Montana State dictated the action from the opening tip but the pesky Hornets would not go away.
Senior Riley Nordgaard scored the first five points of the game for the MSU women’s basketball team and the Bobcats ended the first quarter ahead 27-15 thanks to poise against Sacramento State’s frantic pressure, crisp passing and an ability to control the tempo usually unseen against Bunky Harkleroad coached teams.
The Hornets’ unique style helped them buzz back into the action in the second half. Sac State overcame a 49-35 halftime deficit to cut the lead to single digits in the fourth quarter thanks to a swarming defense that forced 23 turnovers on Thursday night. But the deficit proved to be too great as Montana State escaped with a wire-to-wire 84-80 win in front of 1,316 at Brick Breedin Fieldhouse.
MSU forward Riley Nordgaard (15)
“Kudos to Sac State,” said Nordgaard, who finished with a game and career-high 26 points to go with 10 rebounds and five of MSU’s 22 assists on 31 made field goals. “They are a tough team. They have some veteran kids who have been around. We are figuring out things, roles, pressure situations but overall, I thought we were very poised. We did a good job of executing at the end although it was a little closer than we wanted.
“Sac did a good job of hanging around but we did a better job of holding on.”
As Harkleroad’s fourth reaches its midpoint, the Hornets continue to provide one of the most unique matchups in Division I. Harkleroad wants his players to shoot 100 shots, including 50 3-pointers each night out. The Hornets press from start to finish with a goal of forcing 30 turnovers. Sac State wants to corral 40 percent of the offensive rebounds.
Montana State ensured Sac reached none of its goals on Thursday night. The Hornets made 10 3-pointers on 32 attempts, both well short of their season averages. MSU turned the ball over 23 times but countered with 22 assists and 16 offensive rebounds as the Bobcats earned a 53-39 advantage on the glass as Sac fell to 2-4 in league play, 6-11 overall.
Sac managed 74 field goal attempts as the Bobcats turned the game into a half-court affair for most of the contest’s 40 minutes. Sac State used an 8-2 run to start the fourth quarter to cut what began as a 67-55 lead to single digits, where it stayed for most of the final frame. But the reigning Big Sky Conference champions were able to finish off their 19th straight home win and move to 5-2 in Big Sky play, 12-5 overall in the process.
MSU forward Riley Nordgaard (15) fights for a lose ball with Sac St. forward Gretchen Harringan (24)
“Our game plan against this style has always been similar: it’s about getting the shots that we like,” MSU 12th-year head coach Tricia Binford. “In the second half when they went more man, it allowed us to take more time off the clock. When they are in their zone press, it gives us more open shots early in the shot clock. Obviously, they went to that for a reason.
“First half, we were much better, much sharper. Second half, we didn’t do a good job in transition, let some kids get in the open court and gave up open shots. I thought Sac must’ve put an emphasis on getting a piece of the paint because their penetration tore us apart in the second half.”
Nordgaard scored eight of MSU’s first 10 points and Montana State hit five 3-pointers in the first quarter. Although MSU shot 51 percent from the floor in the first half, Montana State missed a handful of wide open looks that could’ve stretched the advantage further.
In the second quarter, Nordgaard and junior Delany Junkermier each had three open looks from deep when MSU broke Sac’s press that did not find the mark. Binford liked the looks MSU earned for the duration of the game, but the shooting was a far cry from Montana State’s 116-point outing against Sac in Bozeman last season.
“We weren’t really able to run a lot of our main stuff because as soon as you dribble at somebody, that’s when they run that run-and-jump right at you,” Binford said.
MSU swingman Delany Junkermier (12)
Montana State finished the evening shooting 45 percent, including hitting 9-of-31 from beyond the arc. Nordgaard hit four of her 10 shots from deep, while junior Hannah Caudill shook off a virus to hit 4-of-8 from deep to finish with 14 points and six assists. Junkermier finished with 11 points but made just 1-of-7 from beyond the arc.
“I thought Riley had a fantastic day for us,” Binford said. “Hannah wasn’t at shoot around today so for her to come in perform like that when she’s not 100 percent was fantastic. (Freshman) Blaire (Braxton)’s rebounding (13 rebounds) was great and the rebounding separated the first half for us in our favor.”
Sac State shot 33.8 percent from the floor and missed 11 of its 31 free throw attempts. Senior Gretchen Harrigan led five Hornets in double figures with a team-high 19 points before fouling out. Junior sharpshooter Maranne Johnson made just 6-of-18 from the floor, 2-of-8 from beyond the arc but finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
MSU senior Peyton Ferris and freshman Madeline Smith each scored 12 points to give MSU five players in double-figure scoring.
MSU forward Blair Braxton (44) boxes out Sac St. forward Alexia Mefi (15)
Montana State’s attention now turns to Portland State, a more traditional preparation. The Vikings moved to 4-2 in league, 9-8 overall with a 64-44 win over Montana in Missoula on Thursday.
“It’s tough because they are really different,” Binford said. “When you have a day in between, you try to keep your scouting report as simple as possible. It will be interesting because they are very talented. They have had some good wins so we will have to be ready.”
Photos by Brooks Nuanez. All Rights Reserved.
