BOZEMAN — In the more than more decade history of the fierce rivalry between the Lady Griz and the Bobcats, nary has there been a blowout in Montana State’s factor.
With a near-capacity crowd on hand to watch MSU look to reignite its winning ways at home, Montana State’s seniors made sure to leave no doubt which group rules the Treasure State in women’s basketball still.
Delany Junkmeier ignited the Bobcats by continuing to scorch the net, Hannah Caudill controlled the pace for the duration of the action and Rebekah Hatchard hit big shots when called upon to lead MSU to a commanding 81-64 victory in front of 4,017 here on Saturday afternoon.
Montana State guard Hannah Caudill (23)/by Brooks Nuanez
“That was the first thing I said in the locker room was really to the underclassmen about how hard it is to play in this atmosphere, get your feet wet and get settled and for us to get out of the gate like we did, that was the seniors being seniors,” MSU head coach Tricia BInford said. “We got out to a great start, really consistent.
“The mentality was there and it was for sure the seniors rising to the occasion.”
Montana entered Saturday’s rivalry matinee with a 77-26 lead in a series that dates back to 1974. But the Bobcats have owned the series recently, sweeping Montana for the first time since 1999 last season, just the fourth sweep by MSU in the history of the rivalry.
Saturday’s win is Montana State’s fourth straight over the Lady Griz in Bozeman and the Bobcats’ sixth in the last seven rivalry matchups. The margin of victory matches that of last season’s 71-54 win over UM in Bozeman as the highest for the Bobcats since 2000.
MSU has posted 10-18 against the Lady Griz in Binford’s 13 seasons as head coach. But the Bobcats have only beat the Lady Griz by 10 or more points twice: the last two matchups at Brick Breeden Fieldhouse.
Montana guard McKenzie Johnston (32) looks for space vs Montana State defense/by Brooks Nuanez
“This is my last one at home so this means a lot to me,” Caudill, a Spokane native, said. “Our fans are the best. They are the loudest and they keep us on their toes. Coming from out of state, I had never heard of the rivalry and wondered what the big deal was. Then you get here and it’s every sport. To have it keep growing and growing and growing, it’s been amazing to watch it grow.”
MSU held a 31-game home winning streak at the Brick until a 69-60 loss to Portland State on January 11. The Bobcats posted an 85-50 win over Sac State to start a new streak less than 48 hours later, then won its rivalry game in emphatic fashion by closing the first half on a 13-3 run and opening the second half with a 12-3 spurt to turn a two-point game into a blowout.
The first quarter ended in a 14-14 tie and the hosts clung to a 22-20 midway through the second quarter. Montana State’s seniors combined for nine points during the spurt to end the first half then 13 more as the Bobcats stretched the lead to 54-33 with 4:05 left in the third quarter.
“Our defense wasn’t doing what we were supposed to,” UM sophomore
Montana State guard Rebekah Hatchard dives for a loose ball with Montana guards Madi Schoening and Sophia Stiles/by Brooks Nuanez
point guard McKenzie Johnston said after finishing with 13 points and seven assists. “They were coming off the screens hard and in the second half, we tried to make the adjustment of switching and I don’t think we did it like we were supposed to. They executed their offense well.”
Caudill’s second of three 3-pointers gave the hosts their first 20-point lead. Hatchard scored five of her 14 points during the run and grabbed three of her five offensive rebounds on an afternoon that saw MSU secure 17 of their own misses.
“We did a lot of rebounding drills throughout practice this week and I think that really helped us,” Hatchard said. “The coaches got on us a lot and I think we produced in the game.”
Those 17 rebounds were part of a 46-37 rebounding advantage for Montana State. MSU scored 19 second-chance points. Hatchard recorded her first double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Junkermier, who scored 11 of her team-high 16 points in the game’s first 15 minutes, almost had a double-double herself with nine rebounds. Sophomore post Madeline Smith grabbed 10 rebounds to go with seven points.
