Cat-Griz Hoops

Bobcats bounce Montana, sweep Lady Griz for third straight year

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MISSOULA, Montana – Who knows if the Bobcat women will ever get a chance to celebrate a pair of rivalry victories over the span of the same weekend.

Montana State women’s basketball team decided to relish the moment all the more on Saturday afternoon in Dahlberg Arena.

As the final buzzer sounded to close out MSU’s 70-60 win over Montana, the consistently exuberant MSU bench erupted in excitement as the Bobcats earned a sweep over their once-dominant rival for the third year in a row.

“It’s a great win for us not just because it’s a rivalry game but also because sweeping any team back to back, it’s difficult to do,” MSU star point guard Darian White said. “Whether you are at home or on the road, it’s hard to be consistent in doing what you are doing every day, especially playing a team on Thursday and turn around and play them on Saturday.

“You have to do the things you did before but better so it’s just a really good win for us.”

The victory is MSU’s sixth straight over Montana, extending a Bobcat record within the rivalry. Montana State has now won 11 of the last 13 games against UM.

Montana State head coach Tricia Binford (L) and Montana head coach Mike Petrino (R) pregame Thursday/by Brooks Nuanez

“We have continued to build,” Montana State 16th-year head coach Tricia Binford said. “Earlier this season, we had so many new faces. We graduated five seniors who were a big part of who we were. We talked about how it was going to take a little bit longer but as soon as it clicked, it was going to click with this team.

“We felt like we have a lot of talent but we are just super young. We went through four quarantines in the months of September and October when practices started. The last few weeks, we really started to turn the corner.”

Montana interim head coach Mike Petrino said he liked his team’s improvements after losing by 24 points on Thursday. In his five seasons on staff, including the previous four as an assistant, UM has one win over MSU.

“I think it’s unfair to lock this team into all the years past,” Petrino said. “This team has eight new players. They (‘Cats) have new players too but this team has eight new players. What has happened in history is not this team’s issue.

“I think (Montana State) is a really good team and I think they are playing their best. We just have to focus on us. I hope we get to play them again.”

The weekend sweep is also Montana State’s second straight. The reigning Big Sky Conference regular-season champions sit at 6-2 in Big Sky Conference, 9-5 overall.

“I was actually almost even more proud of this win than the Thursday win,” Binford said after winning for the fourth time in her last five trips to Dahlberg, moving her overall record to 7-10 against Montana in Missoula. “Once you get loose, it gets a little easier. Everybody is feeling it, everyone has flow.”

The losses drop Montana to 4-4 in league play, 7-6 overall.

Montana sophomore Carmen Gfeller against K.J. Limardo (11) and Skye Lindsay/ by Todd Goodrich, UM athletics

“We responded better and that shows a lot about our team,” UM sophomore Carmen Gfeller said after pouring in a game-high 22 points. “Friday’s practice was definitely a change in attitude. We were all ready to go. That Thursday loss really hurt us and we took it personal. I know we were ready to play today. I just wish things could’ve worked out a little bit better for us.”

Although the win was not the blowout Thursday night’s game was — Montana State blasted UM 70-46, the largest margin of victory ever for MSU over the Lady Griz — the youthful Bobcats looked confident and collected throughout the game.

Despite the fact that six players were facing the Lady Griz for just the second time in their careers, nine different Montana State players found the scoring column and nine different Bobcats snared rebounds as MSU won the battle on the glass for the second time this weekend.

Four Lady Griz made their rivalry debuts but none did as well as Montana State’s precocious newcomers.

Montana State true freshman Taylor Janssen carried her team in the first half, hitting all four of her shot attempts including a pair of 3-pointers on the way to scoring 11 points as MSU built a 39-30 lead at the break.

Sophomore Skye Lindsay, a former transfer from Pepperdine, scored six points, while true freshman post Lexi Deden, a Missoula native whose mother Dawn Silliker played at Montana, added five points. Freshman Leia Beattie scored three points and combined with Ava Ranson and K.J. Limardo for 12 rebounds despite the latter two not scoring.

UM’s Hannah Thurmon and Nyah Morris, a pair of the first junior college transfers in program history, along with freshmen Kyndall Keller and Bria Dixson combined to score 14 points in 39 minutes of total playing time.

It all amounted to another solid weekend for the youngest team in the United States, a squad that lost five seniors from last season’s historic squad.

Montana State freshman Lexi Deden (21) guards Montana freshman Kyndall Keller on January 30, 2021 / by Todd Goodrich, UM athletics

“It’s the present moment, the chop wood, carry water of being unsatisfied,” Binford said when asked about the progress of her team. “My biggest concern with this game was the fact that we are playing a Cat-Griz rivalry week the same week and it’s an emotional turn around to play the second game.

