Bobcats too much for Lady Griz
BOZEMAN — Montana State scored the game’s first six points, jumped out to a 26-12 lead and never looked back in thumping Montana 98-66 in a gold-splashed Brick Breeden Fieldhouse on Saturday afternoon.
“Great start, super disciplined start,” Bobcat coach Tricia Binford said after a win that raised her record to 22-21 against UM. “I thought we really focused on (UM’s) corner threes, the rhythm threes, and I wouldn’t say that we did that for a complete game since they hit 12 of them.”
While the Bobcats’ defense was stifling, the offense set a blistering pace. The Cats hit five of their first six field goal attempts and converted a pair of free throws in that stretch. MSU shot 62 percent in the first half and 52 percent for the game.
It added up to a historic win. Montana State’s 98 points was its most ever against the Lady Griz, and the 32-point margin of victory was its largest ever. The Cats achieved individual milestones as well. Esmeralda scored 28 points, and her 8 of 8 effort from the free throw line extends her school-record streak to 35 consecutive makes.
Montana State’s defensive numbers were also gaudy. The Cats held Montana to 40.4 percent shooting, came up with 21 steals — the fourth time this season with more than 20 — and for the 18th time in 2024-25 forced at least 20 opponent turnovers (28). Guard Natalie Picton’s four steals led all players, and Katelynn Martin, Morales, Chirrick and Lexi Deden each logged three.
The Bobcats carried a 26-14 lead into the second quarter, where a Picton 3-pointer and a basket by Deden extended it to 31-14. Morales hit a step-back 3-pointer, and Montana State led by 20. The lead was 54-30 after Morales’ triple with 22 seconds remaining in the first half, and Martin drained a three to give the Bobcats a 57-30 lead heading into intermission.
The downside came on the injury front. Starters Marah Dykstra and Dylan Phillip each left the game with lower extremity injuries and didn’t return.
For all the numbers compiled on a celebratory afternoon in Worthington Arena, the most important was 18. That is Montana State’s current win streak, the longest in school history. The Bobcats are 25-2 overall and 15-0 in Big Sky play while Montana fell to 10-16, 6-9.
“Congratulations to Montana State. They played a great game,” said Montana interim coach Nate Harris, whose team lost its fourth consecutive game. “We have to get a lot better and get a lot better quickly,” said Harris. “Today was not our most locked-in effort and that comes back to me.”
Avery Waddington, who scored 21 points against the Bobcats in the first meeting, scored 20 on Saturday, going 4 for 9 from the 3-point line.
Tyler McCliment-Call added 17 on 7-of-11 shooting, Aby Shubert, in her first game since Jan. 25, hit three 3-pointers and scored 11, and Dani Bartsch had a 10-point, 14-rebound double-double.