This past week was filled with highs and lows for Bobcat basketball. Both the men and women beat Portland St., while losing to Eastern Wash. by double digits.
During the women’s win over the Portland St. Vikings (11-9 overall, 3-5 conference), on Jan. 26, Head Coach Tricia Binford tied Judy Spoelstra for the most victories (98) in MSU women’s basketball history. Guard Katie Bussey had 20 points in 32 minutes for the Cats. The final score was 70-50, with the Cats (14-7, 6-3) coming out on top.
Against Eastern Wash. (13-9, 7-2) on Jan. 28, there were two special events. There was a player autograph session after the game. Also, Binford and her assistant coaches went barefoot for the game as part of a fundraiser for Samaritan’s Feet, a charity that raises awareness for impoverished children who suffer from diseases and infections of the feet due to lack of shoes. At the game, there were bins where fans could donate shoes.
The game was rough for the Cats. Forward Rachel Semansky led the way, earning 12 points in the first half, and a total of 19 in the game. However, as a whole, the team shot 31.3 percent from the field.
“We finished the weekend up and down, playing a pretty solid game against Portland St. with an exciting second half for our fans. Then the hottest Big Sky team rolled in on Saturday and we could not stop Brianne Ryan [who scored 22 points] from Eastern Wash. Our defense was strong, but not stable enough to escape the Eagles with our unfortunate cold shooting night. The rim was unfriendly to us on Saturday,” Binford said.
Binford is not giving up on her team though, and does not think anyone else should either. “I am optimistic that there is a lot of conference still to be played and the Bobcats are still in the hunt. Please continue to get behind us because when this team catches on fire they are fantastic.”
The men (11-9, 6-3) were in Portland, Ore., and Cheney, Wash., playing Portland St. (10-11, 4-5) and the Eastern Wash. Eagles (10-12, 4-5), respectively. The Cats beat Portland St. 65-70 and lost to Eastern Wash., 52-69.
The men are home tonight, Feb. 2, against Idaho St. Tipoff is at 7 p.m. The first Cat/Griz game is on Feb. 4. Tipoff for the women’s game is 2:05 p.m., and the men’s game begins at 7 p.m.
