Stock Watch: Week One

I’m back! Now that the season has started it’s time to fire TW Courtside back up for another season. Things look a whole lot different in the Big Sky this year, thanks to graduation. This will be an exciting year!

This past week we finally got a chance to see all of the Big Sky teams in action. Albeit, it is always tough to gauge teams at this point because many are playing up or down a level. Here are some thoughts on each of the teams:

Stocks Are Up

Portland State: The Vikings got off to a 2-0 start with wins over Washington and Western Oregon at home. In the win over Washington, Kelli Valentine hit a buzzer-beater to win it. Against WO, Claire Faucher sat out and the game was closer than expected. It must make Coach Murrell happy that this team can win without Faucher. Now, can they do it against real competition?

Montana State: The Bobcats were the most impressive of any BSC team this past week. MSU survived a tough CS Bakersfield team and took care of Pacific, both on the road. The Cats were awful on the road in the non-conference last season, so this trip gave them a ton of confidence. Only 4 games remain away from Bozeman in the non-conf this season. Katie Bussey and Erica Perry showed that MSU may have the best backcourt in the league.

Not Enough Information

Weber State: Barely lost to a good team (Boise St.), barely beat a bad team (Dixie St). We will know more about CT’s squad in the coming weeks.

Idaho State: Tough way to open the season, at Saint Mary’s and at California. I think the close game against the Gaels is reason to be optimistic. Oana Iacovita’s play is another reason.

Eastern Washington: I believe this to be the most underrated team in the conference. A win at Portland is huge, but only putting up 48 against Oregon is a head-scratcher. Julie Piper is a sure All-BSC first teamer…if they can get her the ball.

Stocks Falling

Sacramento State: The Hornets topped 100 in their exhibition game but looked lost offensively against CS Fullerton. Could this be the same streaky team that we saw last year in Sac Town?

Northern Arizona: There are some great underclassmen on this squad, but losses to UC Riverside and Pepperdine show that this year is clearly a rebuilding year.

Northern Colorado: Offensive struggles will be a theme in Greeley this winter. Losing Kate Kevorken really hurt this team.

Montana: The Griz went 0-2 to start the season, first time this has happened in the Selvig era. A lack of a true point guard hurts this team’s chances and until they find an answer, I think their 2nd place ranking in the preseason polls may be a major stretch.

Burning Questions Part 1

In just a few days, student-athletes will be back on campuses around the country. While many wbb teams have been involved in summer school and offseason workouts, for some this will be the first time that all team members will be together.

As we mourn the end of summer and celebrate the start of another school year there are many burning questions surrounding the Big Sky Conference this year. The league graduated so many talented players last year, that fans will be asking “Who’s that?” when teams take the floor in November. In honor of these hot August days, here are the burning questions in the BSC for the upcoming year…

Can anyone name a returning player on Idaho State’s roster? Anyone? (Crickets chirp in the background). Well to be fair, there are some returnees for ISU, but the graduations of Michelle Grohs and Jenna Brown leave major voids for the Bengals. On top of that, freshman sensation Sheila Adams, forward Verity Peets, and freshman Jeni Guertin have all transferred. That leaves just 6 returning scholarship players. They have signed 7 newcomers, but a team made up of half returnees and half newcomers is bound to have chemistry issues. Coach Sobelewski did a magnificent job with his team last season, but with a roster thin on experience and so many new faces, it will be another uphill climb this season.

Who will make up the Griz backcourt? The names “Nance-Johnson” and “Hurley” just don’t have the same ring as the names “Morales” and “Rogers.” The UM frontcourt of Sarah Ena and Jessa Loman-Linford appears sown up, but the Grizzlies must answer big questions in the backcourt. Loren Beck will be back at the three-guard/small forward position, but the one and two will be new faces. It is assumed the Griz will go with Shaunte Nance-Johnson at the point, and while she did get some time at the spot last year, this will be a major drop in talent from Mandy Morales. Some have RS Freshman Alex Hurley at the shooting guard spot, but will she have the ability to guard the other talented shooting guards in the league? I have also heard Kenzie DeBoer’s name being thrown around as a starter at the two. Either way, defenses are already breathing easier now that Sonya Rogers has graduated.

Who will rebound for Montana State? Rebounds were aplenty last season for MSU with senior Nubia Garcia moving up the school’s record charts in career rebounding. The senior led the league in average rebounds most of the year. However, Garcia’s graduation, along with Jenny Heringer’s decision to leave the team, has left the Cats in a major hole. Where will the boards come from? Sarah Strand will return for a third year as a starter this season at the small forward, but she has not proven to be a consistent rebounding threat. There aren’t many guards that rebound the way Jenny Heringer did and it is unlikely that the gap will be made up by perimeter players. It is likely that the battle for a starting spot between Jaime Thornton and newcomer Beata Bak will yield the Cats’ biggest threat on the boards. It may also be possible that freshmen Ashley Albert and Rachel Semansky may see increased playing time as the season moves on should they develop into rebounders.

Rest assured many burning questions remain around the league and I will ask them in the coming days!

Coming Attractions

I will be doing team previews as we get closer to the 2009-10 season of Big Sky WBB, but MSU has some great You Tube videos, so I thought I would wet your appetite a bit. If you are like me, you are going through withdrawls at this point in the calendar anyway.

The Cream of the Crop?

Charlie Creme at ESPN.com wrote a column lining out the top 64 teams to watch for the 2009-10 season. The only Big Sky team he listed was Portland State at number 53.

"53. Portland State: While the Vikings say goodbye to perhaps the school's all-time best player in Kelsey Kahle, they do return two of their top three scorers to make a run at the top spot in the Big Sky."

I am inclined to agree that the Viks should be the early favorites in the BSC next season. With Mandy Morales out of the picture at Montana, Claire Faucher is probably the most electric player in the conference. As Creme said, the Viks will return 2 of their top 3 leading scorers (Faucher and Kelli Valentine)and will have plenty of other contributors like Kelly Marchant, Kate DePaepe, and Eryn Jones. So, on paper, the Viks look good.

I do think that they will have a big hole to fill with the graduation of Kelsey Kahle. She had a work ethic that ranked in the top 2 or 3 in the conference, and was a leader-by-example for PSU. How the Vikings respond to a leadership void created by Kahle's absence will be the biggest question they must answer in the off season.

The Return of the Jedi (or Blogger)

Hello everyone! I haven't died, there hasn't been any accident, I just was taking some time away from the blog after the season ended. There have been a few happenings since the end of the season that I need to catch you up on. So here it goes:

Sac State coach (and TW Courtside COY) Dan Muscatell took an assistant coaching job at Oregon under the Ducks' new coach Paul Westhead. The Hornets promoted Associate HC Jaime Craighead to the Head Job. Technically she is an interim, but I imagine it is a trial run to see how she handles being in control of the program. I think "interim" is the most damaging word possible to a program. It hurts recruiting because players are unwilling to commit to a coach that may not be there by the time they set foot on campus, donors are unwilling to make donations to the program because the future is murky, and players under scholarship don't work as hard because they are unsure of the future of the program. I hope the Sac AD does the wise thing and removes coach Craighead's "interim" tag soon.

Idaho State is suffering from the normal defections that occur when a program is in transition. Freshman guard Sheila Adams, veteran post Verity Peets, and freshman post Jeni Guertin have all pulled the plug and asked for transfers. Adams is probably the biggest loss of the three. She showed tremendous poise and potential after being forced into the starting lineup due to injuries. She had a great freshman year. Guertin also showed potential off the bench. Check out Kelvin Ang's reporting on these developments over at his blog.

As for this blog, I will continue to update throughout the off season on happenings throughout the conference. Soon, I will look at incoming freshman and transfer classes, have my pre-pre season rankings, and also hopefully do some interviews of BSC news makers. Stay tuned!

