Big Sky Conference

Bobcat women rally for OT win over Idaho State on Senior Night

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Lindsay Stockton never believes a game is over until the final buzzer.

With Montana State trailing Idaho State 65-60 with 15.8 seconds to play in regulation, MSU’s senior point guard gathered her teammates and implored the fact by yelling, “This is not over!” She was right as her Bobcats rallied for a victory in front of a raucous 2,139 fans in attendance at Brick Breeden Fieldhouse as the Bobcats unforgettable season continues.

MSU forward Delany Junkermier

MSU forward Delany Junkermier

Sophomore Delany Junkermier drilled two 3-pointers in the final 8.5 seconds to push the game into overtime and then Stockton took over. She notched all three of her steals in the extra period, including one on each of ISU’s first two possessions. As the visiting Bengals continued to fight, Stockton sealed the game at the free throw line, hitting 6-of-8 free throws in the final 58 seconds as Montana State survived with an 82-80 victory as Stockton, Jasmine Hommes, Alexa Dawkins and Michelle Seitz celebrated Senior Night.

“Delany gave us a chance on our senior night,” said Stockton, who hit 12-of-16 free throws and scored 14 points in her final game at Brick Breeden Fieldhouse. “That was a big time move by her. I couldn’t be more proud of her. She saved our game and gave us a chance. That’s all we needed.

“At the end of the day, we are so glad we got the win but it’s so cool to see our teammates step up for us. I didn’t have the game I wanted and I know things weren’t going the way of the seniors. But our team lifted us.”

Out of MSU’s final timeout in regulation, Stockton drove into the paint before finding Peyton Ferris who kicked to Junkermier for a nothing but net 3-pointer to cut the lead to 65-63 with 8.5 seconds left. Idaho State’s Freya Newton converted one of two free throws on the other end to push the ISU lead to three once again. With seven seconds left, MSU found Junkermier, who pump faked, got her defender to jump, dribbled left and swished another 3-pointer to tie the game at 66-66 with 0.4 seconds left.

“We knew we had the momentum right then and there,” said Hommes, who finished with 11 points in 19 minutes while battling foul trouble all evening, including a fifth and final foul before the extra period began.

MSU guard Lindsey Stockton

MSU guard Lindsey Stockton

Stockton started the overtime with a pair of steals that led to a flurry of free throws on a night when MSU hit 41 from the free throw line, shattering the school record of 34 set in 2003 against Eastern Washington. MSU’s lead swelled to 75-69 with 1:10 left in OT thanks to two more Stockton freebies.

Idaho State senior Apiphany Woods, the reigning Big Sky Conference Newcomer of the Year, scored nine points in the game’s final minute to keep ISU in it until the final buzzer. In the end, the first place Bobcats prevailed, moving one step closer to its first outright Big Sky championship since 1993.

“If there is seconds on the clock, you have to believe there is still an opportunity,” said MSU head coach Tricia Binford, who’s team won for the 21st time, the most in her 11-year tenure. “We knew what we needed to do. In the end, it’s about making plays. Delany Junkermier hit two huge shots. Fortunately, she has that step-back because she was defended extremely well. We just made plays.”

The win pushes Montana State to 14-2 in Big Sky play, making MSU’s magic number to clinch the outright title one. Eastern Washington posted an 84-70 win over Idaho on Saturday to keep pace, moving to 13-3 in league play. An MSU win or an EWU loss will secure the crown for Montana State.

MSU moved to 13-1 this season at home with the victory. The second largest crowd this season came despite the 8 p.m. tipoff due to the Big Sky Indoor Track & Field Championships completed in Bozeman earlier Saturday afternoon. The crowd stayed long after the completion of the overtime victory to cheer the victory.

MSU forward Alexa Dawkins

MSU forward Alexa Dawkins

After sealing the win, Stockton, Hommes, Dawkins and Seitz went to the scorer’s table and grabbed the public address microphone. Stockton thanked the crowd, calling them “the best crowd we’ve ever played in front of.” Dawkins, a Bozeman native who had nearly two-dozen family members in attendance, simply said, “thank you.” Hommes grabbed the microphone and said, “We will see you in Reno.”

The Bobcats will have a first round bye in the Big Sky Tournament in Reno in two weeks.

Dawkins nailed a baseline jump shot for the evening’s first bucket but Montana State missed 17 straight shots in a bizarre first half. Idaho State committed 10 first quarter fouls and 10 more first-quarter turnovers yet still took a 30-26 lead to the halftime locker room and a 44-43 lead into the final frame.

In the fourth quarter, Hommes awakened and carried the Bobcats for s stretch. She scored eight of her 11 points in four minutes, going shot for shot with Idaho State senior Anna Policicchio, who finished with a career-high 27 points.

“I knew I had to come in and make an impact because I had been kind of non existent the whole game,” Hommes said. “I knew on the offensive end I was a threat so I wanted to give what I had left.”

Hommes’ final bucket tied the game at 58 with 1:16 left. She fouled out nine seconds later.

“Watching that was…I almost passed out when I jumped up,” said Hommes, the eighth-leading scorer in Montana State history with 1,389 points. “I literally turned around, screamed so loud, turned back around and put my hands on Margreet’s (Barhoum) shoulder because I was so light headed. The up and downs, the emotions, it was so confusing, I didn’t even know what emotion to have to be honest.”

MSU forward Jasmine Hommes

MSU forward Jasmine Hommes

MSU junior Riley Nordgaard shook off a first-half lower leg injury to finish with 10 points, five rebounds and three of MSU’s 13 steals. ISU committed 28 turnovers. Junkermier scored eight points in 47 seconds — she had the first bucket in OT — to finish with 11 points. Ferris labored for most of her all of her buckets Saturday after a nearly flawless performance on Thursday (16-of-17 from the field). The Twin Bridges product finished with a team-high 22 points off the bench despite 6-of-17 shooting.

“This is senior night, the seniors got recognized but you look at this team and everyone is bringing something to the table,” Hommes said. “This is a special team and they stepped up for us tonight.”

Montana State shot just 32.2 percent for the game, including just 3-of-16 from beyond the arc. The Bobcats were out-rebounded 50-29 and outscored in the paint 32-18. But the Bobcats converted 41-of-54 free throws and made clutch plays when it mattered most to emerge with another victory during their magic season.

“These seniors are pretty incredible,” Binford said. “It’s been a fun class. I’m extremely proud of them and I couldn’t be more excited for them that they finished in front of this great crowd tonight.”

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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