THE MATCHUP
After a rivalry win over Montana on Monday, Montana State traveled to Eastern Washington, trying to keep the momentum of a four-game winning streak going. In head coach Joddie Gleason’s first season, the Eagles entered with just two wins in Big Sky Conference play.
THE RESULT
Eastern Washington kept things close, but after the Eagles closed to within three points early in the fourth quarter, Montana State responded with a 14-0 run and rolled to a 65-55 win.
Kola Bad Bear opened the decisive spurt with an old-fashioned 3-point play as the Bobcats’ big drove from the left wing to the hoop. After a high-arcing floater by Darian White, Bad Bear put in another and-1, this time on a more traditional post move, pushing MSU’s lead from three points to double digits in just over a minute of game time.
Montana State led by eight at halftime but Eastern Washington stormed back and led at multiple points in the third quarter. The Bobcats shot 33.3% and Eastern Washington scored 30 points off 18 MSU turnovers, but Montana State finished 21 of 27 from the free-throw line.
THE STANDOUTS
White, a junior point guard, finished with 17 points and six steals, the third time this season she’s hit that mark for thefts. The all-Big Sky star was a game-high plus-17.
Bad Bear, a junior forward, had 14 points, including 11 in the fourth quarter as MSU pulled away. She added 10 rebounds to record just her second double-double of the year.
Sophomore forward Taylor Janssen also finished in double figures with 10 points, hitting two of her three 3-point attempts.
Freshman wing Jaydia Martin led Eastern Washington with 14 points and eight rebounds.
QUOTABLE
“I thought we showed a lot of grit. We played poorly in the first three quarters, but they were really resilient in the fourth quarter and found a way to get it done.” – Montana State head coach Tricia Binford
BOX SCORE (CLICK)
SOCIAL
Good to pick up a victory on the road!!!#ProveIt // #GoCatsGo pic.twitter.com/iSdSVBZQYa
— Montana State WBB (@MSUBobcatsWBB) January 28, 2022
Bobcats extend their winning streak‼️ https://t.co/X2SD5zPhjN
— Big Sky WBB (@BigSkyWBB) January 28, 2022
WHAT’S NEXT
Montana State (12-8, 7-2 Big Sky Conference) hosts defending conference champion Idaho State on Thursday.
Eastern Washington (4-15, 2-8) doesn’t play until Feb. 5, when the Eagles host Southern Utah.
