The Bobcat women continued to protect their home court. Montana State did it by testing a collection of its young players against an overmatched Northern Arizona squad.
MSU head coach Tricia Binford played her bench for long stretches of the third and fourth quarters in an effort to test the Bobcats’ depth. Binford’s charges responded as nine Bobcats scored at least one bucket, the bench chipped in 32 total points and Montana State cruised to a 86-69 victory in front of 1,546 at Brick Breeden Fieldhouse on Thursday night.
MSU guard Margreet Barhoum (10)
“I thought our bench was giving us a lot and I thought our starters looked tired,” Binford said. “It’s just that time of year. You have to pay attention to energy and fatigue.”
The win is Montana State’s 21st straight at home, maintaining the fourth-longest home win streak in the country with its 10th Big Sky Conference victory. The Bobcats are now 17-5 overall. Conversely, Northern Arizona lost its 10th Big Sky game in 12 league outings, falling to 6-17 overall.
“It’s built in trust in one another,” Binford said. “That trust allows us to play deeper on the bench.”
Montana State senior Peyton Ferris, the preseason Big Sky MVP and one of the top scorers in the league, drilled a 3-pointer as the first half buzzer sounded. The triple gave the Twin Bridges native 12 points in 14 minutes and put MSU up 45-30 at intermission.
Battling through constant traps and double teams, Ferris missed all four of her second half shots and committed six turnovers in 12 second-half minutes before fouling out.
“They were really collapsing, meeting us early so we couldn’t get deep penetration,” Binford said. “They took some charges in that area. I thought we could’ve gathered better. Everybody is going to make an adjustment. We’ve seen double and triple teams all year long. For us, the turnovers popping up was a little disappointing but we will build from that.”
MSU forward Riley Nordgaard (15)
Montana State senior Riley Nordgaard appeared frustrated by Northern Arizona’s overly aggressive play for most of the game. She hit just 6-of-16 from the floor but set the tone on the glass for MSU, grabbing 13 rebounds, including six on the offensive end. The Bobcats owned a 45-33 advantage on the glass and MSU snared 15 offensive rebounds.
“That was tremendous for us. The offensive rebounds, particularly in the first half really carried us,” Binford said. “We rely on the extra possessions and we are an energy type of team so winning the possession count is an important factor for us.”
Three other Bobcats finished in double figures scoring with MSU’s seniors. Montana State true freshman center Blaire Braxton scored a career-high 10 points to go with nine rebounds. Junior point guard Hannah Caudill hit two of MSU’s seven 3-pointers and finished with 10 points to go with seven of MSU’s 19 assists. MSU sophomore Annika Lai scored 11 points off the bench, converting all five of her field goals.
MSU forward Madeline Smith (33)
Freshman Madeline Smith converted all four of her first-half field goals for eight points. Freshman Oliana Squires played a team-high 22 minutes off the bench and finished with nine points. Senior Margreet Barhoum had four points and two assists in 13 “steady” minutes, Binford said.
“Annika had a tremendous second half and Madeline’s first half was fantastic,” Binford said. “I thought Greet (Barhoum) came in and steadied us against the pressure. I thought Oli came in and was the spark. When you can go to that depth, it gives you fresh legs and allows you to do what you want to do, even on the defensive end.”
Montana State stretched the lead to as many as 19 in the third quarter only to see NAU rally back to cut it to single digits in the fourth quarter. But with a young lineup in for most of the final frame, MSU buckled down, holding NAU to 5-of-16 shooting and converting 7-of-12 of their own to win going away.
“I don’t know if I can ever say I’m unhappy with our effort. I think we need to continue to improve on our execution and our shot selection,” Binford said. “We could’ve been more patient getting the shot we love. We took some average shots. We will continue to grow from that.”
MSU forward Peyton Ferris (2) fights for a loose ball with NAU forward Bradlee Cotton (50)
Montana State’s attention turns to Southern Utah, one of only two teams below NAU in the Big Sky standings. MSU will look to extend one of the longest winning streaks in Division I, but Binford isn’t letting her players think about that pressure.
“Besides retweeting what (MSU head of marketing) Bethany (Cordell) puts up, I’m just trying to get our kids focused on Southern Utah,” Binford said. “That’s the championship for us right now.”
Photos by Brooks Nuanez. All Rights Reserved.