Montana State guard Delany Junkermier (12) drives on Montana defense/by Brooks Nuanez
“I thought the tale of the game today was rebounding,” Montana second-year head coach Shannon Schweyen said after falling to 0-3 against UM’s rival. “They came out and to get 17 offensive boards and that many second shots certainly set the tone for the game. I really felt going into it, that was an area we should’ve been strong and it felt like we got out-hustled in that aspect of the game for sure.”
Montana State entered the game shooting 40.4 percent from beyond the arc in Big Sky Conference play. The Bobcats hit at least 15 3-pointers in their three league wins before Saturday. Against the Lady Griz, MSU drilled 11 triples but it was the ‘Cats’ ability to drive past the Lady Griz and rebound their long misses that proved to be the difference.
“They were getting to the hole on us pretty good and they are hard to guard,” Schweyen said. “They are a good team here at home. The challenge of guarding them is they shoot the 3 and they put it down well so you are in that fine line of how close do you get to them. Credit to them – they played well and did some good things.”
Montana forward Caitlin Lonergan (30) shoots while defended by Montana State forward Laura Pranger (22)/by Brooks Nuanez
A layup by Bozeman product Caitlin Lonergan, a former Montana State volleyball player, helped the Lady Griz close the quarter trailing by 16, 60-44. UM freshman Sophia Stiles, the two-time Montana Gatorade Player of the Year from Malta, scored eight of her 11 points during the third quarter to help the Lady Griz from falling even further behind.
“Effort is a big factor,” Stiles said. “You can’t control everything in the game but you can control your attitude and your effort. I just felt like we weren’t giving it our all on the defensive boards and they were getting lots of put-backs.”
But the two-time defending Big Sky champion Bobcats stepped on the gas again.
Hatchard’s third 3-pointer pushed the advantage to 65-46 with eight minutes left. Caudill’s three free throws gave Montana State a 21-point lead and sophomore Blaire Braxton’s third left-handed jump hook in the paint gave MSU it’s biggest lead, 70-47, with 6:36 left. Braxton finished with eight points.
Montana State committed just six turnovers as opposed to 18 assists on 30 made field goals. Caudill dished out six assists while sophomore Oliana Squires had four dimes to go with 11 points as MSU had four players score in double figures and seven players score at least seven.
Montana State guard Hannah Caudill (23) shoots a three vs Montana defense/by Brooks Nuanez
“I thought we stressed doing really well in motions, moving in space, moving well off each other,” Caudill said.
“It’s a rivalry game, a big game and everyone wants to take care of the ball every possession, every possession counts. Especially in this one, everyone was focused on playing well, playing sound. We moved the ball really well and we passed the ball well too.”
MSU’s three seniors combined to score 44 points, grab 21 rebounds and dish out eight assists. The trio hit seven of MSU’s 11 3-pointers and helped the Bobcats close out a rivalry game helps the Bobcats swing the pendulum further in their favor.
In contrast, Montana’s lone senior Mekayla Isaak scored six points on three shots in 11 minutes.
“That’s an experienced ball club right there,” Schweyen said. “They have guards on there that have been a part of what they have done here and they are playing at home. They have been in this situation before in a big game and those girls play well. And I would expect them to.”
Montana State forward Madeline Smith (33) posts up Montana forward Cailtin Lonergan (30)/by Brooks Nuanez
The loss drops Montana to 5-2 in league play, 9-9 overall. The Lady Griz had won nine of 12 games entering the rivalry matchup. The win gives MSU its second straight home win and its fourth Big Sky win in seven league outings. The Bobcats are 10-8 overall. Both teams travel to Northern Arizona and Southern Utah next weekend.
“Especially balance wise, when you look at the production across the board, this was one of our best performances,” Binford said. “…When you look at four kids in double digit scoring and you have multiple kids in double digits for rebounds, I just feel like that’s the steadiness. When this team starts clicking, this is when you get that chemistry across the board.”
Photos by Brooks Nuanez. All Rights Reserved.
