third averaging 5.3 per contest. Braxton's best outing of the season came against Long Beach State with a career-high 15 points going 5-5 from the field and 5-5 from the line. Smith registered ten points and 11 boards against Long Beach State for her first double-double of the season. At SFA they combined for 10 points. On the season, the tandem is shooting an impressive 64 percent from the field.
FEET TO THE FIRE: Freshmen Gabby Mocchi has played in all seven games and is averaging 2.3 rebounds per game. She posted a season-best eight points at Wyoming on Nov. 27. Kamden Hilborn has played in six games and has dished out seven assists, while adding four steals. The Helena High grad recorded a season-high two points against Long Beach State. Another freshman, Halle Wright, made her debut for the Bobcats against Wyoming and Long Beach State. At SFA on Thursday, she had four points, three boards and two assists.
THROWING SHAIDE: Junior Madisyn Shaide had a career night against one of the best squads in the nation this season. Against No. 19 Marquette, the Missoula native went two-of-four from beyond the arc for a career-high six points. The Big Sky High School graduate also added an assist.
QUADRENNIAL MILESTONE: 14th-year head coach Tricia Binford will be coaching her 401st game at the helm of the Montana State basketball program on Saturday afternoon when the Bobcats play at TCU. She is first at Montana State in games coached (400) and victories (216).
NO PLACE LIKE HOME: The Cats saw the nation's second longest home court win streak snapped against Portland State on Jan. 11, 2018. The loss broke MSU's 31-game home streak, which was second to national power UConn (78). Before the loss to PSU, Montana State's last defeat in Worthington Arena was a 62-49 decision to San Diego on Nov. 24, 2015. MSU has won 37 of its last 39 games in The Brick. The Bobcats are averaging 4,135 fans per game, which includes its sold out crowd of 6,772 against Carroll College on Nov. 6. MSU is ranked 21st in the nation in attendance.
WHEN: Saturday, Dec. 8, 2018 @ 12 p.m. (MT)
WHERE: Fort Worth, TX - Schollmaier Arena (6,700)
RECORDS: MSU- 4-3, 0-0; TCU- 6-1, 0-0
SERIES: TCU leads series 1-0
LAST MTG: Jan. 1, 2002 - @ TCU 82, Montana State 68
RADIO: 1450 KMMS AM with Jason Alvine
NEXT UP: The Bobcat women's basketball team continues its travels in the Lone Star State with a stop in Fort Worth on Saturday. Montana State will face TCU, Saturday, Dec. 8 at 12 p.m. (MT). The game against the Horned Frogs will be the fourth MSU has played in Texas, and the third against a Lone Star state team. MSU defeated Texas State on Nov. 17, and dropped a 60-53 decision at Stephen F. Austin on Thursday morning in Nacogdoches.
ON A SERIES NOTE: The Bobcats and TCU have met just once. The Horned Frogs handed Montana State an 82-68 setback on Jan. 1, 2002. Current Bobcat assistant coach Kati Burrows played in the game, coming off the bench to notch five points and two rebounds. Montana State had two players from the Lone Star state on its roster at the time. Tabitha Wesley (DeSoto) recorded a team-high 18 points, while Bertha Collins (Houston) netted 12 points. Also hitting double-digits for MSU was Rebecca Alvidrez with 15 points. Alvidrez, an assistant coach at Stephen F. Austin, will be inducted into the Bobcat Hall of Fame on Feb. 1, 2019 in Bozeman. TCU was led in the victory by Kati Safaritova with 29 points, while Sandora Irvin added 16 points and ten rebounds.
THAT WAS THE GAME THAT WAS:
Montana State held an eleven-point lead at the 7:50 mark of the third quarter following an Oliana Squires' three-pointer. However, Stephen F. Austin responded with a 20-8 run to take a one-point advantage early in the fourth period, en route to a 60-53 victory over the Bobcats on Thursday morning.
Montana State (4-3) looked in control in the first half, breaking away from 18-all with nine straight points to hold a 27-18 cushion heading into intermission.
