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.