The Madness is Upon Us

The 2009 Big Sky Conference WBB tournament lived up to its billing. Every game was hotly contested, even the semifinal between UM and ISU ended up being a great game. I know many people (including your truly) had predicted that game to be a rout, but just as they did all season long, the Bengals surprised us by playing one of their best games of the year and kept it close throughout.

The final between PSU and UM was another great game and I thought Altitude did a nice job of bringing it to us. In the end, you knew PSU/UM would settle the BSC for 2009. They were on a collision course.

UM drew a 13 seed in the upcoming NCAA tournament. They will play the 4th seeded Pittsburgh Panthers in Seattle on Friday. I think that for only losing 4 games this season, 3 of which were to other NCAA tourney teams and the other to an NIT team, Montana deserved a better seed. This is a consistently good program that is better than a lot of the teams in the tournament. I would have seeded them at a 10 or an 11.

PSU earned an automatic bid in the WNIT and will host Portland on Thursday for the right to play Oregon State on Saturday. The Viks beat Portland already this season and were blasted by OSU. But, you have to like the fact that you get to stay in state for 2 rounds, who knows maybe PSU can make a run!

2009 TW Courtside Big Sky WBB Awards

After an outstanding 2008-09 season, I am excited to debut the first ever Courtside Awards for Big Sky Women's Basketball. There were some outstanding performances and stories this year. How about ISU and SAC's improbable runs to the tournament? How about the impressive seasons of UM and PSU? How about MSU turning around their season at the end of January?

The story lines and individuals we will continue to follow at the tournament kept us entertained and inspired all season long, and now it is time to hand out the hardware (there isn't really any hardware, but there is a ton of prestige tied to these awards!).

First of all, the fan votes. I tried the idea of letting Courtside followers select some of the individual awards and I was pleasantly surprised by the number of responses to the polls. Thank you for voting and here are the results:

TW Courtside BSC Player of the Year: Mandy Morales, Sr, Montana. Morales had an incredible senior season, through a good portion of the season, she led the league in scoring and proved to be one of the most difficult match-ups for opposing teams. Her strong and consistent play is the reason we are all headed to Missoula tomorrow. Runner-up: in a narrow vote, Morales edged out Kelsey Kahle, Sr, PSU.

TW Courtside BSC Outstanding Freshman: Katie Bussey, Fr, Montana State. In the fan voting, Bussey ran away in this category. It was clear early on that Katie Bussey would be a key contributor for MSU this season. The freshman led all other BSC freshman in scoring and was third on MSU's team in scoring. She has the tremendous potential to be the most deadly three point threat in the league in coming years. This season, she is 14th in the league in made three pointers with 35, a stat that leads MSU.

TW Courtside BSC Defender of the Year: Britney Lohman, Sr, Montana. Lohman was second in the conference in blocks this season, but her defensive contributions are hard to quantify with numbers. Lohman always draws the biggest defensive assignment for UM and rises to the challenge. Note: My vote went to MSU's Nubia Garcia. Garcia is the only BSC player in the top ten in blocks, steals, and defensive rebounds. She is a lock-down defender that made some of the BSC's best forwards look pretty average. However, here at Courtside we value democracy so fan vote wins!

TW Courtside BSC Coach of the Year: Dan Muscatell, Sac State. This was a hotly contested category because both Coach Muscatell and Coach Sobelewski at ISU did fantastic work to get their teams into postseason contention. The Hornets won 3 more conference games than they did last season. Sac State will be in the BSC tourney for the first time since 2005 and for just the 3rd time in school history. The Hornets were able to do this thanks to some huge wins in conference play. The Hornet's nest was not a fun place for opposing teams to visit this year, which is a testament to Coach Muscatell's hard work. Runner up: Seton Sobelewski, ISU.

Now, here are the 2009 All-Courtside Teams!

MVP: Mandy Morales, UM

First Team All-Courtside
Kelsey Kahle, PSU
Erica Perry, MSU
Charday Hunt, SAC
Claire Faucher, PSU
Sonya Rogers, UM

Second Team All-Courtside
Nubia Garcia, MSU
Michelle Grohs, ISU
Sade Cunningham, NAU
Caitlyn Anderson, WSU
Britney Lohman, UM

Honorable Mention All-Courtside
Julie Piper, EWU
Kelly Valentine, PSU
Courtney Stoermer, NC
Jenna Brown, ISU
Sarah Ena, UM

Tourney Time

Click on image for a larger view.

Just in case you live under a rock or don't follow Big Sky WBB, here is an update on weekend happenings in the BSC. Montana clinched the 1 seed and hosting rights in a thrilling 70-60 win over Portland State. Over 6,700 fans were in attendance at the game, giving us big hopes for a well-attended tournament this week.

Sac State clinched its third-ever BSC tournament with a walloping of Northern Colorado 74-60 on Saturday afternoon. Hats off to Dan Muscatell and crew on a job well done. Montana State capped off its regular season with an 85-67 win over Eastern Washington. EWU finished the season +6 in the win column over last season, completing a nice turnaround. With a loaded roster back for next season, EWU is primed for a 2009-10 run.

So, we are set for what should be a great tournament this week. In a 3-6 match up, MSU and NAU will tip things off in the first round at 5:30 pm on Thursday. The Jacks swept MSU in the regular season in 2 lopsided victories. MSU is one of, if not the, hottest teams heading into the tournament, and the bracket sets up for another run at the title game, similar to last season's magical run. MSU is 5-1 since their last meeting with NAU, but the 'Cats mustn't take NAU for granted, because the Jacks have been a very difficult match up for MSU over the last couple of seasons.

The ISU/SAC opening round match up is intriguing because SAC has never beaten ISU, but this year's 2 game series was decided by a total of 7 points. Will SAC have more momentum heading into this meeting due to its thumping of NC and ISU's resounding loss to WSU? Or will ISU's front court be too much for the Hornets as it was earlier this year?

An MSU win would set up another rematch with PSU in the semis. The two teams split in the regular season, with the Viks winning the most recent game. This would be the match up of the tournament in my mind. UM is the overwhelming favorite to win it all. They will have no trouble with whoever they face in the semis, but either PSU or MSU could give the Griz trouble in the final.

I can't wait!!

Note: Thanks to all of you who voted in our Courtside Awards. I will be posting winners this afternoon or tomorrow morning. We will have the fan choices and my awards. Check back soon!

Super Saturday Open Thread

2:55pm

Katia Hadj-Hamou hits a big three at the end of the first half. PSU and UM are tied at 33 at half-time. NC-SAC tip off is in 10 minutes.

2:32pm

With 11:41 left in the first half, PSU and UM are tied at 15. Big crowd on hand in Missoula.

1:20pm

Newspaper Roundups

The Missoulian's Bill Speltz previews the UM/PSU tilt here.

The Oregonian's Ian Ruder has his own preview here.

The Sacramento Bee previews the SAC/NC game here.

12:35pm

If you are a complete statistical nerd like a few people I know, the graphic below will appeal to you. It shows the 8 different possible outcomes based on the 3 games today. The first level shows the winners in the first column and the losers in the second column. The second level shows records based on the possible outcomes. The third level shows the resulting seeds after taking into account tiebreakers. (Click on the graphic for a larger view.)


12:10pm

It's an important day in the Big Sky because we will finally get to answer some important questions like:

Where will the tournament be next week?

Who will be in?

How will the teams be seeded?

Who wins the BSC MVP? (in my mind, that question is answered by the outcome of the PSU/UM game)

We already have 2 of the seeds figured out thanks to Weber State's 74-60 upset of ISU in Ogden last night. With that outcome, ISU clinches the 4 seed while MSU clinches the 3 seed thanks to its season sweep of ISU.

I have camped out with my computer and am ready to load up BigSkyTV.org in a little less than 2 hours. Here's what I will be watching:

2pm- PSU and UM tip off with the winner hosting the tournament.
3pm- NCU and SAC tip off with the winner in and the loser out of the tournament.
7pm- EWU and MSU tip off to close out the BSC regular season.

