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Cats fall, Hall breaks record

Montana State forward Martha Kuderer attempts a shot during the women's basketball game against Eastern Washington on Saturday, Jan. 26. Photo by Amy Lynn Nelson. / AMY NELSON

The Bobcat basketball teams found themselves on the wrong side of the win-loss column on Saturday, Jan. 19, with both teams losing to the Eastern Washington Eagles. The Cats were unable to pull off a victory. In matchups that should have yielded great results — the Eagles teams were a combined 7-23 heading into the weekend.

Men’s

The Bobcat men’s team traveled to Cheney, Washington for their bout against the Eagles. Senior guard Tyler Hall came into the game needing only two points to become the all-time leading scorer in Big Sky Conference history. Needless to say, Hall answered the call with his go-to move, a step-back three-pointer in the first half, passing Eastern Washington’s own Bogdan Bliznyuk (2,169 total points) for the top spot. Hall went on to score an impressive 26 points, 12 coming from three-pointers. In the end, a balanced attack from Eastern Washington proved to be too much for the Cats as the Eagles wound up winning 85-81 to hand the Bobcats their third conference loss of the season.

Up next, the Cats return home for two games against Weber State on Thursday, Jan. 24 and Idaho State on Saturday, Jan 26. The Cats hold a 7-10 overall record with a 4-3 conference record, good for fifth in the conference currently.

Women’s

The women’s team hosted Eastern Washington on Jan. 19 looking to increase momentum after knocking off top-seeded Northern Colorado Monday, Jan. 14. With a little over nine minutes left in the game, the Cats held an impressive 15-point lead and looked as though they were going to run away with it. A huge fourth quarter for the Eagles saw them outscore the Cats 33-19 to force overtime. In overtime, the Eagles were able to capitalize on their momentum from regulation grabbing the victory 89-87. Senior forward Claire Lundberg led the Cats in scoring with 19 points.

Up next, the Cats go on the road to battle Weber State in Ogden on Thursday, Jan 24. and Pocatello Saturday, Jan 26, to face off against Idaho State University. The Cats own a 9-8 record overall with a 4-3 record in conference, good for fifth in the current Big Sky standings.