The Bobcats out-rebounded Stephen F. Austin (6-2) in the first 20-minutes, and held the Lumberjacks to just four offensive boards. MSU sent SFA to the line on three occasions, as well.
SFA turned the table in the second half out-scoring the Bobcats 20-11 in the third frame. MSU received a pair of Blaire Braxton free throws to give the Cats a six-point margin at the 2:24 mark, but the Lumberjacks closed out the quarter with six unanswered points.
Tied at 48-all in the final period, SFA used back-to-back buckets from freshman Heaven Hamling with 4:49 left to create the cushion it needed to secure the win. The Lumberjacks out-rebounded the Bobcats 20-9 in the second half and connected on 15-of-21 at the line, while the Bobcats went just two-of-two.
MSU also got into foul trouble as leading scorer Claire Lundberg picked up her fifth with 7:54 remaining in the contest. Lundberg left with a game-high 18 points.
Also reaching double-figures for MSU was Squires with 13 points, including three triples. MSU was led under the glass by Martha Kuderer with nine rebounds.
For the game, both teams shot 36.7 percent from the field and each had 17 turnovers. The Lumberjacks out-rebounded MSU 35-28.
SFA was paced by Imani Johnson with 18 points and ten rebounds.
PRESEASON WNIT: Montana State played in the preseason WNIT for the first time in its history. Along with MSU and MU, participating in this season's WNIT were Iowa State, Niagara, Northern Illinois, Yale, New Mexico, Texas State, Auburn, Nicholls State, Miami, Stephen F. Austin, Hartford, Morgan State, Northern Iowa and Delaware. The Bobcats fell at #19 Marquette 100-52 in Milwaukee on Nov. 9. MSU rebounded to win its consolation pod defeating Delaware 69-60 and Texas State 67-59. Marquette went on to defeat Northern Iowa 102-61, before falling to Miami 63-55 in the semifinals. Iowa State captured the 2018 WNIT title with a convincing 75-52 decision over Miami on Nov. 18.
MORE ON THE HORNED FROGS: TCU is 6-1 overall with its lone loss coming in a 61-58 decision to BYU on Nov. 23. The Horned Frogs are coming off a 63-38 win over Army on Dec. 2. TCU was paced in the victory by Jordan Moore with 22 points and eight rebounds. Moore connected on 10-13 from the field. Moore, a 6-3 senior from Round Rock, Texas, leads TCU in scoring averaging 16.4 points per game. She is also tops on the squad pulling down 7.4 rebounds per outing. Also averaging double-digits for the Horned Frogs are Kianna Ray (12.1 ppg) and Amy Okonkwo (11.7). Saturday's game will also be a reunion for Bobcat head coach Tricia Binford and TCU head coach Raegan Pebley. Pebley hired Binford at Utah State in 2003. The duo helped resurrect the Utah State women's basketball program that had been on a 17-year hiatus. Binford spent two seasons on Pebley's coaching staff n Logan, Utah.
LAUDING LUNDBERG: Transfer Claire Lundberg has already made an impact on the court for the Bobcat women's basketball program. Lundberg was named last week's Big Sky Conference Player of the Week for Nov. 20 after averaging 27 points and six rebounds per game as MSU knocked-off Delaware and Texas State in WNIT action. For the two games, the native of Andover, Minn., shot 76.2 percent from the field, 83.3 percent from beyond the arc; and was 17-17 at the charity stripe. In addition, she registered three steals. The Anoka High School product is third in the Big Sky averaging 18.9 points per contest. She is first in the league in field-goal percentage (56.0) and second free throw percentage (89.3). Her current free throw percentage ranks 40th in the nation, while her field-goal percentage ranks 47th overall. Lundberg had connected on her first 22 free throw attempts of the season, before missing her first FT at Wyoming. Against Texas State on Nov. 17, Lundberg didn't miss a shot in 30 minutes of action, connecting on eight-of-eight from the field; four-of-four from long distance; and six-of-six from the line. The 6-1 Seton Hall transfer posted a season-best 28 points in Montana State's 69-60 win over Delaware on Nov. 16. In MSU's loss at Stephen F. Austin on Thursday, Lundberg led all scorers with 18 points, connecting on eight-of-12 from the field, before fouling out with just under eight minutes remaining in the game.