I will be checking back and updating this post throughout the day, so feel free to leave questions or make comments in the comments section. Enjoy this exciting day!

And then there were 5.

It was another wild night in the Big Sky last night and the picture became a little bit clearer. Despite all odds, Northern Arizona clinched a spot in the tournament with a beat down of Northern Colorado in Flagstaff and by virtue of an Eastern Washington loss in Missoula. Also as a result of those games, EWU has been eliminated from tournament contention. Portland State avenged a January upset, taking care of Montana State in Bozeman. The game did not affect the tournament race, but it did add some more drama to Saturday's showdown in Missoula as both PSU and UM have 14-1 records heading into the contest.

Saturday will be a very important day because all of our questions will be answered. I for one plan to camp out in front of my computer and watch BigSkyTV.org and catch UM/PSU at 2pm and the second half of SAC/NCU after that. Here is what is at stake this weekend:

ISU @ WSU, 7pm MT
ISU travels to Ogden knowing it is in the tournament and guaranteed at least a 4 seed. WSU has been eliminated. Should ISU get the victory and MSU stumble against EWU, the Bengals would get the 3 seed. If the Bengals lose, they are the 4 seed and MSU clinches the 3 seed by virtue of their season sweep over ISU.

PSU @ UM, 2pm MT
The winner will host next week's Big Sky Conference tournament. It doesn't get any bigger than that. For PSU, a win would secure the first ever BSC regular season title. For Montana, a win would yield their 22nd title and 3rd consecutive season of hosting the tournament. The loser of this game will be the 2 seed in the tournament.

NCU @ SAC, 3pm MT
Due to NCU's loss to NAU last night, the winner of this game is in the tournament. Where the winner is seeded is another story. Here are the possibilities:
1. NCU wins, EWU loses: NAU is the 5 seed, NCU is the 6 seed
2. NCU wins, EWU wins: NCU is the 5 seed, NAU is the 6 seed
3. SAC wins: SAC is the 5 seed, NAU is the 6 seed

EWU @ MSU, 7pm MT
Because of its lopsided loss at UM and NAU's defeat of NCU, the Eagles will be in the spoiler roll at MSU's senior night. Depending on the outcome of Friday's ISU-WSU game, MSU might not have anything but pride to play for either. Assuming ISU wins, MSU will need to beat the Eagles to lock up the three seed.

Where Amazing Happens
I am continually impressed every time I see Claire Faucher in action. Last night vs MSU, the PSU point guard registered a triple-double with 20 points, 10 boards, and 10 steals. She was 2 assists shy of a quadruple double. On top of her hoops skills, she is also a comedian. During a free throw attempt, she fumbled and lost the basketball, promptly drawing jeers from the MSU crowd which thought it should count as her attempt. The ref picked up the ball and gave it back to her, and she gave a big shrug to the crowd before making the shot.

My Soap-Box
Why do we still have the regular season champ host the tournament? In this day and age where travel is so expensive and the logistics of travel for BSC teams are so quirky it is almost prohibitive for this format to continue. Here we are about 4 days away from teams having to leave for the tournament and we still don't know where we are going. I have to admit I love the drama and excitement the PSU-UM situation has created this year, but having to pull travel arrangements together for 5 teams and their fans in a span of 3 days is absolutely ridiculous and needlessly costly.

I do have some solutions however. The idea that springs to mind first is that you have the champion from the previous year host the tournament. That has problems in that in many cases, the champion one year is drained of senior players the next year and may not even be eligible for the tournament.

The better idea in my mind is to hold the tournament in a central location: Ogden, Utah. The Dee Events Center is one of the nicest in the conference and has plenty of space. The BSC headquarters are in Ogden. The Salt Lake City airport is very convenient for all of the teams in the conference and would be easily accessible by all fans. If you have a problem with one school continually hosting the tournament, maybe institute a rotation or hold it in a true neutral site like the Huntsman Center in SLC.

I really don't like the idea that some schools are pitching which is to cut the tourney teams from 6 to 4. It would make the remainder of the season meaningless to most of the teams very early in the conference schedule, and I think you would lose a lot of the late season magic.

You Decide '09

I have been planning an awards post for a couple of weeks now, and it hit me that I should let all of you loyal readers have a voice in who wins the TW Courtside Big Sky Conference Women's Basketball Awards! I have been getting a good amount of responses to my polls lately, so now is the time. You will see the polls at the right. Due to space contraints, I had to narrow down the choices, but if there is someone missing that you think deserves a look, let me know in the comments.

Polls close at 5pm on Sunday and I will have a wrap-up post on Monday. Get out and vote!!

Clinchers, Round 2

With just one weekend left in Big Sky regular season play we still have a lot of sorting out to do. Congrats to Idaho State and Montana State who both clinched spots this past week. Here is what can happen this week:

Portland State: has clinched first round bye. Can clinch 1 seed and tournament hosting rights with 1)a win over Montana OR 2)with a win over MSU, EWU wins over UM and MSU, AND ISU win over WSU or NCU loss to either NAU or SAC.

Montana: has clinched first round bye. Can Clinch 1 seed and tournament hosting rights with a win over PSU AND either 1) a win over EWU, OR 2) wins by NCU over SAC and NAU coupled with an ISU loss to WSU, OR 3) MSU win over PSU or EWU.

Montana State: has clinched a tournament spot. Can clinch 3 seed with a win over PSU or EWU.

Idaho State: has clinched a tournament spot, can't get lower than a 4 seed.

Sac State: clinches spot with 1) a win OR 2)a NCU loss to NAU AND EWU losses to UM and MSU.

Northern Colorado: clinches spot with 1)wins over SAC and NAU OR 2)a win over either SAC or NAU AND an EWU loss to UM or MSU.

Eastern Washington: clinches spot with 1)wins over UM and MSU OR 2) with a win over either UM or MSU AND wins by NCU over SAC and NAU OR 3)a win over UM AND losses by NCU to SAC and NAU.

Northern Arizona: clinches spot with a win over NCU AND either a SAC loss to NCU or an EWU loss to UM.

Weber State: eliminated from tournament play.

Many of these scenarios were cleared up by member Mvemjsunpx on BigSkyFans.com. Many thanks!!

Clinchers, Round 1

For those of you wondering about my motivation for this blog, here you go. I started this blog for 3 reasons: 1) there isn't a place in cyberspace solely focusing on Big Sky WBB, 2) Postseason seeding tie-breakers, and 3) clinching scenarios. We can't get to number 2 quite yet (next weekend for sure), but we can get to number 3 this weekend because there are scenarios that could flesh out.

So, I am proud to present the TW Courtside Clinchers! Here are the Big Sky Conference WBB Tournament seeds and berths that can be clinched on Saturday:

Montana: Clinched spot and is ensured at least the 2 seed. Can’t clinch 1 seed this weekend.

Portland State: Clinched spot and is ensured at least the 2 seed. Can’t clinch 1 seed this weekend.

Montana State: Clinches tournament spot with a win over NCU and a loss by NAU.

Idaho State: Clinches tournament spot with a win over NAU.

Because of the competitive nature of the conference this season, the other teams will know their fates next weekend!

Image from www.bigskyconf.com.

The Homestretch

First of all, I want to start by apologizing for the lack of posts over the last few days. I am in the process of changing jobs and cities, so I haven't had much time to post lately. Post may be a bit sporadic for awhile, so bear with me.

After another exciting weekend the BSC standings are still as murky as ever. It is clear that we won't know where the tournament will be or exactly who will be in it until the final weekend of the regular season. Perhaps the most important results from the weekend were that some teams really gained some momentum, and some teams lost momentum.