“It’s such a big game for us and a big game for them. We looked a little fatigued in the first half but a lot of credit goes to them. Our team is young, they are creating a lot of energy and my job is making sure we continue to stretch them. They have responded every single time. I’m having a blast coaching this team. They bring effort and energy every single day.”

The 28-11 advantage in bench points proved to be crucial for the visitors as Montana’s front court forces exacted their authority much more effectively Saturday than on Thursday.

Gfeller poured in a game-high, including 15 after halftime. Abby Anderson scored 12 points, including 10 in the first half, and grabbed 10 rebounds. Sophia Stiles added 10 points, eight of which came at the free throw line, but struggled offensively again, finishing 1-of-7 from the floor with White hounding her pretty much relentlessly.

“We had a couple of slip ups,” White said. “They are a good team, I’m not going to take that away from them but we have a lot of things we have to get better at defensively especially.

“But defensively, we have taken such a huge step as a team. The dedication, the emotion, the courage that every body brings to this team, it’s not just a couple of people. It’s every day, in and out of practice. This team is so close, you can really tell.”

Gfeller hit a bucket with 4:46 left to shave the gap to 55-50. The following possession, with White sitting at the scorer’s table waiting to check back in for the stretch run, Ashley Van Sickle the dagger of the game.

As the shot clock wore down, MSU rotated the ball around the perimeter, eventually landing in the hands of its reserve point guard. Van Sickle cast a 3-pointer that banked in off the glass to the utter delight of the Bobcat bench, particularly Beattie and Ranson.

“When we talked about there being no fans, we talked about creating our own energy and there is no shortage of energy on that sideline,” Binford said. “They just really love each other and play hard for each other. I think one of the ingredients that has made us successful the last few years is our selflessness and this team is no different.”

Montana State got a stop in its next possession. Senior Tori Martell, who finished with 10 points, converted through contact. And the Lady Griz had to use a timeout trailing 60-50 with 3:49 left.

“I don’t even have words for that. Seeing our team have that momentum, the energy, the courage is so exciting,” White said. “It’s hard to get those runs sometimes so when you watch your teammates do that, you watch them be successful, the energy is so exciting to be a part of and fun to watch.”

Montana State’s Leia Beattie is guarded by Montana’s Bria Dixson on January 30, 2021/ by Todd Goodrich, UM sports information

White, who finished with 19 points, knocked down a pair of free throws to push the MSU advantage to 63-52 with three minutes to play. Gfeller responded by scoring or getting to the free throw line on three consecutive possessions. A pair from the stripe – the sophomore from Colfax, Washington went 10-of-11 at the line — cut the Bobcat lead to 63-58 with 1:03 left.

“I really admired how hard they work,” White said. “They didn’t give up the entire game and that’s not easy to do.”

But White got in the paint and got to the free throw line three more times to keep the Lady Griz at bay. She hit eight straight free throws in the final three minutes of the game and 12-of-14 overall to keep MSU undefeated against the Lady Griz in her already outstanding young career.

“Any time we need a bucket or points, I can look her in the eyes and tell her she needs to get to the bucket,” Binford said. “She is a play-maker.”

The Lady Griz now sit in sixth place in the league standings, although Northern Colorado (6-6), Eastern Washington (5-5) and Southern Utah (2-2) all have .500 records in league with varying numbers of games played. Montana hosts Portland State (3-5), a team that beat the Bobcats 72-70 in Portland two weeks ago.

“”I think our team is learning something every single game,” Gfeller said. “MSU is tough. Their defense is tough. I hope we get a chance to play them again when we get to Boise.”

Although Montana State put together one of the great seasons in program history last season — MSU set a Big Sky record with 19 wins in 20 games while also tying a school record with 25 wins — the Bobcats remain hungry. Montana State did not get a chance to go to its second NCAA Tournament under Binford because the conference tournament championship game was cancelled abruptly because of the initial explosion of the COVID-19 pandemic in America.

MSU now sits alone in third place in the league standings with last place Weber State coming to town for a set of games in Bozeman next weekend.

“I certainly don’t feel like we are playing our best basketball yet but we are moving in a great direction,” Binford said. “We had major jumps the week of Northern Arizona and I think we took jumps this week.

“The last couple of weeks, we have gotten more identity and other pieces outside of Darian and Tori. We have bought into the defensive principles and we have continued to improve on the offensive end.”

Photo attribution noted. 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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