Big Sky Breakdown

THE CATALYST: Nordgaard provides the edge for Bobcats

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With more than 3,200 impassioned fans waiting to erupt and Montana State trying to mount a rally against its fiercest rival, Riley Nordgaard pushed the Brick into an ovation once again.

With Montana State storming back from a sluggish start against the Lady Griz the last Saturday of February, Nordgaard lurked in the lane, providing help-side defense as Montana forward Mikayla Isaak rolled through the paint. As UM reversed the ball from the left wing to the right, Nordgaard still stood five feet from the basket and 15 feet from UM sharpshooter Taylor Goligoski.

As Goligoski lined up what looked like a wide-open 3-point try that would’ve halted Montana State’s memorable third quarter run, Nordgaard planted her left foot and exploded to the perimeter. In one motion, Nordgaard blocked Goligoski’s attempt, snared the rebound, pivoted to her right and whipped an outlet pass  to a streaking Delany Junkermier. The junior covered the second half of the court and finished through contact.

The play sent the 3,273 in attendance into a frenzy. The Bobcats never looked back. MSU mounted an 18-0 run, turning what once was a 10-point home deficit to its rival into a 17-point runaway, Montana State’s 23rd straight win at Brick Breedin Fieldhouse that completed MSU’s first sweep of the Lady Griz since 1999.

The exuberant, aggressive MSU senior has ignited home crowds in Bozeman for the duration of her two seasons as a Bobcat. Last season’s Big Sky Conference Newcomer of the Year has been the catalyst for the Montana State women during one of the most successful runs in program history. It seems whenever the Bobcats need a momentum-swinging defensive play, the endlessly energetic Nordgaard rises to the occasion.

Riley Nordgaard takes it to the rack“She gives us an edge for sure,” Montana State 12th-year head coach Tricia Binford said. “When you step on the floor, you better be able to respond to your opponent and back up your play. She does that. The edge factor, the IT factor, Riley certainly has it.”

Nordgaard’s inspired play and her ability to set the tone, particularly on the defensive end, has proven crucial as Montana State has posted back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time in school history. The 5-foot-10 slashing forward scored 11 points per game and led the team with 7.2 rebounds per contest (eighth in the Big Sky) last season as the Bobcats spurted to their first outright Big Sky title.

This season, the Canby, Minnesota native and former transfer from Division II Augustana — she sat out the 2014-15 season per NCAA rules — has been among the best two-way players in the Big Sky. Nordgaard is second on MSU with 14.1 points per game to go with a team-best 7.7 rebounds per contest. Tangible measurable like her two steals per game and statistically immeasurable skills like her ability to whip outlet passes to spark MSU’s top-notch transition offense have been key as MSU has won 14 Big Sky games for a second straight season.

Riley Nordgaard blocks shotRiley is the exciting lynchpin in our defense,” said Montana State associate head coach Nate Harris, the man who essentially serves as Binford’s defensive coordinator. “Riley is explosive and her rebounding is just unbelievable for her position, her size. There’s no limit for what that kid will do to make a play.

“Riley is a fantastic player who I will always count myself lucky to have coached.”

The platinum blonde 23-year-old carries a Midwestern accent stemming from her Minnesota roots. She grew up in a rural agricultural community of about 1,800 people 113 miles northeast of Sioux Falls, South Dakota and 53 miles from Brookings. Although most of the 40 kids Nordgaard graduated high school with grew up on farms, her father Kelly makes a living as engineer and her mother, Kathi, is an elementary school teacher.

“Where I come from, you are thinking about others a lot of times before you are thinking about yourself,” Nordgaard said. “A lot of people are humble and hard working and they support each other a ton.”

Nordgaard grew up with one older brother, Travis, but Kathi is a twin and Riley’s aunt has four sons, all older than Riley. She remembers spending most of her youth playing outside and “always getting beat up.” Competing with the boys molded Nordgaard into the tenacious, tough woman she is today.

Riley Nordgaard finishes in trafficGrowing up in a close-knit community influenced the 2012 Minnesota Class A Player of the Year when she initially weighed her college decision. The two-time all-state selection and four-time conference MVP recorded 2,558 career points, 1,090 rebounds, 558 steals, 372 assists and 63 blocks in her prep career. As a senior, averaged 24 points, 10.5 rebounds and 5.9 steals per game, earning interest from schools around the Midwest.

Her final choice eventually came down to Division II Augustana in Sioux Falls and South Dakota State in Brookings. Nordgaard had played traveling club basketball for a team based in South Dakota. Although many close to her pushed her to go to SDSU, Nordgaard chose Augustana because the small private school “reminded me of home.”

“That was great for me for the time being but as I matured, I wanted to a different sort of environment,” Nordgaard said. “That propelled me into realizing I wanted more.”

