Friday, March 2
Ogden, UT
7 p.m.
Montana State University
at
Weber State
Sophomore Oliana Squires
Photo by: Adrian Sanchez-Gonzalez
Cats Close Out Regular-Season Tonight at Weber State
3/2/2018 12:57:00 PM | Women's Basketball
The Montana State women’s basketball team will play its final regular-season Big Sky Conference game at Weber State, Friday, March 2 in Ogden, Utah. Tip is slated for 7:05 p.m. in the Dee Events Center.
MSU WBB NOTES l LIVE VIDEO l LIVE STATS
MONTANA STATE (15-13, 9-8) at WEBER STATE (19-9, 11-6)
Date: Friday, March 2, 2018
Tipoff: 7:05 p.m. (MST)
Site: Dee Events Center (12,000) * Ogden, UT
Radio: 1450 AM; Play-by-Play with Jason Alvine
Live Video: Pluto TV (ch. 235) or WatchBigSky.com
Live Stats: weberstatesports.com
Live Audio: msubobcats.com/watch
Live TV: None
NEXT UP: The Montana State women's basketball team will play its final regular-season Big Sky Conference game at Weber State, Friday, March 2 in Ogden, Utah. Tip is slated for 7:05 p.m. in the Dee Events Center. Following its contest against the Wildcats, MSU will fly directly from Salt Lake City to Reno, Nevada for the Big Sky Tournament. The Bobcats will be playing on Monday, March 5 with seed, opponent and time to be determined.
ON A SERIES NOTE: Montana State holds a 50-31 advantage in its all-time series against Weber State dating back to the 1977-78 season. The Bobcats have dominated the Wildcats winning the last 21 consecutive games. WSU's last victory (67-66) in the series came on Jan. 18, 2007 in Ogden. The Bobcats defeated the Wildcats twice last winter, defeating WSU 72-53 in Bozeman and in quarterfinal action (65-53) at the Big Sky Conference Tournament in Reno, Nevada.
THE NITTY GRITTY: According to the March 1, 2018 NCAA Nitty-Gritty rankings the Bobcats are currently ranked #215 in the country. The highest Big Sky Conference listing belongs to Northern Colorado at #37. The Bears are followed by #130 Portland State, #142 Eastern Washington, #148 Idaho, #150 Idaho State, #151 Weber State and #183 North Dakota. Ranked behind Montana State is #240 Montana, #278 Sacramento State, #305 Northern Arizona and #328 Southern Utah. The Bobcats finished the 2016-17 season ranked #59 - its highest finish ever.
RECORD WATCH: Senior Hannah Caudill needs one 3-pointer to set the single-season school-record. She currently has 78 triples, and tied at the top spot with Lyndi Seidensticker (2011), Katie Bussey (2010) and Rebecca Mercer (2008).
BREAKING VINYL: Senior Hannah Caudill set the all-time mark for career assists when she dished out eight in MSU's win over North Dakota on Feb. 1. The Spokane, Wash., product now has 494 career assists, which surpassed the old mark of 443 set by Vicki Heebner-Carle from 1980-84. Her current total is also 11th best in Big Sky Conference history as she moved passed Jennifer Sutter of Eastern Washington (1993-97) with five assists at Idaho State on Wednesday. Additionally, Caudill became the 23rd member of MSU's 1000-point club on Feb. 17 against EWU.
DISHING THE ROCK: Senior Hannah Caudill's set the all-time Montana State assists record at the 6:10 mark of the opening quarter against North Dakota on Feb. 1 when she found Blaire Braxton on the right block. Caudill finished the game with eight assists. She now has 494 career assists. In addition, Caudill is second all-time in three-point field-goals made with 228 triples (only the second Bobcat to go over 200 makes) and is also second all-time in career three-point field-goal percentage hitting at a 38.8 percent clip. Caudill posted a season-best 10 assists against Eastern Washington on Feb. 17. She currently ranks first in the Big Sky averaging 5.1 assists per game. Her 2.79 three-point makes per contest are fourth best in the league. Caudill's current +1.8 assist-turnover ratio is third in the Big Sky. Caudill matched a career-high 24 points at North Dakota on Jan.6, connecting on nine-of-19 from the field, including four 3-pointers. The product of Spokane, Wash., has connected on season-best six 3-pointers on three occasions this winter; coming against Long Beach State, Southern Utah and Montana. Earlier this season, Caudill was named to the Oregon State/Maui Jim Classic All-Tournament team. On Feb. 17, she posted 10 points against Eastern Washington to become the 23rd member of MSU's 1,000-point club. With her 7-point output at Idaho State moved Caudill into 20th on MSU's all-time scoring chart with 1,025 points.
