Jasmine Hommes followed a family legacy to Montana State. During her time in Bozeman, she carved out a legacy all her own.
On Sunday, Hommes earned the most coveted individual award in the Big Sky Conference. After helping lead her team to the first outright champion in MSU history, the senior earned Big Sky Most Valuable Player honors.
Jasmine Hommes
“Jasmine will go down as one of the best players in program history,” Montana State 11th-year head coach Tricia Binford said in an MSU press release.
Hommes averaged 16.3 points per game during Big Sky play, converting 48 percent of her field goal attempts as MSU posted a 14-4 record against the rest of the Big Sky. She also chipped in 5.7 rebounds per game. Hommes was a unanimous first-team All-Big Sky selection.
The 6-foot-1 senior from Lynden, Washington is the sixth Bobcat to win the award, joining Cass Bauer (1993), Tennyson Ballek (1999), Jessica Blake (2002), Isabel Stubbs (2003) and her aunt Blythe (Hommes) Hintz (1997). She is also the 26th Bobcat to earn first-team All-Big Sky honors and the first since Katie Bussey did so in 2012. Hintz and her sister, formerly Brooke Hommes Svendsen (1995) earned first-team honors for the Bobcats as well.
Hommes poured in 20 or more points in eight league games and enters this week’s Big Sky Tournament with 1,429 points, the sixth-most in Bobcat history. With 13 more points, she will pass Sarah Balian for fifth on the all-time list.
Hommes was one of three Bobcats to earn Big Sky awards. Riley Nordgaard, a junior from Canby Minnesota who played two seasons at Division II Augustana, earned Big Sky Newcomer of the Year honors. MSU junior Peyton Ferris earned Big Sky Top Reserve honors for the second straight season.
Peyton Ferris
“Peyton is such a tremendous spark and physical presence for us and Riley has impacted this team in so many ways with her endless energy and play making ability,” Binford said.
Nordgaard sat out last season per NCAA rules. This season, she emerged as one of the Big Sky’s most versatile players. The 5-foot-10 competitor averaged 11.1 points, a team-best 7.2 rebounds and 2.5 steals for the Bobcats. Nordgaard also earned honorable mention all-league honors.
Ferris, a former Montana Gatorade Player of the Year from Class C Twin Bridges, has become one of the Big Sky’s most efficient players after moving to the four-spot and coming off the bench. Despite playing just 21 minutes per game, Ferris finished fourth in the league in scoring during conference play by netting 16.4 points per game. She is shooting 58.7 percent in Big Sky games this season, the best mark in the league. Ferris also earned second-team All-Big Sky recognition.
“I am so proud of this team and their resilience all season long,” Binford said. “To have three players recognized by our conference reflects the balance of our team.
Riley Nordgaard
“All season this team has displayed an unselfishness that has been unmatched in previous years. They are a special group and they understand that any individual award is a team award and is indicative of the balance and depth we have in the program.”
Montana State opens Big Sky Tournament play on Wednesday afternoon. The top-seeded Bobcats will face the winner of eighth-seeded Northern Colorado and ninth-seeded Idaho State.
Weber State and Eastern Washington earned multiple nods from the Big Sky. Weber point guard Brittney Dunbar spearheaded the third-best scoring defense in the Big Sky by averaging 3.2 steals per game. She was named the league’s Defensive MVP. Despite missing 11 of 18 conference games, Weber State’s Regina Okoye earned second-team All-Big Sky honors as Weber finished 11-7 in league, earning the No. 6 seed this week in Reno.
EWU senior Hayley Hodgins surely garnered strong consideration for the league’s MVP and landed on the first-team. The smooth shooting guard averaged 21.6 points per game in Big Sky play. She nailed 39.3 percent of her 201 3-point attempts and her 631 points are the most in the league this season. Delaney Hodgins, Hayley’s sophomore sister and last year’s top freshman, earned second-team All-Big Sky honors by averaging 15.6 points and 7.4 rebounds as EWU posted a 13-5 conference record to earn the No. 2 seed.
