Lady ‘Cats Dominating Big Sky
By Danny Waldo
Through six games in league play, the Montana State Bobcat women’s basketball teams sits atop the Big Sky Conference standings at 5-1, and they’ve gotten there in dominating fashion.
Aside from their lone loss, a 69-68 double-overtime defeat to Idaho, the Lady ‘Cats have thoroughly dominated their league foes, winning by an average margin of 23 points per game, including a 37-point win over Sacramento State, a 33-point win over Northern Colorado, and a 26-point win over Southern Utah.
MSU has done it with an increased emphasis on the defensive end, as well as a win-by-committee philosophy on offense. The Lady ‘Cats have held their opponents in conference play to just 33% shooting from the field and 26% from the three-point line. Offensively, MSU has four players averaging double-figures, led by Fallen Frieje’s 12.7 points per game, followed by Oliana Squires at 11.7, freshman sensation Darian White at 10.9, and senior Martha Kuderer at 10.2. Madeline Smith is not far behind at 8.1.
Both Frieje and Squires topped the 1,000 point scoring mark in MSU’s win over Southern Utah, becoming the first Bobcat teammates to achieve the feat on the same night, although 838 of Frieje’s 1,000 points came while she was a member of the University of North Dakota.
While MSU sits atop the league standings at 5-1, cross-state rival Montana is right behind at 4-1, followed by Idaho at 3-1. However, no other team has looked as dominate as MSU in the early part of conference play. MSU will get a chance to further distance themselves from the rest of the league when they head to Eastern Washington on January 18th before hosting a two-game homestand versus Weber State and Idaho State. The Lady ‘Cats will then join the men on the road in Missoula for their first battle with the Grizzlies on February 2nd.
For a complete schedule of all Montana State Bobcat women’s basketball games, log onto www.msubobcats.com.