Momentum Gainers

Montana State picked up a road sweep over Weber State and Idaho State by playing some of their best ball of the season. The Cats are now 4-2 for their last 6 games and have won 3 straight. MSU will close with three games at home and appear to be getting hot at just the right time. The Cats are quickly becoming the team no one will want to face in the tournament.

Sacramento State got a huge win at NAU in overtime on Saturday. Getting a 'W' in Flagstaff was a great way to rebound from a disastorous Montana road trip last weekend. The Hornets now have some major momentum heading into this weekend's home clashes with ISU and WSU. The Hornets will finish at home with NCU. Not only are all three of these games winnable, I believe Sac will win these games. A four game winning streak heading into the tourney? Who would have guessed Sac would be one of the hottest teams in the league?

Northern Colorado blasted EWU on Saturday in a type of game no one expected. After losing 4 straight, it was great for the Bears to turn it around, but with 4 straight on the road to close the season I don't see the Bears winning another game. UM, MSU, NAU, and SAC are just too hot right now, and all four play well at home.

Momentum Losers

Idaho State got swept at home this past weekend and looked really bad against Montana, only registering 39 points. ISU was once able to hang its hat on defense, but in the two losses, the Bengals gave up over 70 in each game. With remaining trips to Flagstaff, Sacramento, and Ogden, it is conceivable that ISU will not win another game. I do think the Bengals will win at Weber State, but that may not be enought to get into the tourney.

Eastern Washington looked really bad at Northern Colorado on Saturday, getting blown out by a team it should have beaten. The Eagles now have to go to PSU, UM, and MSU. Good luck with that.

Weber State got swept by the Montana schools last weekend in games it had to win to turn this forgettable season around. It appears now that the Wildcats will miss out on their second consecutive tournament for the first time since 1995.


Links

MSU's Nubia Garcia and UM's Sonya Rogers are named BSC POWs.

The Idaho State Journal's Kelvin Ang breaks down the BSC race and gives his predictions. (and for the most part I agree!)

Big Sky Big Timer: Jenna Brown

It was another critical and interesting weekend in the Big Sky Conference. NAU and ISU picked up some very important road wins to put themselves in good position heading into home weekends for each team this weekend. PSU and UM continued their home court dominance, each going 2-0 on the weekend. The standings are still a mess, and it looks more and more like we won’t know much about how the tournament will look until the final day of the regular season.

One trend was very clear this weekend: the Big Sky has some very impressive point guards. Just about everyone on my list this week plays that position, and I think we are seeing some great performances out of that position because each game is so critical right now. PGs are trying their best to lead their teams to victory, and it shows.

Mandy Morales had a great weekend, leading all scorers in two home wins over the weekend. But I think you will agree that defending home court when you play your home games in a place like Dahlberg Arena is not nearly as impressive as leading a team with effectively 6 players to a successful road trip in the Big Sky. Congratulations this week to Jenna Brown of Idaho State.

Brown scored 16 points on 5-10 shooting in a tough-fought loss at PSU on Thursday. She added 5 rebounds and 4 assists in the contest. On Saturday, the senior led her team to an important road win at EWU, scoring a game high 24 points. She was 5-9 from the field, bagged 5 boards, and got 5 steals. On the weekend, Brown hit 20-25 free throws. Due to the Bengals’ short bench, Brown played 79 minutes (one minute of rest!) in the 2 games.

For the Bengals, the win over EWU puts them in good position in the standings heading into their final home stand this week against Montana State and Montana. In my opinion, the fact that the Bengals have lost two of the conference’s best players to graduation, have a brand new coaching staff and system, have virtually no bench, and are tied for third in the conference standings this deep in the season is nothing short of amazing. Jenna Brown is the major contributor to that success.

Honorable Mention BSBTrs

Mandy Morales (UM): Morales knocked down 4 of 6 threes in route to a game high 22 points in a win over Sac State. In Saturday’s win over NAU, she had another game high with 19 points. She hit 9 of 9 free throws, pulled down 6 boards, and dished out 4 assists.

Chene Cooper (EWU): Cooper racked up 14 points in each of the Eagle’s 2 games this weekend. Games combined, she was 7-13 from the field, 3-3 from the arc, and 11-13 from the foul line. The freshman also pulled down 4.5 rebounds per game and registered 3.5 assists per game.

Erica Perry (MSU): Perry registered 17 points, 2 assists, and 3 rebounds in a loss to NAU. In Saturday’s win over Sac State, she chipped in 16 points, 3 boards, and 3 steals. On the weekend, she shot 13-20 from the field (65%) and hit 9 of 9 free throws.

Claire Faucher (PSU): Faucher had 20 points, 6 rebounds, and 10 assists in a tough win over ISU on Thursday. She was 8-13 from the foul line and only turned the ball over twice. In Saturday’s win over WSU, she had 8 points, 7 rebounds, and 8 assists. On the weekend, Faucher averaged 3 steals.

Charday Hunt (Sac St): Hunt had a team high 13 points and 5 boards in the loss to Montana. The junior shot 50% from the field, 3-3 from the arc, and 6-6 from the foul line for a game high 19 points and 6 boards in Sac’s loss to MSU. On the weekend, she hit 6 of 10 shots from the arc.

Sade Cunningham (NAU): Cunningham scored 15 points on 6-8 shooting, 1-1 three-point shooting, and 2-2 foul shooting to lead her team to an important road win at MSU. She also added 6 assists, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists. In the loss to Montana, the senior had 10 points, 7 boards, 3 assists, and shot 50% from the field.

Ali Thorderson (WSU): Thorderson scored 10 points on 3-5 three-point shooting vs EWU on Thursday. She followed that up with 11 points on 3-7 three-point shooting against PSU on Saturday. She averaged 3.5 rebounds and 2 assists over the 2 games.

Weekend Preview

Tomorrow we start another important weekend of WBB as the Big Sky will try to sort itself out again. Here are some previews of this weekend’s action.

ISU, WSU @ EWU, PSU

These games are very important to all of the teams, but probably most important to the Eagles. For EWU, this weekend’s home stand is the last of the season, and with trips to Portland, Greeley, Missoula, and Bozeman looming, it is conceivable that EWU may not win again after this weekend. ISU and WSU are teams the Eagles should beat; making these must win games if EWU wants to play in the post season. The Bengals blew out EWU in Pocatello a few weeks ago, so winning won’t come easy for the Eagles.

If there were a line on these games, PSU would be heavily favored at the Stott Center against two teams they beat on the road already this season. The Vikings are looking to keep pace with Montana for the number 1 seed in the upcoming tournament. The Viks’ last home game (an OT loss to MSU) should be motivation enough to get a home sweep over the Bengals and Wildcats.

For both ISU and WSU this is a critical weekend. Both schools will entertain the Montana schools next weekend before heading on that always difficult NAU-SAC road trip. Neither team has been too spectacular on the road in conference play, ISU is 1-2 in BSC road games and WSU is 1-3. Couple that with the fact that PSU and EWU have been playing well at home, and it will be a difficult weekend for the Bengals and Wildcats. ISU will need someone besides Michelle Grohs to shine in order to at least split on the weekend. WSU will need consistent play out of its stars, something that has lacked in road games this season.

SAC, NAU @ UM, MSU

The Bobcats find themselves in a place no one predicted at the start of the season, tied for last place in the conference this deep in the season. Despite a dreadful first half of conference play, MSU is still very much within striking distance of a top 4 seed in the conference tournament and can make up a huge chunk of ground with a home sweep over NAU and SAC this weekend. The Bobcats own the conference’s third-best home record at 6-2, but have also played the fewest home games of any BSC team. Getting the home sweep will not be easy as the ‘Cats will go up against teams that gave the Bobcats their lowest point of the season after MSU was swept on the NAU-SAC trip earlier this year. MSU is a completely different team at home however and should put themselves right back in the discussion by Sunday.

