Bobcats Top Lady Griz in Missoula

Saturday, January 25

Missoula, Mont.

2 p.m.

Montana State University

18-2,8-0Big Sky

Montana

7-12,3-5Big Sky

Montana St.

Montana

Esmeralda Morales had a team high 17 points in MSU's 67-66 win at Montana on Saturday afternoon.

Photo by: Brian Morse

1/25/2025 6:57:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Esmeralda Morales leads Cats to win

By: Bill Lamberty

MISSOULA, Montana – Long-time Montana State women's basketball coach Tricia Binford knew the adversity, the hostile environment, her team would face in Missoula on Saturday against a resurgent University of Montana team in the first meeting between the Treasure State's ancient rivals.

"The atmosphere got loud, Dahlberg does what it does," Binford said.

And in a 67-66 win over the Lady Griz, Montana State did what Montana State does. The Cats extended their current streak to 11 straight victories, winning for the ninth time in their last 11 meetings with UM, and for the fourth time in the last six games in Dahlberg Arena.

"It's just pride," said MSU guard Esmeralda Morales, playing in her first Cat-Griz game after joining the Bobcats as a grad transfer last summer. "I wanted to make sure I did everything to get the win for Montana State and my teammates. We're family, so anything we can do to get the win."

The Cats used pressure defense and opportunistic offense to build a double-digit third quarter lead, then held off a furious comeback to maintain the team's hold on first place in the Big Sky.

It was a free throw by Morales with 4.6 seconds to play and a defensive stand by sophomore Ella Johnson that sealed the win. Avery Waddington received a pass on the low block with three seconds to play, but Johnson's post defense forced the miss and the sophomore grabbed the defensive rebound to deliver Montana State the win.

"On the free throw line, just one at a time," Morales said of the game's pivotal moment. "Yeah, the first one went off, but just get the second one. I trust our defense, I trust my teammates."

"We're fortunate that we have some seasoned veterans in big moments," Binford said. "But we also have a freshman class that's fearless and doesn't know any better."

It was a combination of freshmen and sophomores that carried the Cats for much of the afternoon. Taylee Chirrick, a freshman, scored eight points with three steals, while sophomores Dylan Phillip (13 points on 5-6 shooting), Johnson (four rebounds), and Natalie Picton (whose on-ball defense contributed to UM's 17 turnovers).

The Bobcats built a 53-41 lead late in the third quarter, then withstood a furious UM comeback attempt. When freshman Avery Waddington hit a three-pointer with 1:31 to play, the Lady Griz held a 66-64 lead. Moments earlier, junior Mack Konig's two free throws gave the Lady Griz a 63-62 lead for their first advantage since the game's opening moments.

Phillip hit a pull-up jumper to give Montana State a 64-63 lead with 2:32 to play, and a minute later Waddington's three-pointer gave UM a two-point lead.

At that point, Morales took over. She hit a contested layup with 1:18 to play to tie the score, then drew a foul on a similar play with 4.6 seconds left. The first free throw rattled out, but she sank the second to give Montana State the lead. After UM advanced the ball to the frontcourt after a time out, Johnson forced Waddington into a missed layup with a strong defensive stand and a rebound, the Bobcats had the victory.

"We're just fighters," she said. "We're so competitive, if you could see our practices, sometimes we just have to relax, but it's an example of who we are."

Another of this Bobcat team's hallmarks is its depth and the array of players that contribute, but from start to finish on Saturday – and throughout the season – Morales' steady hand proves invaluable. "In big (moments) the ball's going to find its way to Esme somehow," Binford said.

Morales finished with 17 points to lead the team, with six rebounds and six assists. Marah Dykstra scored 11 points with five rebounds. Dylan Phillip added 13 points, and contributed a signature memory for Binford. "One of my favorite plays was when Dylan Phillip, who didn't get to play in the series last year, she kind of had a fumbled pass and shot faked and made a pull-up (jumper) at a big moment. She just makes the right plays at the right times in big moments."

The Bobcats forced 17 UM turnovers on the afternoon, pestering the Lady Griz throughout. Binford credited "our pressure," while junior Marah Dykstra lauded MSU's depth. "I think we're deep enough to shift five and five and have no drop off, and that's something we can't say the same about with a lot of other teams in the conference. So we know taking those (defensive) risks in the first quarter might not pay off, but in the third and fourth quarter we'll see the results."

By climbing to 8-0 in the Big Sky the Bobcats maintained a one-game lead over Northern Arizona and a two-game margin over Idaho. Montana (3-5 in the Big Sky, 7-12 overall) is five games behind the Cats.

Binford said her team has embraced the challenge of leading the pack. "There's a difference between being the underdog and being the team with the bullseye on your back," she said. "We're in a position where we know everyone's going to be coming at us and we expected that."

Montana State remains on the road next weekend, traveling to Sacramento State on Thursday and Portland State on Saturday.

#GoCatsGo