Riley Nordgaard plays defense extra low by her favorite boxNordgaard contacted her former AAU coach Paul Zahn, who had a previous relationship with Binford. When Binford popped in the film of Nordgaard’s sophomore season at Augustana, she saw a player who “played so darn hard” with “a nose for the basketball”, whether it was on the defensive glass or as an on-ball defender. After re-opening her recruiting process, Nordgaard had interest from Wisconsin- Green Bay, North Dakota, South Dakota and Cleveland State, her top option.

In the spring of 2014, Nordgaard came on a visit to Bozeman. Montana State instantly shot to the top of her list. She committed a week later, full well knowing she would have to sit out a season before taking the court as a Bobcat.

“You can teach rebounding until you are blue in the teeth but if you can get more kids that have a nose for the basketball, you go to a higher level,” Binford said. “That was one thing we recognized about Riley on film was the level she plays at.”

During her redshirt season, Nordgaard’s energy and intensity stood out in practice from the beginning. As she battled guarding feisty point guards Ausha Cole and Lindsay Stockton, she quickly realized she could be an impact player.

MSU guard Riley Nordgaard is a Bobcat captain this season/ by Brooks Nuanez

MSU guard Riley Nordgaard is a Bobcat captain this season/ by Brooks Nuanez

Stockton shares the scrappy intangibles of her NBA Hall of Fame father, John Stockton, an MSU assistant coach last season. Jasmine Hommes, last season’s Big Sky MVP, carries herself with a steady demeanor and a quiet confidence. Smooth power forward Alexa Dawkins and aggressive backup post Peyton Ferris let their play do the talking for last season’s Big Sky champions. Nordgaard recognized instantly that her personality and zealous playing style were a bit different than the rotation she joined.

“As you are entering into new environments, you can see the norm and you have to make a conscious decision, ‘Do I want to fit? Do I want to be different?’,” Nordgaard said. “I think it’s been a combination of both.

“I came from a team that was super loud and rowdy in the locker room, super loud after plays, yelling and huddling, very ostentatiously passionate. Here, it was a lot quieter, a lot more grouped and subtle. I’ve had to figure out where I fit.”

Two years later, what Nordgaard has added has been the missing ingredient in putting MSU over the top.

Nordgaard with assistant coach Nate Harris

Nordgaard with assistant coach Nate Harris

“She’s so intense and she’s so driven and she’s so tough,” Harris said. “It’s been really good from us to have that relentless approach from someone who you know no matter what will go to war and get after it every single chance they have.”

That intensity sometimes boils over on game day. Nordgaard is as animated and antagonistic as any player in the Big Sky. She sometimes battles foul trouble and always gets her two cents in with the officials and the hardwood with a hard hand slap. But the energy she brings for MSU is a worthy trade for corralling her passion.

“Emotional kids are some of the most challenging and the most fun,” said Binford, who compared Nordgaard to former All-Big Sky Bobcat Rebecca Mercer. “I love to have the challenge of reeling a kid in rather than the challenge of getting them to play harder. Riley is certainly one who wears her emotions on her sleeves. She’s a fan favorite, her teammates feed off of her. It’s one of the reasons they voted her team captain because she is so competitive and she raises the bar for everyone around her.”

Riley Nordgaard dribbles in openThe new experiences in the Gallatin Valley have been prevalent and diverse. After home games, Nordgaard takes time to talk with any little girl who waits to meet their idol. She is closing in on a degree in business finance, something she might use right away unless she chooses to continue playing basketball overseas.

Last May, Nordgaard got a small taste of living abroad. She was chosen for a month-long internship in Japan sponsored through MSU’s Jake Jaabs business school. The rewarding experienced showed her she has the intuition and desire to live abroad.

Friday night, Nordgaard will perform in front of her faithful fans at the Brick one last time. An MSU win over Weber State coupled with a North Dakota loss at Portland State will give MSU another title and the top seed in the Big Sky Tournament for the second straight season. If UND wins, the Fighting Hawks will earn the top seed in Reno but the Bobcats will still earn a first-round bye and will enter the postseason with a chip on their shoulder after last season’s run ended on a half-court buzzer beater against Idaho State in their first game of the tournament.

Following yet another lively performance that included three first-half 3-pointers and igniting defensive plays throughout in a gritty win over Idaho State Wednesday, Nordgaard said it had not yet sunk in that Friday would mark her final act in Bozeman. Even after Friday, the memories of two years packed full of notable moments will continue resonating with Nordgaard.

Montana State senior Riley Nordgaard, No. 15, leads MSU with 7.3 rebounds per game/ by Brooks Nuanez

Montana State senior Riley Nordgaard, No. 15, leads MSU with 7.3 rebounds per game/ by Brooks Nuanez

“I like seeing that banner hanging in the Brick,” Nordgaard said. “I love all the relationships I’ve made through our staff, through this community, with my teammates, the places I’ve traveled, the competitors I’ve gotten to play against. All of it really comes together as a composition of who I am now and who I’m going to be moving forward. The experience, this unique opportunity to have three years in a beautiful place surrounded by interesting people playing a game that I love. I can’t say how lucky I am.”

Photos by Brooks Nuanez. 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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