JUNK MAIL: Delany Junkermier recorded a career-high 23 points in Montana State's win over Sacramento State on Jan. 13. Against the Hornets, she shot seven-of-12 from the field, including a five-of-six effort from beyond the arc. In her last her 16 games, she has posted 20 or more points on three occasions and has been in double-figure scoring on 14 occasions this season. Junkermier is averaging 14.2 points per game, while shooting 47.6 percent from the field and has connected on 39 3-pointers in Big Sky Conference games. The Mead High graduate is currently third in the Big Sky in 3-point field-goal percentage (.459), sixth in three-point field goal makes per game (2.4), 13th in field-goal percentage (.476) and 14th in scoring (14.2). Junkermier moved into fifth on MSU's all-time top 10 3-point makes list last week. She currently has 145 career three-pointers. On Wednesday, Junkermier tallied five points at Idaho State.
MAD ABOUT YOU: Madeline Smith is making an impact in her second season with the Bobcats. The product of Snohomish, Washington is averaging 11 points and 7.8 rebounds per game, while shooting 52 percent from the field, connecting on 128-246 attempts. Against Omaha on Nov. 17, Smith recorded her first-ever double-double with 18 points to go along with 14 rebounds. Smith pulled down a career-high 19 rebounds against Providence on Nov. 15, which was just two shy of the Bobcat school-record of 21 set by Cass Bauer in 1994. On Nov. 25, Smith registered a career-high 23 points in MSU's win over MSU Billings. For the game, she connected on 11-16 from the field and went one-of-one at the line. Smith is seventh in the Big Sky in rebounds per game, while her 52 percent field-goal percentage is best in the Big Sky. Her 7.8 rebounds per game is the top 30 in the nation by second-year players. Smith has 18 double-figure scoring game this season, including five double-doubles. She had 11 points and 6 rebounds at ISU on Wednesday.
HOLY MOLY, OLI: Oliana Squires has started all 28 games and is averaging 10.2 points and 3.2 rebounds per game. The Colorado Springs, Colo., product posted a career-high 21 points in Montana State's win over Northern Arizona on Jan. 25. For the game, she connected on eight-of-14 from the field, including a five-of-eight effort from long distance. Squires is currently second on the squad with 59 triples. On. Jan 27 at Southern Utah, Squires saw her streak of 11 consecutive double-figure scoring games snapped as the Thunderbirds held her to seven points. Squires broke her streak of five consecutive games in single-figure scoring with a 19-point outburst against Montana on Feb. 24. Squires was the spark that ignited MSU's win at Idaho State with 13 points, five rebounds and three steals.
HATCHET JOB: Senior Rebekah Hatchard has started the last 17 games for the Bobcats and has averaged 9.8 points and 3.6 rebounds per game over that span. Hatchard recorded a career-high 18 points against North Dakota on Feb. 1, connecting on seven-of-10 from the field and three-of-six from long distance. She is currently shooting 36.1 percent from beyond the arc, connecting on 22-61 attempts. In addition, the native of Adelaide, Australia is 15th in the Big Sky in field-goal percentage hitting at a 47.2 percent clip. Hatchard has posted 10 double-digit scoring games this winter.
SECRET BRAXTON FAMILY RECIPE: Blaire Braxton is currently third on the squad averaging 4.9 boards per contest. Last season as a true-freshman, Braxton started all 32 games and averaged 6.8 rebounds per game. The Highlands Ranch, Colo., product has recorded two games with 10 rebounds or more this season. Last winter, Braxton registered four double-digit rebounding games, including a career-high 14 boards at Sacramento State. This winter, Braxton swatted a career-high five blocks against Wyoming on Nov. 29 and she recorded a career-high five assists in MSU's win over Long Beach State. Her current 1.18 blocks per game is eighth in the Big Sky and ranks 183rd in the nation. Last Wednesday, she recorded six points on three-of-six shooting and pulled down four boards at Idaho State. Braxton's brother Zach is currently in his third season at Big Sky rival Weber State. The elder Braxton averages 7.7 rpg.
THROWING SHAIDE: Sophomore Madisyn Shaide is averaging 2.7 minutes per game. The Missoula Big Sky grad has played in 15 games this season. Shaide logged 12 minutes at Northern Arizona on Jan. 25 and notched three points and two rebounds.