NAU got a big win in dramatic fashion against EWU as Sade Cunningham and Katie Schaefer were able to steal away a win for the ‘Jacks in the closing minute on last Saturday. NAU will need similar heroics to earn a victory this weekend against two teams that play well at home. The ‘Jacks would put themselves in a very good position in the conference standings if they were able to get a split this weekend, considering they will be at home for their remaining 4 games. NAU is a team that doesn’t get nervous when it goes to Missoula and has been able to find success there in recent years while other teams have not. UM is 23-3 against NAU in Missoula, but all three of the wins have come in the last 4 seasons.

Sac State finds itself in uncharted territory: deep in the conference season with a chance to move into sole possession of third place in the BSC if the dominoes fall the right way this weekend. It will be uphill sledding for the Hornets however, as they face a MSU team that is bent on redeeming its January OT loss in Sacramento and a UM team that has never lost to Sac and beats the Hornets by an average of 26 points in Dahlberg. More likely than not, the Hornets will be brought back down to earth this weekend in the Big Sky State.

Montana will try to keep pace with Portland State for the top seed in the tournament this weekend. On paper, the Griz shouldn’t lose another game in conference play, which would set up a huge show down with PSU in the final regular season game. NAU will give the Griz a run for their money on Saturday and SAC will play tough as well.

NCU host Black Hills State on Friday

The Bears will look to take out some frustration on a NAIA team after being swept on the road in Ogden and Pocatello last weekend. Some rest and a confidence booster couldn’t have come at a better time for the Bears.

Courtside Mid-Term Awards

Following along with my Courtside Mid-Term Grades, here are my award winners from the first half of conference play:




MVP
Kelsey Kahle

All-Courtside Team
Mandy Morales, UM
Michelle Grohs, ISU
Charday Hunt, Sac
Erica Perry, MSU
Kelli Valentine, PSU

All-Courtside Team Just Missed
Julie Piper, EWU
Caitlin Anderson, WSU
Nubia Garcia, MSU
Courtney Stoermer, NCU
Sade Cunningham, NAU

Outstanding Freshman
Katie Bussey, MSU

Outstanding Coach
Dan Muscatell, Sac

If I wanted to beat everyone by 50 team
Katie Bussey, MSU
Ali Thorderson, WSU
Sonya Rogers, UM
Kyla Evans, EWU
Michelle Grohs, ISU

I don’t want the other team to score more than 40 Team
Claire Faucher, PSU
Erica Perry, MSU
Britney Lohman, UM
Courtney Stoermer, NCU
Michelle Grohs, ISU

The Future Is Bright Team
Katie Bussey, MSU
Eryn Jones, PSU
Kaisha Brown, NCU
Joey O’Neill, WSU
Brianne Ryan, EWU

Heartbeat Award (Player who means the most to her team)
Erica Perry, MSU

Player I want holding the ball down 3 with 4 seconds remaining Award
Katie Bussey, MSU

Plays bigger than she is Award
Caitlin Anderson, WSU

Take your milk money Award
Mandy Morales, UM

Sixth Man Award
Nicole Scott, EWU

Don’t take her out of the game award
Claire Faucher, PSU

Courtside Mid-Terms

Alright, pencils down! It’s time for the TW Courtside mid-term grades. I should have written this last week, but you know how things go sometimes. Anyway, in issuing the following grades, I am only taking into account the first half of Big Sky Conference play. In other words, I didn’t count last weekend’s games. Without further ado…

Mid-Term Report Cards

Portland State (7-1) A
The Vikings were picked to finish 2nd in the conference, but thanks to a tie-breaker win over the Grizzlies, they are sitting at the top of the conference after the first half. The Vikings have played very well and have come to play in each game so far. With exception to their loss to MSU, the Viks have been able to put games away fairly early thanks to strong play by Kelsey Kahle, Claire Faucher, and Kelli Valentine. Freshman Eryn Jones has been a surprise with her very efficient play and defensive abilities. The second half won’t be nearly as spotless as the Viks still have to go to Montana and Montana State where road trips seldom go their way.
Best Win: 72-62 over Montana Worst Loss: 90-94 OT to MSU

Montana Grizzlies (7-1) A
The Grizzlies have the best defense in the Big Sky and we have all heard that defense wins championships. Mandy Morales is making a strong case for league MVP, which would be her second career award. I think Montana’s defining moment of the first half was its win over EWU. After coming off of a deflating loss to the Viks, the Lady Griz had to play an EWU team that was still flying high after its win over MSU. UM crushed the Eagles and righted the ship quickly. The fact that Montana only has one loss despite playing 5 of 8 games away from Dahlberg is pretty impressive. The only thing that might trip up the Griz down the stretch may be their lack of depth and inconsistent bench play.
Best Win: 81-56 over EWU Worst Loss: 62-72 to PSU

Northern Colorado (4-4) C
NCU played all but 2 of its first half games in Greeley yet is only .500. That makes me worry about this team. If you can’t win at home, don’t expect to win on the road. I have been impressed by the way NCU has handled losing Jaime Schroeder. A lot of teams would be deflated by losing their star player, but Courtney Stoermer and Kate Kevorken have stepped in to provide some great leadership as sophomores. That said, with only 2 home games left and those being PSU and EWU, I think the Bears may be in real danger of staying home for the tournament.
Best Win: 55-53 at EWU Worst Loss: 53-71 to Sac St at home

Eastern Washington (4-4) B+
The Eagles play in the first half of the conference schedule far exceeded anyone’s expectations. Julie Piper has turned into a force to be reckoned with, Nicole Scott probably deserves the sixth man award if their was one, and the backcourt tandem of Kyla Evans and Brianne Ryan is very potent. EWU is another team with an unfavorable second half schedule that includes just 2 home games. This team may have peaked early and will have some work to do as they weren’t able to put any distance between themselves and the rest of the “muddled middle.” I think their 2 point loss to NCU at home will haunt them. While I do think the Eags will make the tourney, I think next year is when you need to really be scared of this team.
Best Win: 90-75 over MSU Worst Loss: 54-71 to ISU

Montana State (3-5) C
The Bobcats played well below their expectations in the first half. The Bobcats only managed 1 road win in the first half of conference play, despite being in every game with the exception of the season opener in Missoula. MSU’s defense is very spotty and may be the Achilles Heal for this team. However, the ‘Cats played much of the first half on the road (6 of 8 games) and have a very favorable schedule in the second half. Thanks to the parity of the league, MSU may well achieve its predicted third place finish. The consistently good play of Erica Perry will ensure that MSU will be in every game, if not winning them. The reason I gave MSU a ‘C’ rather than a ‘D’ is because of their road win at PSU in OT. The ‘Cats showed tremendous poise in that game and handed PSU its only L in the first half.
Best Win: 94-90 OT at PSU Worst Loss: 61-76 to NAU

Idaho State (3-5) B-
The fact that ISU has won a conference game at all is a mere miracle in my opinion. The Bengals had a very light roster to start the year, and now go only 7 deep after a rash of injuries. Michelle Grohs is having a stellar year and may be the most versatile player in the league. She leads the league in blocks and is third in 3’s made, which is a rare combination. With the short bench and a difficult remaining schedule, wins will also be rare for ISU in the second half. I just don’t think the Bengals will have the juice necessary to make a second half push. The Bengals didn’t get enough Ws in the first half to set themselves up for the second half.
Best Win: 60-55 at NCU Worst Loss: 60-66 vs NAU

NAU (3-5) B+
The Lumberjacks had a tough first half schedule, playing just 2 games at home, but were able to get 2 road victories to keep themselves in the hunt. Their home win over MSU was impressive and their win at Sac State over a surging Hornets team showed great poise. Sade Cunningham continues to impress me, though for a senior point guard I think she turns the ball over too much. Calling the Skydome home in remote Flagstaff gives NAU one of the best home court advantages in the Big Sky, and for the last 4 games in conference play, they won’t have to leave there. This will be a hot team come tournament time.
Best Win: 76-61 over MSU Worst Loss: 58-87 at PSU

