Saturday, January 18
BOZEMAN
2 p.m.
Montana State University
16-2,6-0Big Sky
75
vs
51
Weber State
5-10,2-3Big Sky
1
2
3
4
F
Weber St.
9
17
13
12
51
Montana St.
22
11
22
20
75
Ella Johnson notched eight points, four rebounds, two steals and an assist in MSU's win over Weber State on Saturday afternoon.
Photo by: Bobcat Creative Services
Strong Defensive Effort Propels Bobcats to Win
1/18/2025 6:30:00 PM | Women's Basketball
“Our starters got us off to a great start and the bench provided a great spark,” Binford said. “When we’re getting that kind of production off our steals and stops, that is a good portion of who we are.”
The Montana State defense forced 32 turnovers by Weber State and parlayed the miscues into 37 points, en route to a 75-51 victory over the Wildcats in front of 2,567 fans in Worthington Arena on Saturday afternoon.
The victory extended MSU's win streak to nine consecutive games.
Montana State (16-2, 6-0) opened the contest on a 13-0 run and held a 22-9 cushion at the end of the first quarter. Weber State (5-10, 2-3) withstood the early Bobcat onslaught outscoring MSU 17-11 in the second frame. MSU held a 33-26 lead at intermission.
"Credit Weber State, they had a great second quarter," said MSU head coach Tricia Binford. "They really clawed their way back, fought back, changed up their defenses. We need to get sharper with some of those changes, but I'm really proud of how we responded in the third and fourth quarters. We really relied on our defense to create opportunities."
Montana State forced 11 Wildcat turnovers in the third quarter, and eight in the fourth stanza. The 19 miscues resulted in 23 points for the Bobcats.
"Our starters got us off to a great start and the bench provided a great spark," Binford said. "When we're getting that kind of production off our steals and stops, that is a good portion of who we are."
Montana State shot 44.1% from the field in the second half to preserve the victory.
Four players reached double figures, and for the second consecutive game, Natalie Picton came off the bench for a team best 12 points on six-of-11 shooting. Also, in double-digits were Marah Dykstra 11, Esmeralda Morales 11, and Dylan Philp 10.
Weber State held a 36-30 advantage under the boards. Katelynn Martin guided MSU with a team high five rebounds. Defensively, the Bobcats registered 18 steals led by Philip and Taylee Chirrick with four apiece.
"When we can consistently have four to five kids in double digits it shows how great our balance can be, and it makes it difficult for opponents to focus in on just a few of our players," Binford said. "I really love the effort from the group."
Antoniette Emma-Nnopu led Weber State with 13 points and ten rebounds.
Montana State plays at Eastern Washington on Monday night, beginning a stretch of four consecutive road games.
The victory extended MSU's win streak to nine consecutive games.
Montana State (16-2, 6-0) opened the contest on a 13-0 run and held a 22-9 cushion at the end of the first quarter. Weber State (5-10, 2-3) withstood the early Bobcat onslaught outscoring MSU 17-11 in the second frame. MSU held a 33-26 lead at intermission.
"Credit Weber State, they had a great second quarter," said MSU head coach Tricia Binford. "They really clawed their way back, fought back, changed up their defenses. We need to get sharper with some of those changes, but I'm really proud of how we responded in the third and fourth quarters. We really relied on our defense to create opportunities."
Montana State forced 11 Wildcat turnovers in the third quarter, and eight in the fourth stanza. The 19 miscues resulted in 23 points for the Bobcats.
"Our starters got us off to a great start and the bench provided a great spark," Binford said. "When we're getting that kind of production off our steals and stops, that is a good portion of who we are."
Montana State shot 44.1% from the field in the second half to preserve the victory.
Four players reached double figures, and for the second consecutive game, Natalie Picton came off the bench for a team best 12 points on six-of-11 shooting. Also, in double-digits were Marah Dykstra 11, Esmeralda Morales 11, and Dylan Philp 10.
Weber State held a 36-30 advantage under the boards. Katelynn Martin guided MSU with a team high five rebounds. Defensively, the Bobcats registered 18 steals led by Philip and Taylee Chirrick with four apiece.
"When we can consistently have four to five kids in double digits it shows how great our balance can be, and it makes it difficult for opponents to focus in on just a few of our players," Binford said. "I really love the effort from the group."
Antoniette Emma-Nnopu led Weber State with 13 points and ten rebounds.
Montana State plays at Eastern Washington on Monday night, beginning a stretch of four consecutive road games.
Team Stats
Weber
MSU
FG%
.435
.435
3FG%
.214
.250
FT%
.727
.696
RB
36
30
TO
32
14
STL
8
18
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
12
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Pts
11
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's Basketball
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/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballG
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