FAB FROSH: All five of Montana State's freshmen have made an impact this season. Leading the contingent is 5-8 guard Tori Martell who has found her stroke from long distance over the past three weeks. The product of Somerset, Wis., is fourth on the team with 31 three-pointers. Over the past five games, Martell has averaged 9.2 points, while shooting 52 percent (14-27) from long distance. Against Eastern Washington on Feb. 17, Martell notched a season-high 18 points, all from beyond the arc. Laura Pranger, a 6-2 forward from Centennial, Colo., received her first collegiate start against Northern Arizona on Dec. 30 and notched a career-best 12 points connecting on five-of-six from the field and two-of-two from three-point range. For the season, Pranger is shooting 45.2 percent from the field and is averaging 4.0 points and 3.2 rebounds per contest. She is currently third on the team with 24 blocked shots. Last Wednesday, Pranger had five points and two rebounds at Idaho State. Ashley Van Sickle, along with Martell, have combined for 54 three-pointers and are averaging a combined 7.0 points per game. Van Sickle had six points on two triples at Idaho State.
BOZEMAN DOWNTOWN ASSOC.: MSU is shooting 36.4 percent from beyond the arc and averaging 10.1 makes per game, which is seventh highest in the nation. Against Southern Utah on Dec. 28, MSU set a school-record with 18 three-pointers, including nine triples in the opening quarter. As a team, MSU has recorded at least one three-pointer in the last 161 consecutive games. The last time the Bobcats were held without a trey was Jan. 24, 2013 (0-9) at Weber State. On Feb. 15 against Idaho the Bobcats established a school-record as its 14 three-pointers gave them 248 triples on the season to surpass last year's record of 245 3-pointers. MSU's current season total is 282 three-point makes. The mark is the eighth best in the country.
STINGY D: The Bobcat defense evolved into one of the best units in the Big Sky last winter leading the league in four statistical categories. This season has been no different. The Cats are currently first in 3-point FG percentage defense (.29.4) and fourth in scoring defense (65.5), blocks (99) and blocks per game (3.5). So far this season, the Bobcats have held five teams to 50 points or less - Providence (31), No. Arizona (39), Wyoming (46), MSU Billings (47) and Sacramento State (50).
THAT'S OFFENSIVE: MSU has been lighting it up from beyond the arc this season. The Cats are currently 7th in the nation averaging 10.1 3-point makes per game.
MONTANA STATE (15-13, 9-8) at WEBER STATE (19-9, 11-6)
Date: Friday, March 2, 2018
Tipoff: 7:05 p.m. (MST)
Site: Dee Events Center (12,000) * Ogden, UT
Radio: 1450 AM; Play-by-Play with Jason Alvine
Live Video: Pluto TV (ch. 235) or WatchBigSky.com
Live Stats: weberstatesports.com
Live Audio: msubobcats.com/watch
Live TV: None
NEXT UP: The Montana State women's basketball team will play its final regular-season Big Sky Conference game at Weber State, Friday, March 2 in Ogden, Utah. Tip is slated for 7:05 p.m. in the Dee Events Center. Following its contest against the Wildcats, MSU will fly directly from Salt Lake City to Reno, Nevada for the Big Sky Tournament. The Bobcats will be playing on Monday, March 5 with seed, opponent and time to be determined.
ON A SERIES NOTE: Montana State holds a 50-31 advantage in its all-time series against Weber State dating back to the 1977-78 season. The Bobcats have dominated the Wildcats winning the last 21 consecutive games. WSU's last victory (67-66) in the series came on Jan. 18, 2007 in Ogden. The Bobcats defeated the Wildcats twice last winter, defeating WSU 72-53 in Bozeman and in quarterfinal action (65-53) at the Big Sky Conference Tournament in Reno, Nevada.
THE NITTY GRITTY: According to the March 1, 2018 NCAA Nitty-Gritty rankings the Bobcats are currently ranked #215 in the country. The highest Big Sky Conference listing belongs to Northern Colorado at #37. The Bears are followed by #130 Portland State, #142 Eastern Washington, #148 Idaho, #150 Idaho State, #151 Weber State and #183 North Dakota. Ranked behind Montana State is #240 Montana, #278 Sacramento State, #305 Northern Arizona and #328 Southern Utah. The Bobcats finished the 2016-17 season ranked #59 - its highest finish ever.
RECORD WATCH: Senior Hannah Caudill needs one 3-pointer to set the single-season school-record. She currently has 78 triples, and tied at the top spot with Lyndi Seidensticker (2011), Katie Bussey (2010) and Rebecca Mercer (2008).
