Bobcat Women Hold On For Road Win at Northern Colorado in Big Sky Opener

Thursday, January 1

Greeley, CO

6 p.m.

Montana State University

8-4,1-0Big Sky

Northern Colorado

9-5,0-1Big Sky

Montana St.

Northern Colo.

Isobel Bunyan

Photo by: Bobcat Creative Services

Bobcat Women Hold On For Road Win at Northern Colorado in Big Sky Opener

1/2/2026 12:33:00 AM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

MSU builds early lead, weathers UNC rally

By: MSU Sports Information

(Jan. 1, 2026) - Montana State built a big first-half lead, lost most of it, and leaned on experience and defense late to secure an 86-79 win in the team's Big Sky Conference women's basketball opener at Northern Colorado on Thursday.

In a game that ended up closer than it appeared would be the case in the first half, when MSU built a 43-15 lead, the Bobcats made enough plays to raise their record to 8-4 overall, 1-0 in the Big Sky Northern Colorado falls to 9-5, 0-1.

Issy Bunyan led the Bobcats with 21 points, while Taylee Chirrick added 15 points with a game-high seven rebounds, and Addison Harris 13. The teams shot essentially the same from the floor – 49 percent overall, MSU 42 percent and UNC 43 percent from the arc. MSU out-scored the Bears from the free throw line, but scored two points more there than Northern Colorado.

Heather Baymon came off the bench to score 26 points for Northern Colorado, nailing six three-pointers, to lead all players. Neena George added 19 points, Gabi Fields 10.

"It was a great first half," said Bobcat head coach Tricia Binford. "The starting lineup through our bench was really consistent. Credit UNC, they came out in the second half and shot really well, and we didn't have an answer for that. We played on our heels a little bit, we're still a young team and (UNC) is very talented. This is a great experience for us."

After shooting 65 percent in the first half, MSU shot 40 percent or less in each of the final three quarters. Meanwhile, Northern Colorado flipped the script. UNC shot 33 percent in the opening stanza and 44 percent in the third quarter, but ratcheted it up to 58 percent in the second quarter and 61 percent in the fourth. UNC was 1-8 behind the three-point line in the first half, but 8-13 in the second.

"In the first quarter we just didn't over-think it," Binford said. "Everyone on the team squared up to be a scoring threat. In the second quarter we didn't do that. We like to say perfect the simple, and we didn't do that enough after the first quarter."

What shaped up as a dominating win after MSU led 50-29 at halftime didn't turn out that way, but the Bobcats maintained an edge in most statistical categories. The Cats out-rebounded UNC (37-33) while turning the ball over fewer times (24 turnovers, 27 takeaways). MSU outscored the Bears on points in the paint, as well.

Binford said that while her team made winning plays when it needed them, both early and late, ironing out the mistakes remains important. "The biggest takeaway is consistency," she said. "The way we play, we can't do that with six or seven kids. We need everybody. We haven't had great practices in that regard, but we can control our next 24 hours and we want to be great in that time."

Montana State returns to the court at Northern Arizona on Saturday at 2 pm.

#GoCatsGo