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UPDATED: Former UND standout Freije transfers to Montana State

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BOZEMAN — The Montana State women’s basketball team has added another talented transfer to its arsenal.

Fallyn Freije, a former finalist for Miss North Dakota who has earned All-Big Sky Conference honors each of the last two seasons at the University of North Dakota, will transfer to Montana State.  She made an official visit to Bozeman last weekend.

Freije’s incoming transfer is paired with the departure of another North Dakota product. On Friday, Skyline Sports confirmed Coral Gillete, a freshman from Bismarck, North Dakota, is leaving the program. The 6-foot guard played three minutes a game and appeared in 14 games as a true freshman last season.

North Dakota forward Fallyn Freije (35) goes to the hoop against Montana State forward Laura Pranger (22) in the Big Sky Tournament/by Brooks Nuanez

Last season, Claire Lundberg and Martha Kuderer helped make up one of the most talented scout teams in the Big Sky Conference. The Seton Hall transfers had to sit out due to NCAA transfer rules.

The NCAA is currently mulling a proposal that would eliminate the transfer rule and allow players to move from one Division I school to another without having to sit out a year. If the proposal, which originated in the Big XII, does not pass, Freije will have to sit out next season and will have one year of eligibility remaining regardless of what Division I school she transfers to.

Montana State has to appeal the financial aid process and expects a final decision when UND officially leaves the Big Sky on June 30. She has been accepted to start at MSU in the fall and is awaiting clearance to enroll in classes in the summer.

The Edmore, North Dakota native earned honorable mention All-Big Sky recognition each of the last two seasons. As a sophomore, she started 30 games and averaged 9.6 points and 6.4 rebounds as UND shared the regular-season league title with Montana State.

Last season, Freije posted six double-doubles during conference play and scored more than 20 points four times during the first 11 games of Big Sky play before an injury cost her four games. She averaged 15.5 points per game during that stretch and finished the league season averaging 13.1 points and 7.3 rebounds per Big Sky contest.

The 6-foot true junior was recruited by Montana State out of high school. According to a source, she has kept in touch with MSU’s current players over the years, leading to wanting to transfer to Bozeman.

North Dakota forward Fallyn Freije/by Brooks Nuanez

North Dakota recently completed its sixth and final season in the Big Sky. The Fighting Hawks will play in the Summit League beginning next fall.

Montana State graduates All-Big Sky point guard Hannah Caudill, three-year starting shooting guard Delany Junkermier and Rebekah Hatchard, a starter as a senior on last season’s 16-15 squad. The Bobcats beat UND in the first round of the Big Sky Tournament before losing to Idaho 78-74 in the quarterfinals a season after winning the Big Sky Tournament and going to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1993.

The Bobcats return junior starters guard Oliana Squires and post Madeline Smith along with steady junior center Blaire Braxton while adding Lundberg and Kuderer to the mix.

Photos by Brooks Nuanez. All Rights Reserved. 

About Colter Nuanez

Colter Nuanez is the co-founder and senior writer for Skyline Sports. After spending six years in the newspaper industry with stops at the Missoulian, the Ellensburg Daily Record and the Bozeman Daily Chronicle, the former Washington Newspaper Association Sportswriter of the Year and University of Montana Journalism School graduate ('09) has cultivated a deep passion for sports journalism during his 13-year career covering the Big Sky Conference. In August of 2014, Colter and brother Brooks merged their passions of writing and art to found Skyline Sports.

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