BREAKING VINYL: Senior Hannah Caudill set the all-time mark for career assists when she dished out eight in MSU's win over North Dakota on Feb. 1. The Spokane, Wash., product now has 494 career assists, which surpassed the old mark of 443 set by Vicki Heebner-Carle from 1980-84. Her current total is also 11th best in Big Sky Conference history as she moved passed Jennifer Sutter of Eastern Washington (1993-97) with five assists at Idaho State on Wednesday. Additionally, Caudill became the 23rd member of MSU's 1000-point club on Feb. 17 against EWU.
DISHING THE ROCK: Senior Hannah Caudill's set the all-time Montana State assists record at the 6:10 mark of the opening quarter against North Dakota on Feb. 1 when she found Blaire Braxton on the right block. Caudill finished the game with eight assists. She now has 494 career assists. In addition, Caudill is second all-time in three-point field-goals made with 228 triples (only the second Bobcat to go over 200 makes) and is also second all-time in career three-point field-goal percentage hitting at a 38.8 percent clip. Caudill posted a season-best 10 assists against Eastern Washington on Feb. 17. She currently ranks first in the Big Sky averaging 5.1 assists per game. Her 2.79 three-point makes per contest are fourth best in the league. Caudill's current +1.8 assist-turnover ratio is third in the Big Sky. Caudill matched a career-high 24 points at North Dakota on Jan.6, connecting on nine-of-19 from the field, including four 3-pointers. The product of Spokane, Wash., has connected on season-best six 3-pointers on three occasions this winter; coming against Long Beach State, Southern Utah and Montana. Earlier this season, Caudill was named to the Oregon State/Maui Jim Classic All-Tournament team. On Feb. 17, she posted 10 points against Eastern Washington to become the 23rd member of MSU's 1,000-point club. With her 7-point output at Idaho State moved Caudill into 20th on MSU's all-time scoring chart with 1,025 points.
JUNK MAIL: Delany Junkermier recorded a career-high 23 points in Montana State's win over Sacramento State on Jan. 13. Against the Hornets, she shot seven-of-12 from the field, including a five-of-six effort from beyond the arc. In her last her 16 games, she has posted 20 or more points on three occasions and has been in double-figure scoring on 14 occasions this season. Junkermier is averaging 14.2 points per game, while shooting 47.6 percent from the field and has connected on 39 3-pointers in Big Sky Conference games. The Mead High graduate is currently third in the Big Sky in 3-point field-goal percentage (.459), sixth in three-point field goal makes per game (2.4), 13th in field-goal percentage (.476) and 14th in scoring (14.2). Junkermier moved into fifth on MSU's all-time top 10 3-point makes list last week. She currently has 145 career three-pointers. On Wednesday, Junkermier tallied five points at Idaho State.
MAD ABOUT YOU: Madeline Smith is making an impact in her second season with the Bobcats. The product of Snohomish, Washington is averaging 11 points and 7.8 rebounds per game, while shooting 52 percent from the field, connecting on 128-246 attempts. Against Omaha on Nov. 17, Smith recorded her first-ever double-double with 18 points to go along with 14 rebounds. Smith pulled down a career-high 19 rebounds against Providence on Nov. 15, which was just two shy of the Bobcat school-record of 21 set by Cass Bauer in 1994. On Nov. 25, Smith registered a career-high 23 points in MSU's win over MSU Billings. For the game, she connected on 11-16 from the field and went one-of-one at the line. Smith is seventh in the Big Sky in rebounds per game, while her 52 percent field-goal percentage is best in the Big Sky. Her 7.8 rebounds per game is the top 30 in the nation by second-year players. Smith has 18 double-figure scoring game this season, including five double-doubles. She had 11 points and 6 rebounds at ISU on Wednesday.
HOLY MOLY, OLI: Oliana Squires has started all 28 games and is averaging 10.2 points and 3.2 rebounds per game. The Colorado Springs, Colo., product posted a career-high 21 points in Montana State's win over Northern Arizona on Jan. 25. For the game, she connected on eight-of-14 from the field, including a five-of-eight effort from long distance. Squires is currently second on the squad with 59 triples. On. Jan 27 at Southern Utah, Squires saw her streak of 11 consecutive double-figure scoring games snapped as the Thunderbirds held her to seven points. Squires broke her streak of five consecutive games in single-figure scoring with a 19-point outburst against Montana on Feb. 24. Squires was the spark that ignited MSU's win at Idaho State with 13 points, five rebounds and three steals.
