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!