BOZEMAN, Mont. – Senior Tori Martell, the reigning Big Sky Conference Top Reserve of the Year, and Darian White, the ruling Big Sky Freshman of the Year, picked up where they left off last March, scoring 21 and 13 points, respectively as Montana State’s Gold team recorded an 80-74 victory over the Blue squad on Monday afternoon in Worthington Arena.
In 40 minutes of action, which saw numerous players switch sides throughout the contest, Martell went 5-of-10 from long distance and added four free throws. White converted five field-goals, while dishing out six assists and adding three steals.
“Darian and Tori did what they do,” said MSU 16th year head coach Tricia Binford. “Tori hit her shots and Darian ran the floor, leading us on both ends of the court.”
The Gold team jumped out to a 23-9 advantage in the opening frame as Martell posted eight points, while freshman forward Katelynn Limardo added six points on a pair of three-pointers. Gold held a 40-26 cushion at intermission.
The Blue squad rallied in the third quarter sparked by the play of Kola Bad Bear, Kenzie Stumne, Leia Beattie and Ashley Van Sickle. Stumne tallied eight points, including a pair of triples, while Bad Bear followed with six points and two rebounds. Van Sickle and Beattie combined in the backcourt for five points, six rebounds and four assists as they helped close the margin to 59-52 heading into the final quarter.
Sidney Zieske and Beattie kept the Blue squad in the game down the stretch as Zieske went 2-of-2 from long distance, while Beattie added five points. Limardo and freshman Lexi Deden also added four points, apiece. Zieske’s first triple at the 6:14 mark pulled the Blue squad to within 61-59, but the Gold team rallied around its upperclassmen to hold on to the victory.
“I think we showed we have a lot of talent and a lot of depth,” Binford said. “This scrimmage was much better than our first; we made great progress and it looked like we got our lungs back. It was also nice to see three post players in double-digits. That area was a question mark heading into this season after the graduation of three outstanding seniors.”
In all, Montana State had eight players in double-digit scoring, including Martell with 21, Limardo at 16, Bad Bear with 15, White with 13, Van Sickle scoring 13, Skye Lindsay with 13, Stumne adding 11 and Ava Ranson notching 10. Beattie finished with seven points, five assists, four rebounds and two steals. Lindsay led MSU under the boards with 12 rebounds, while Gabby Mocchi added six.
Montana State opens its 2020-21 season hosting North Dakota, Sunday, Dec. 6 at 2 p.m. in Worthington Arena. Following guidance from the Gallatin City-County Health Department and Montana State University health officials, Bobcat men’s and women’s basketball seasons will open without fans. For video streaming and radio of Sunday’s game visit msubobcats.com.
Bobcat Game at Utah Valley on Dec. 12 has been canceled.
From Utah Valley Sports Information: A positive COVID-19 case within the Utah Valley University women’s basketball program has forced a pause of all basketball activities for the team. The result is the cancelation of the next three contests, beginning with Wednesday’s scheduled game at Idaho State. Saturday’s Dec. 5 game vs UNLV and the Dec. 12 contest against Montana State have also been canceled.