Sac State (3-5) B+
The Hornets are teacher’s pet after being the biggest surprise of the first half. After picking up just 2 wins in the non-conference, I was beginning to wonder if Sac would win a game in conference play. Well, they have won 3 conference games, including 2 on the road. The Hornets’ execution in OT in a home win over MSU was excellent and gave the Hornets momentum. Since that game, the Hornets are 2-3, picking up wins in Greeley and Ogden and never losing by more than 10 points. The Hornets will play 4 home games in the second half and have themselves in a good position to make their first conference tourney in recent memory.
Best Win: 88-86 OT over MSU Worst Loss: 58-61 to NAU

Weber State (2-6) D
After a promising non-conference schedule that included a Pac-10 win and a win over the Mountatin West favorite, Weber took 6 losses before it finally won a conference game. I know the Wildcats are young, but they must get more consistent effort from their stars if they are going to make anything out of this season. The Wildcats won just one of four home games in the first half, which may be too big a hole to climb out of. With road trips remaining to Portland, Cheney, Flagstaff, and Sacramento, things may be grim for the Wildcats.
Best Win: 73-51 over NAU Worst Loss: 68-82 to EWU

Big Sky Big Timer: Sade Cunnigham

Another weekend down and the picture is still as murky as ever. PSU and UM are still within a half-game of each other at the top of the standings and the other 7 teams are still fighting it out for third place, all within one game of each other. Sac State, ISU, NAU, and Weber State all had nice home stands and made up some ground, while EWU and NCU fell out of prime position with goose eggs on the weekend. MSU also lost some ground, falling to UM at home, but the 'Cats are showing signs of playing much better ball as of late and entertain NAU and Sac St this week.

As far as individual performances go, there was a bit of a drop off last week from the brilliant performances across the league of a week ago, but never the less, players showed some great leadership in important games. I don't think any player meant more to her team this past weekend than a certain point guard from NAU.

Congratulations this week to Lumberjack Sade Cunningham, this week's BSBTr. The point guard had 4 points, 5 rebounds, and 9 assists in a loss to PSU on Thursday night. On Saturday, Cunningham tallied a game high 21 points on 9-12 shooting to lead NAU past EWU and into a fourth place tie in the conference standings. Cunningham was 1-1 from behind the arc and kicked in 9 assists, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals. She played the entire 40 minutes of a neck-and-neck game, and hit the go ahead basket with 36 seconds to go. On the weekend, Cunnigham did not miss a minute of action, playing 80 straight minutes. Perhaps the most significant achievement for Cunnigham personally was that she scored her 1,000th career point in the win over EWU. Most important for NAU however, is that thanks to Cunningham's hard work, the 'Jacks are in good position in the standings heading into their Montana road trip this week.

Honorable Mention BSBTrs

Michelle Grohs (ISU) Grohs scored a game high 27 points, going 10-18 from the field and hitting 3 triples. Grohs also had 10 rebounds in the game. Grohs performance led ISU to a win over NCU and put the Bengals into third place in the conference.

Caitlin Anderson (WSU) Anderson registered her fourth straight double-double and her sixth of the season with a 16 point, 17 rebound outing against NCU. Anderson now has the top 3 single-game rebounding performances of the season in the Big Sky.

Mandy Morales (UM) Morales scored 17 points on 6-11 shooting to lead the Lady Griz past MSU in Bozeman. She added 7 rebounds (4 on the offensive end) and 2 assists in the game.

Nubia Garcia (MSU) The MSU senior recorded her fourth double-double of the season scoring 17 points and 13 rebounds in a loss to UM. She was 6-10 from the field and 5-7 from the FT line.

Tonya Schnibbe (WSU) Schnibbe scored a team high 19 points and chipped in 8 assists in Weber’s win over NCU.

Charday Hunt (SAC) Hunt scored a game high 27 points to lead the Hornets to a big win at home over EWU. Her production dropped off a bit on Saturday as she was just 3-12 from the field for 7 points vs PSU.

Kelli Valentine (PSU) The sophomore scored 16 points and pulled down 6 boards in a win over NAU and followed that up with 21 points and 6 rebounds in a win over Sac St on Saturday. In the Sac St game, Valentine was 8-9 from the field.

It Gets Even More Interesting

There were three games last night in Big Sky Conference Women's hoops, and the results shook up the standings even more than they all ready are. I got a chance to watch parts of all three games on BigSkyTV.org and two of them provided great finishes.

Northern Colorado 55 Weber State 66

The Bears took the lead with 6 minutes remaining in the first half and led until there were 3 minutes to play. With 5:25 to go, Weber State went on a 17-0 run to close the game. Talk about execution in the final minutes. Caitlin Anderson had 16 points and 17 rebounds in the game and Tonya Schnibbe ended with a game high 19 points and 8 assists. And those 17 unanswered points? Thirteen of them came from the free throw line where the Wildcats were 13-15 in the final 5 minutes. Just 2 weeks ago, the Wildcats looked left for dead, starting conference play with 6 straight losses. Don't look now, but they are winners of 3 straight and are just 1 game out of third place.

Eastern Washington 67 Sacramento State 74

The Hornets' Nest is quickly becoming the place you don't want to play right now and the Hornets are quickly becoming the team you don't want to play. Sac State has won 3 of their last 4 games and after last night's mini-upset of EWU, the Hornets find themselves in a three-way tie for third in the standings.

Sac State held EWU to just 29% shooting in the first half and held a commanding 16 point lead at the intermission. Sac got it up to a 20 point lead before the Eagles recovered at the 10 minute mark in the second half, going on a 6 and a half minute, 21-3 run to close the gap to 2. Sac outscored EWU 10-5 over the last 3 minutes however, and pulled away for the win. The Hornets got 25 points from Charday Hunt and double-doubles from 2 other players (Edwards and Christensen). Sac's second-leading scorer, Atty Boyer, was held without a shot in the game due to some foul trouble and good defense by the Eagles.

Sac's win, coupled with the loss by NCU, puts the Hornets, Bears, and Eagles all in a tie for third place in the conference.

Portland State 69 Northern Arizona 57

The Vikings rebounded well from their first BSC loss to Montana State last weekend. The win represented the first time ever that PSU has won back-to-back games in Flagstaff. PSU got off to a fast start, outscoring NAU 36 to 24 in the first half while holding the 'Jacks to 21% shooting (14% from inside the arc!). NAU held serve in the second half, but were unable to make up any ground. Kelsey Kahle led PSU with 17 points and 8 rebounds and Kelli Valentine added 16 and 6. Claire Faucher had 8 points but also contributed 10 assists. For the Vikings, the win puts them a half of a game up on Montana for first place in the standings.

With Sac State and Weber State each picking up important home wins, the bottom seven teams in the Big Sky are all within ONE game of each other. Every game will be pretty important from here on out.

With tight standings like we have right now, who has the best chance to make hay? (Sorry for the farming reference.) Teams with lots of home games. In Big Sky play, home teams are 20-16. That bodes well for Montana State (6 home games, 2 road games remaining), Montana (5 home games, 3 road games remaining), NAU (5 home games, 2 road games) and Sac State (4 home games, 3 road games). Eastern Washington (2 home games, 5 road games) and Northern Colorado (2 home games, 5 road games) may be in trouble.

Big Sky Big Timer: Erica Perry

What a weekend! I can’t think of a better weekend of women’s hoops in the Big Sky since I started following it intensely last season. Think about it: a match-up of unbeatens, 2 overtime games, road upsets, and a muddled mess in the standings when it was all said and done. When you have great games like we had this weekend there are going to be some outstanding individual performances that leave you in awe. Indeed that is what we got.