Christina Salvatore/by UI Athletics
Idaho senior Christina Salvatore stuffed the stat sheet all season long, leading her Vandals to a 20-win season and the No. 3 seed in this week’s tournament. The versatile forward earned first-team All-Big Sky honors by averaging 13 points, seven rebounds and 3.7 assists as the Vandals went 13-5 in league play.
Montana junior Kayleigh Valley earned the league’s overall scoring title by averaging 21.6 points per game for the Lady Griz, including 23.8 in conference play. Valley shot 51.6 percent from the floor and pulled in seven rebounds per contest to earn first-team All-Big Sky honors. The Lady Griz are the No. 5 seed and open the tournament on Monday against Northern Arizona.
North Dakota senior Mia Loyd and Sacramento State senior Adella Randle-El rounded out the first team. Loyd led UND to 13 wins in its last 15 games by averaging 12.3 points and 8.4 rebounds as the Fighting Hawks earned the No. 4 seed and a first-round bye. Randle-El did it all for the Hornets, averaging 18.3 points, 7.1 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 4.4 steals during conference play, each top-10 marks in the league.
Montana senior McCalle Feller and North Dakota senior Makailah Dyer rounded out the second team. NAU center Alyssa Rader was named the league’s top freshman.
^ – Unanimous selection
*- MVP
| 2016 Big Sky All-Conference First Team | |||
| Player | Team | Position | Hometown |
| Jasmine Hommes*^ | Montana State | Forward | Lynden, Wash. |
| Hayley Hodgins^ | Eastern Washington | Guard | Pasco, Wash. |
| Kayleigh Valley^ | Montana | Forward | Spokane, Wash. |
| Christina Salvatore | Idaho | Guard | Anaheim, Calif. |
| Mia Loyd | North Dakota | Forward | Minneapolis, Minn. |
| Adella Randle-El | Sacramento State | Guard | Racine, Wis. |
–
| 2016 Big Sky All-Conference Second Team | |||
| Player | Team | Position | Hometown |
| McCalle Feller | Montana | Guard | Lewistown, Mont. |
| Regina Okoye | Weber State | Guard | Albuquerque, N.M. |
| Peyton Ferris | Montana State | Guard | Twin Bridges, Mont. |
| Delaney Hodgins | Eastern Washington | Guard | Pasco, Wash. |
| Makailah Dyer | North Dakota | Guard | Madison, Wis. |
–
| 2016 Big Sky All-Conference Award Winners | |||
| Player | Team | Position | Award |
| Jasmine Hommes | Montana State | Forward | Most Valuable Player |
| Riley Nordgaard | Montana State | Forward | Top Newcomer |
| Alyssa Rader | Northern Arizona | Center | Outstanding Freshman |
| Brittney Dunbar | Weber State | Guard | Defensive Player of the Year |
| Peyton Ferris | Montana State | Guard | Top Reserve |
–
Honorable mention All-Conference: Deeshyra Thomas, Weber State, junior, Apiphany Woods, Idaho State, senior, Ali Forde, Idaho, senior, Geraldine McCorkell, Idaho, sophomore, Riley Nordgaard, Montana State, junior
Photos by Brooks Nuanez or noted. All Rights Reserved.
FULL TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Monday March 7
Game 1 — No. 8 Northern Colorado vs. No. 9 Idaho State, 12:05 p.m.
Game 2 — No. 5 Montana vs. No. 12 Northern Arizona, 2:35 p.m.
Game 3 — No. 7 Sacramento State vs. No. 10 Southern Utah, 5:35 p.m.
Game 4 — No. 6 Weber State vs. No. 11 Portland State, 8:05 p.m.
Wednesday March 9
Game 5 — No. 1 Montana State vs. winner of UNC-ISU, 12:05 p.m.
Game 6 — No. 4 North Dakota vs. winner of UM-NAU, 2:35 p.m.
Game 7 — No. 2 Eastern Washington vs. winner of Sac-SUU, 5:35 p.m.
Game 8 — No. 3 Idaho vs. winner of Weber-PSU, 8:05 p.m.
Friday March 11
Game 9 — winner of Game 5 vs. winner of Game 6, 12:05 p.m.
Game 10 — winner of Game 7 vs. Winner of Game 8, 2:35 p.m.
Saturday March 12
Championship, 12:05 p.m.
