Cats Second Half Comeback Falls Short in Tempe

Friday, November 10

Tempe, AZ

6 p.m. (MT)

Montana State University

0-2,0-0Big Sky

Arizona State

2-0,0-0Pac-12

Montana St.

Arizona St.

Katelynn Limardo (11).

Photo by: Bobcat Creative Services

11/10/2023 11:20:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

MSU’s second half surge was sparked by the play of senior Limardo and Lexi Deden along with Dykstra, a sophomore forward.

By: Tom Schulz

Trailing by as much as 20-points in the third quarter the Montana State women's basketball squad launched a strong second half comeback attempt, pulling to within four points before eventually falling to Arizona State 75-62 on Friday night in Desert Financial Arena.

Montana State (0-2) found itself down 49-29 at the 8:16 mark of the third period before rattling off a 16-2 run capped by a Marah Dykstra layup to get the margin whittled down to 51-45. Arizona State (2-0) built the lead back to 60-52 heading into the final frame.

Following a pair of free throws by Katelynn Limardo at the seven-minute mark of the fourth quarter, the Sun Devils' lead was down to 60-56. Over the course of the next two and ½ minutes, ASU went on a 10-0 run to put the game out of reach.

"I'm really proud of the resolve of the group to chip away in the second half to make it a two-possession game," said MSU 19^th year head coach Tricia Binford. "It came down to a tough first quarter of defense and rebounding."

ASU opened the first quarter shooting 60% from the field and scoring 20 of its 30 points in the paint. In the second period, MSU suffered a seven minute scoring drought as the Sun Devils built a 45-27 lead at intermission.

MSU's second half surge was sparked by the play of senior Limardo and Lexi Deden along with Dykstra, a sophomore forward. Limardo finished with a team-high 18 points, including a nine-of-nine effort from the free throw. Dykstra ended with 17 points, going eight-of-nine from the line, while Deden, who was hampered with first half foul trouble, produced nine points and eight rebounds.

"KJ (Limardo) and Marah were fantastic, and Lexi had a great second half," Binford said. "I loved our second half effort on hustle plays. We also did a much better job keeping the ball out of the paint and with our overall defense."

For the game, MSU shot 26.2% from the field and connected on four-of-22 from long distance. The Bobcats did most of its damage from the free throw line converting 26-of-28 attempts (92.9%). Arizona State finished shooting 39.4% from the floor, including a 19-23 effort from the free throw line. The Sun Devils also held a 49-37 advantage under the boards.

The Bobcats were led under the glass by Deden and Dykstra with eight and six rebounds, respectively. Deden and Dykstra also recorded three steals each.

"That first quarter deficit was tough," Binford said. "When we chipped away at the lead, things became tighter and tighter, and Arizona State came up with some big rebounds.

"We'll continue to get better every day," she added. "We will stay together and move on to the next opportunity."

Montana State hosts San Jose State on Tuesday at 7 p.m. in Worthington Arena and will unveil its 2023 Big Sky Championship banner.