This was without a doubt the most difficult BSBTr decision I have had this season because for just about every team there was at least one, sometimes two performances that on a normal week would be shoo-ins for the award. But, just like in the game itself, there will be some who get the short end of the stick.

Congratulations this week to Erica Perry of Montana State. The junior point guard for the Bobcats played the best game of her career in the biggest win of MSU’s season. Perry scored a career high 27 points to lead Montana State over the league-leading Vikings in Portland on Sunday. She was 12-22 from the field (54.5%) and added 3 assists, 3 steals and her 1st block of the season in the effort. Perry was most dangerous off the dribble, where she drove her way into the paint, getting most of her points on acrobatic lay-ups among the PSU forwards. Perry played 40 minutes of the overtime game, scoring 16 points in the second half and 3 in the extra period. With 2:32 left in overtime, Perry scooped a loose ball and went coast-to-coast for a lay-in to give MSU the lead for good.

In a losing effort against Eastern Washington, Perry scored 17 points, while chipping in 3 assists, 2 rebounds, and 3 steals. On the weekend, the guard averaged 58% shooting and committed just 2 turnovers.

Honorable Mention BSBTrs

Mandy Morales (UM): 34 points, 15-28 FG, 0-6 3FG, 4 assists, 7 rebounds, 2 blocks vs PSU; 28 points, 8 assists, 6 rebounds, 11-14 FG, 4-5 3FG, 3 steals vs EWU

Katie Bussey (MSU): 20 points, 7-12 FG, 3-6 3FG, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal vs EWU; 20 points, 8-16 FG, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 block vs PSU

Nicole Scott (EWU): 19 points, 11 rebounds, 8-12 FG, 3-5 3FG vs MSU; 15 points, 6-11 FG, 1-1 3FG, 3 rebounds, 2 steals vs UM

Atty Boyer (Sac): 14 points, 10 rebounds, 6-14 FG, 6 blocks vs NCU

Kelly Valentine (PSU): 13 points, 9 rebounds vs UM; 18 points, 11 rebounds vs MSU

Courtney Stoermer (NCU): 15 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds, 1 steal vs Sac St; 21 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 9 steals vs NAU

Claire Faucher (PSU): 8 points, 6 assists, 2 blocks, 2 steals vs UM; 25 points, 11-25 FG, 1-7 3FG, 12 assists, 2 steals, 4 assists vs MSU

Tonya Schnibbe (WSU): 10 points, 13 assists, 6 rebounds, 0 turnovers vs Utah Valley;17 points, 3 rebounds, 12 assists, 2 turnovers, 1 steal vs ISU

Caitlin Anderson (WSU): 10 points, 12 assists, 3 assists, 1 steal vs Utah Valley; 16 points, 19 rebounds, 6-11 FG, 2-2 3FG, 1 assist vs ISU

Jenna Brown (ISU): 24 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 steal vs WSU

Another Party in Portland

There was another party in Portland yesterday afternoon, but it was the road team doing the celebrating. In a classic overtime thriller, Montana State got their first road conference win, upsetting number 1 Portland State 94-90.

From MSU:

...The
Montana State women's basketball squad knocked off Big Sky leading
Portland State 94-90 in overtime, paced by Erica Perry's career-high 27
points, Saturday afternoon in the Peter W. Stott Center.

Perry, a junior from Lynwood, Calif., converted 12-of-22 from the field
and added three assists and three steals. She posted 16 points in the
second stanza, including three in the overtime period.

Trailing 90-89 with 2:32 left in overtime, Perry gathered up a loose
ball
and converted a fastbreak layup to give MSU the lead for good. On the
ensuing in-bounds, the Vikings turned the ball over. MSU's next
possession
was blocked out-of-bounds with three-seconds left on the shot clock.
Following a Bobcat timeout, freshman Katie Bussey nailed a 15-footer as
the clock expired to give Montana State (9-11, 3-5) a 93-90 advantage.

MSU missed the front end of two one-and-one situations in the final
22-seconds, but junior Jenny Heringer's free throw make with 17-seconds
left gave the Bobcats their final four-point cushion...

Other Saturday Games:

Weber State is 2-0 in OT games this season after knocking off Idaho State 78-77 in Pocatello.

The Grizzlies got back on the horse in Cheney, whopping Eastern Washington 81 to 56.

Northern Colorado beat Northern Arizona in another classic finish, 59 to 53.

Look for the Big Sky Big Timer later this afternoon when I get back to Montana!

A Party in Portland

Something had to give. Portland State and Montana squared off in the Rose City tonight, both teams were 6-0 in conference play. Chalk one up for the home team as the Viks were able to knock off the Griz 72-62, putting themselves in sole possession of first place in the Big Sky. It wasn't the usual suspects for PSU doing the damage tonight. Katia Hadj-Hamou led the Viks with 19 points, going 4-9 from long range. For Montana, Mandy Morales had a game high 34 points, but no one else had more than 6. The Griz made just 1 of 14 three-point attempts, and when you subtract out Morales' production, the team shot just 29.7% for the game. Leading into the game, the Griz had trailed in just 1 of 12 halves, make it 3 after that loss.

For the box score click here.

Sacramento State beat Northern Colorado 71-53 tonight for a huge road win. Atty Boyer had a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Eastern Washington got a nice home victory over Montana State 90-75. That win, coupled with the NCU loss, puts the surprising Eagles solidly in 3rd place. The Eags made 13 three's in the game, 1 off of a school record.

Saturday
Montana at Eastern Washington 3:05 p.m.
Montana State at Portland State 3:05 p.m.
Northern Arizona at Northern Colorado 2:05 p.m.
Weber State at Idaho State 7:05 p.m.
All Times Mountain

Big Sky Big Timer: Kate Kevorken

There were some great performances around the league this weekend in some important games. Weber State finally got their first conference win against NAU, Northern Colorado got a big OT win over MSU to solidify their place in the league, and Sac State got a nice road win over Weber State. As far as individuals go, it was a tough decision this week. Congratulations this week to Kate Kevorken of Northern Colorado.

The sophomore swing forward scored 11 points in the second half for a game total of 15 in the Bears’ win over Montana State on Thursday night. In the OT game she was 5-7 from the free throw line. She chipped in 8 rebounds and 3 assists. In Saturday’s loss to UM, she finished with a game high 23 points and was 12-13 from the free throw line. She also had 6 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 steals. The weekend split, following last weekend's win over Eastern Washington, has the Bears solidly in third place in the conference standings. However, the Bears will spend a good deal of the second half of conference play on the road.

Honorable Mentions

Julie Piper (EWU) Piper scored a game high 23 points and pulled down 11 boards in EWU’s loss to PSU. She was 9-16 from the floor.

Courtney Stoermer (NCU) Stoermer finished with 22 points in her team’s win over MSU. 18 of those came in the second half. She was 9-12 from the charity stripe and had 4 rebounds and 3 steals. Against UM, she contributed 16 points and added 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals.

Sonya Rogers (UM) Rogers scored a team high 21 points on 9-17 shooting. She added 4 rebounds and 2 steals.

Erica Perry (MSU) The point guard scored a career high 20 points and pulled down a career high 9 boards in MSU’s loss to NCU. She also added 5 assists and 6 steals.

Atty Boyer (SAC) Boyer notched 29 points on 11-19 shooting and added 9 rebounds in Thursday’s road win at Weber State. She followed that up with a game high 11 rebounds in SAC’s loss to ISU on Saturday, but only scored 4 points on 1-6 shooting.

Kelli Valentine (PSU) The sophomore led PSU in rebounding (9) and tied for the lead in scoring (14), in the Vikings win over EWU.

Michelle Grohs (ISU) Grohs had two double-doubles on the weekend with a team-high 16 points and 11 rebounds in a loss to NAU, and 13 points and 10 rebounds in a win over SAC. She also added 5 assists in that game.

