MSU Basketball closes season in conference tournament

The Big Sky Conference Basketball Tournament ran its course from March 5-10 in Reno, Nev. with both the Montana State Men’s and Women’s teams participating.

Bobcat Women

The MSU Women’s Basketball Team came into the tournament slotted as the seventh seed with a first-round matchup against the tenth seeded Fighting Hawks of the University of North Dakota on March 5. With a spot in the quarterfinals on the line, the Cats needed to come out strong.

Both teams were ready to go as the first quarter ended with a tightly-contested 14-12 lead for the Cats. MSU came alive in the second quarter finishing the half on an 18-0 run to send the game to halftime with the Cats holding a promising 36-21 lead. With only 20 minutes to play, the intensity ramped up with each team vying for the quarterfinals opportunity.

The Fighting Hawks were able to close the gap, but the Cats took a 52-41 lead into the fourth quarter. The final period proved to be a good one as the Fighting Hawks closed the lead to only three at 56-53 with 4:39 to go in the quarter. That would be as close as they would get to victory, and the Cats went on to close the game out with a 12-5 run to secure the 68-58 win.

Senior guard Rebekah Hatchard paced the Bobcats with 18 points while senior guard Delaney Junkermier and freshman guard Tori Martell both gathered double digits in scoring with 15 and 10 points, respectively. 

With the victory, the Cats set up a quarterfinal matchup against the second-seeded University of Idaho Vandals on March 7. The Cats unfortunately struggled in the first quarter as the Vandals jumped out to an early 20-7 lead. However, the Cats outscored the Vandals in the second quarter to bring the score at halftime to 38-31.

The Cats hung around throughout the third quarter, but the Vandals were able to increase the lead to nine points heading into the fourth quarter, up 57-48. With only 10 minutes remaining until either the end of their season or continuing on in the tournament, the Cats gave it everything they had in the final quarter. The Bobcats closed the lead to two on multiple occasions, but were unable to overcome the Vandals, who would go on to win 78-74.

Freshman forward Laura Pranger was able to find the net early and often finishing with 17 points to lead the Cats. Five Bobcats scored in double-digits.

The Cats will look to build off of this year with hopes of making a run at the conference championship next year. The graduating seniors this year will prove difficult to replace, but the Cats have plenty of promising underclassmen talent waiting in the wings, as well as two Seton Hall transfers who, in accordance with NCAA rules, had to sit out a year after their transfer.

Claire Lundberg and Martha Kuderer will surely prove worth the wait when they take the court next year for the Bobcats. Lundberg, a 6’1” product of Andover, Minn., hit 56 three-pointers in her junior year at Seton Hall. With her height, Lundberg will be playing anywhere from the three to the five. Kuderer will add another three-point threat to MSU.

Northern Colorado Women Advance to NCAA Tournament

The University of Northern Colorado (UNC) Bears, who were the first seed coming into the tournament, went on to win the BSC. UNC battled against the Vandals on March 10 in the championship game, winning 91-69.

The Bears were granted the 10 seed and played seventh-seeded University of Michigan in the first round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament on March 16. The teams traded points throughout the first quarter, but Michigan showed their superior size and strength, ultimately winning 75-61. UNC was granted the second-highest seed by a Big Sky team behind University of Montana in 1997. Michigan is the fourth Big Ten Conference opponent to face the Bears, who have a 1-8 record against the Big Ten. This was the UNC Women’s first appearance in the NCAA tournament.

Bobcats Men

The MSU Men’s Basketball Team started off conference play 4-0 this year, but fell into a slump, dropping 10 of their last 12 conference games. The team headed to the conference tournament as a nine seed.

On Tuesday, March 6 the Bobcats played eighth-seeded North Dakota, a foe they had beaten once earlier in the season. The contest started off great for the Bobcats. At the half MSU held a 43-33 lead over the Fighting Hawks, and the Cats continued to build off their lead during the second half. At one point they were ahead of North Dakota by an astounding 19 points. Just when it looked like MSU was going to pull it off, the shooting woes they battled the latter part of the season,  struck again. North Dakota ended the last 10 minutes of the game on a 31-10 run leading them to a 76-74 victory for the Fighting Hawks.

The last time the Bobcats earned a win in the BSC tournament was 2009 when they beat Montana 56-54, but not all bad news comes out of this season.

The Cats will lose four seniors entering next season, but none of the four were regular starters. Furthermore, junior guard Tyler Hall who has been the center of the offense the last two years, will be returning for his senior season. Sophomore guard Harald Frey will also be back next year with more experience under his belt, in addition to several other players. Another reason to look forward to next season is Coach Fish’s ability to recruit quality players. Several promising prospects committed to MSU coming out of high school. Overall, there is a lot to look forward to in the 2018-2019 season.

Griz Men Win Big Sky Conference Tournament

The University of Montana continued to dominate the BSC during the championships. Their only close game during the tournament was a 91-89 overtime victory against fifth-seeded Northern Colorado Bears. The Griz beat third seed Eastern Washington handily in the championship game, earning them a bid into the NCAA Division I Championships. The NCAA tournament committee granted them a 14-seed in the tournament, matching them up against third-seeded powerhouse Michigan.

Historically, Big Sky Conference Champions have not done particularly well in the Big Dance, having won only three games since 1985. Despite being an underdog, leading up to the game on Thursday, March 15, the Griz were considered sleepers by some, and were even picked to win by a few of the country’s prominent sportscasters and analyzers.

The Griz started the game off extremely well, racking up a 10-0 lead over the Wolverines in the opening minutes. Soon, Michigan closed the gap and held a three-point lead going into halftime. During the second half the Griz shot a mere 25 percent from the field, while Michigan shot 40 percent and controlled the pace of the contest. The Wolverines went on to win the game 61-47 and advance to the next round.