HATCHET JOB: Senior Rebekah Hatchard has started the last 17 games for the Bobcats and has averaged 9.8 points and 3.6 rebounds per game over that span. Hatchard recorded a career-high 18 points against North Dakota on Feb. 1, connecting on seven-of-10 from the field and three-of-six from long distance. She is currently shooting 36.1 percent from beyond the arc, connecting on 22-61 attempts. In addition, the native of Adelaide, Australia is 15th in the Big Sky in field-goal percentage hitting at a 47.2 percent clip. Hatchard has posted 10 double-digit scoring games this winter.
SECRET BRAXTON FAMILY RECIPE: Blaire Braxton is currently third on the squad averaging 4.9 boards per contest. Last season as a true-freshman, Braxton started all 32 games and averaged 6.8 rebounds per game. The Highlands Ranch, Colo., product has recorded two games with 10 rebounds or more this season. Last winter, Braxton registered four double-digit rebounding games, including a career-high 14 boards at Sacramento State. This winter, Braxton swatted a career-high five blocks against Wyoming on Nov. 29 and she recorded a career-high five assists in MSU's win over Long Beach State. Her current 1.18 blocks per game is eighth in the Big Sky and ranks 183rd in the nation. Last Wednesday, she recorded six points on three-of-six shooting and pulled down four boards at Idaho State. Braxton's brother Zach is currently in his third season at Big Sky rival Weber State. The elder Braxton averages 7.7 rpg.
THROWING SHAIDE: Sophomore Madisyn Shaide is averaging 2.7 minutes per game. The Missoula Big Sky grad has played in 15 games this season. Shaide logged 12 minutes at Northern Arizona on Jan. 25 and notched three points and two rebounds.
FAB FROSH: All five of Montana State's freshmen have made an impact this season. Leading the contingent is 5-8 guard Tori Martell who has found her stroke from long distance over the past three weeks. The product of Somerset, Wis., is fourth on the team with 31 three-pointers. Over the past five games, Martell has averaged 9.2 points, while shooting 52 percent (14-27) from long distance. Against Eastern Washington on Feb. 17, Martell notched a season-high 18 points, all from beyond the arc. Laura Pranger, a 6-2 forward from Centennial, Colo., received her first collegiate start against Northern Arizona on Dec. 30 and notched a career-best 12 points connecting on five-of-six from the field and two-of-two from three-point range. For the season, Pranger is shooting 45.2 percent from the field and is averaging 4.0 points and 3.2 rebounds per contest. She is currently third on the team with 24 blocked shots. Last Wednesday, Pranger had five points and two rebounds at Idaho State. Ashley Van Sickle, along with Martell, have combined for 54 three-pointers and are averaging a combined 7.0 points per game. Van Sickle had six points on two triples at Idaho State.
BOZEMAN DOWNTOWN ASSOC.: MSU is shooting 36.4 percent from beyond the arc and averaging 10.1 makes per game, which is seventh highest in the nation. Against Southern Utah on Dec. 28, MSU set a school-record with 18 three-pointers, including nine triples in the opening quarter. As a team, MSU has recorded at least one three-pointer in the last 161 consecutive games. The last time the Bobcats were held without a trey was Jan. 24, 2013 (0-9) at Weber State. On Feb. 15 against Idaho the Bobcats established a school-record as its 14 three-pointers gave them 248 triples on the season to surpass last year's record of 245 3-pointers. MSU's current season total is 282 three-point makes. The mark is the eighth best in the country.
STINGY D: The Bobcat defense evolved into one of the best units in the Big Sky last winter leading the league in four statistical categories. This season has been no different. The Cats are currently first in 3-point FG percentage defense (.29.4) and fourth in scoring defense (65.5), blocks (99) and blocks per game (3.5). So far this season, the Bobcats have held five teams to 50 points or less - Providence (31), No. Arizona (39), Wyoming (46), MSU Billings (47) and Sacramento State (50).
THAT'S OFFENSIVE: MSU has been lighting it up from beyond the arc this season. The Cats are currently 7th in the nation averaging 10.1 3-point makes per game.
Players Mentioned
F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballBobcat Insider TV Show
Wednesday, January 26
vs. Seattle (Live Stream Video)
Saturday, December 18
Inside The Brick (Lexi Deden)
Thursday, November 04
Inside The Brick (Leia Beattie)
Tuesday, November 02