KUDERER'S KUDOS: Junior Martha Kuderer, who also sat out last season after transferring from Seton Hall, had an outstanding couple of games against Delaware and Texas State Nov. 16-17 to close out MSU's play in the WNIT. Kuderer, a 5-11 forward from Eden Prairie, Minn., averaged 19 points and 7.5 rebounds, while shooting 62.5 percent from the field against the Blue Hens and Bobcats. She had her best outing against Texas State with a season-high 21 points, connecting on 8-12 from the floor. In MSU's win over Delaware, Kuderer posted 17 points and 10 rebounds for her first double-double as a Bobcat. Against Stephen F. Austin, Kuderer recorded eight points, including a pair of three-pointers. She paced MSU under the boards with a team-high nine rebounds, while also dishing out three assists and adding one steal.
HOLY MOLY, OLI: Oliana Squires is averaging 11.1 points per game through the first seven games of the season. The Colorado Springs, Colo., product notched a season-high 14 points at Marquette. Against the No. 19-ranked team in the nation, Squires nailed four 3-pointers. She has been in double-digit scoring in five of MSU's seven games to date. Squires is currently ranked fourth in the Big Sky in three-point field-goals attempted; eighth in 3-point FG percentage at 28.8; and ninth in 3-point FG per game at 2.14.
TORI, TORI, TORI: Montana State sharp-shooter Tori Martell is still looking for a consistent stroke this season. The Somerset, Wis., native is nine-of-48 from long distance. Last season, Martell connected on 36 three-pointers, including 19 in the last eight games of the season. She is currently averaging 6.6 points per game. Martel was held scoreless at Stephen F. Austin on Thursday shooting zero-of-six from long distance.
BARDS OF THE BLOCK: Juniors Madeline Smith and Blaire Braxton have manned the blocks for the Bobcats the past two seasons. The duo has swapped starting time at the five and each average over 17.5 minutes or more per contest. Braxton, a product of Highlands Ranch, Colo., is first on the team hauling down 6.0 rebounds per game, while Smith, from Snohomish, Wash., is third averaging 5.3 per contest. Braxton's best outing of the season came against Long Beach State with a career-high 15 points going 5-5 from the field and 5-5 from the line. Smith registered ten points and 11 boards against Long Beach State for her first double-double of the season. At SFA they combined for 10 points. On the season, the tandem is shooting an impressive 64 percent from the field.
FEET TO THE FIRE: Freshmen Gabby Mocchi has played in all seven games and is averaging 2.3 rebounds per game. She posted a season-best eight points at Wyoming on Nov. 27. Kamden Hilborn has played in six games and has dished out seven assists, while adding four steals. The Helena High grad recorded a season-high two points against Long Beach State. Another freshman, Halle Wright, made her debut for the Bobcats against Wyoming and Long Beach State. At SFA on Thursday, she had four points, three boards and two assists.
THROWING SHAIDE: Junior Madisyn Shaide had a career night against one of the best squads in the nation this season. Against No. 19 Marquette, the Missoula native went two-of-four from beyond the arc for a career-high six points. The Big Sky High School graduate also added an assist.
QUADRENNIAL MILESTONE: 14th-year head coach Tricia Binford will be coaching her 401st game at the helm of the Montana State basketball program on Saturday afternoon when the Bobcats play at TCU. She is first at Montana State in games coached (400) and victories (216).
NO PLACE LIKE HOME: The Cats saw the nation's second longest home court win streak snapped against Portland State on Jan. 11, 2018. The loss broke MSU's 31-game home streak, which was second to national power UConn (78). Before the loss to PSU, Montana State's last defeat in Worthington Arena was a 62-49 decision to San Diego on Nov. 24, 2015. MSU has won 37 of its last 39 games in The Brick. The Bobcats are averaging 4,135 fans per game, which includes its sold out crowd of 6,772 against Carroll College on Nov. 6. MSU is ranked 21st in the nation in attendance.
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