Tonya Schnibbe (WSU) Schnibbe had 10 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists in the Wildcats’ loss to SAC on Thursday. The Point guard dished out 8 assists and scored 12 points as Weber broke its 8 game losing streak on Saturday against NAU.

Oana Iacovita (ISU) Iacovita led her team in scoring in both games over the weekend scoring 16 points against NAU and 19 points against SAC. She averaged 4 rebounds and 2 blocks on the weekend.

Janelle Matthews (NAU) Matthews was 6-10 from behind the arc on the way to 23 points in NAU’s win over ISU on Thursday. She also chipped in 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals while playing the entire 40 minutes. She cooled off a bit in the team’s loss to WSU, going 4-12 from the field and 0-2 from long distance for 11 points , 2 steals, and 2 boards.

Caitlin Anderson (WSU) Anderson had 20 points and 17 rebounds in Saturday’s win over NAU, but was limited to 4 points and 7 rebounds on Thursday night.

Big Sky Big Timer: Nubia Garcia

Congratulations this week to Montana State's Nubia Garcia, this week's Big Sky Big Timer. Garcia and the Bobcats went 2-0 last weekend, knocking off Weber State and Idaho State. Against Weber State, the 6-2 senior had her third double-double of the season, scoring 18 points and netting 13 rebounds. In the win over Idaho State, Garcia pulled down a career high 16 boards, 3 points, 5 assists, and a steal. The 16 rebound total is the second highest single game effort in the conference this season. The 3 points scored may seem low, but Garcia only took 4 shots, made one and was fouled on another. The Cats found it was much more effective to have the ball in the hands of a guard or their four, as the arc and penetration were wide open against the Bengals.

Last week was an amazing week for the native of Chihuahua, Mexico. In addition to leading her team to the 2 wins with incredible individual performances, Garcia was recognized for her classroom work as well. She is a photography major and was honored this quarter with her self-portrait appearing on the cover of the NCAA Champions magazine. (To see the online story, click here). Last week, Garcia's photography was exhibited at a NCAA exhibition in Washington DC. She has told me in numerous airplane seat-mate interviews that she would like to work as a photographer for a magazine like Sports Illustrated someday and I am confident that with her determination, it is a goal she will achieve.

Garcia now leads the Big Sky in rebounds (8.8 per game, 9.6 per game in conference play), is second in FG% (51.7%--she led the category until the ISU game), and is 7th in scoring (12.5 ppg). With numbers like those, an improving defensive game, and her leadership on her team, Garcia will definitely be in the Big Sky MVP discussion at the end of this season. In my humble and somewhat biased opinion, I think Garcia is the premier post in the conference. No other post has been able to put together the scoring (only Kahle scores more than Garcia among BSC posts), rebounding (Garcia is in a class of her own), and defense (Garcia is the only BSC player in the top ten in both steals and blocks). That sounds pretty premier to me.

Getting Ready for Thursday Night Throwdowns

It's time for week 3 of Big Sky conference play and there are some good games this weekend. Hungry Weber State and surprising Idaho State take the trip through the Big Sky state, Northern Colorado goes to Eastern Washington and Portland State, and NAU and Sac State will clash on Sunday in Sacramento. Here are some previews of tonight's games from the regional newspapers:

WSU at Montana State (Bozeman Daily Chronicle)

ISU at Montana (Missoulian)


Other News and Notes

Jaime Schroeder's status is "out indefinitely" with a leg injury.

UCSB figured out how to defend Kelsey Kahle and the Gauchos beat PSU 67-61 last night.


Great story on future Bobcat Ashley Albert and Hamilton's try for the state tournament.

Gotta love a good vommit story and an update on ISU WBB.

Idaho State's Andrea Videbeck has had to overcome a lot this year.

BSC Week 1 News and Notes

Northern Colorado rebounded well from Friday night's loss to Idaho State to take down Weber State today 66-53 despite being without the services of their lone senior and leading scorer Jaime Schroeder. Schroeder suffered a right knee injury 7 minutes into the ISU game and did not return. If Schroeder is done for the year, it would be a devastating blow to the Bears' chances in the conference.

For Northern Colorado, the win over Weber State was number 500 in program history.

In the second half of the MSU-UM rivalry game on Saturday, the Cats and the Griz shot a combined 67% from the field and 64% from the arc. The Grizzlies shot 63% for the game while MSU shot 45%.

The last three games in the 84-game Cat-Griz rivalry have featured the highest combined scores in the history of the rivlary. (2/8/08 MSU 91-UM 87--178 points, 1/3/09 UM 95-MSU 75--170 points, 3/15/08 UM 101-MSU 65--166 points) Defense anyone?

In the last 4 games versus MSU, Montana guard Sonya Rogers has hit 16 three-pointers. She shot 64% from the arc in those games.

Big Sky Big Timer: Kelsey Kahle

First of all, apologies for being delinquent in my posting, I took some time off in between games and holiday festivities over the last 2 weeks. But I am back and ready to go as the Big Sky heads into conference season. There were some great games this weekend and some outstanding individual performances as well. But one player stood ever so slightly above the rest. Congratulations to Portland State’s Kelsey Kahle, this week’s Big Sky Big Timer.

Kahle averaged 28.6 points per game in 3 contests this week, shooting 57% from the field. In a loss to Utah Valley on Monday, Kahle scored 30 points, the second time she has gone for 30 or more points on the season. In the game, Kahle was 12-12 from the free throw line and dished out 3 assists and 4 steals. (Note: the 102-92 loss to UVU was just the second home loss for the Viks in the last two seasons. Bonus points to anyone who can name which team the other loss was to). PSU went 2-0 to start conference play this weekend, thanks in no small part to Kahle’s efforts. In the season opening win over Sac State, Kahle had 27 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and went 8-11 from the field. Today, PSU blasted NAU behind 29 points from Kahle who added 7 rebounds and went 7-8 from the free throw line. The Viks and EWU both went 2-0 against NAU and Sac State.

Honorable Mention Big Timers

Erica Perry (MSU): on Monday scored a career high 19 points, had 3 assists and 0 turnovers in a win over Albany. Perry was named to the UTPA Classic All-Tournament team. In loss to Montana, she led MSU with 18 points and 7 assists. On the week, Perry was a perfect 6-6 from behind the arc and over the past 3 games is 8-9 from long range.

Sonya Rogers (Montana): With 30 points on 5-7 three-point shooting, Rogers became just the second Big Sky Player to have 30+ points in a game. She was named to the Lady Griz Classic Team after 11 points vs Nevada. The Griz went 2-0 on the week.

Mandy Morales (Montana): Named Lady Griz Classic MVP with 15 points and 8 rebounds against Nevada. In UM’s win over rival MSU, Morales missed just 1 shot, going 10-11 from the field with 21 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists.

Julie Piper (EWU): Led Eastern to a 3-0 record on the week. Piper had 9 points and 11 rebounds in a win over Eastern Oregon. In an OT win over NAU, Piper hit a jumper with 14 seconds left to send the game to OT. She scored a double-double in the game with 15 points and 10 rebounds. In today’s narrow victory over Sac State, Piper went 5-5 from the charity stripe in the final 4 minutes to seal the win. She ended with 21 points and 7 rebounds.

Michelle Grohs (ISU): 13 points, 10 rebs in loss to Colorado. 17 points, 8 rebs in win over Northern Colorado.

Sade Cunningham (NAU): 14 pts, 5 assists, 2-2 from the arc in loss to EWU. 19 points, 6 rebs, 4 assists, 9-12 shooting in loss to PSU. Cunningham committed 14 turnovers on the weekend.
Charday Hunt (SAC): 7 points in loss to UTEP, averaged 17.5 points per game in Sac’s 2 Big Sky losses this weekend.

Note: I intentionally did not name a BSBTr last week because I didn’t think there were enough games played to really have a meaningful award.