OGDEN, Utah — The Montana State women's basketball team opened the second half on a 14-0 run, thawing out from an icy first 20 minutes to record a 63-45 win over Weber State on Thursday night in the Dee Events Center.
It was the 16th straight victory for the Big Sky Conference-leading Bobcats, two shy of the program record.
Montana State (23-2, 13-0 Big Sky) led 25-21 at intermission after shooting just 21.9% from the field, including a 3-of-17 performance from long distance. Behind strong free throw shooting and its always reliable defense, the Bobcats forced Weber State (9-13, 6-6) into 13 turnovers in the first half, resulting in eight points for MSU.
“I was happy with our first five minutes of the game,” said MSU head coach Tricia Binford. “We were creating extra possessions, but the shots just weren’t falling.”
MSU opened the second half with 14 straight points, highlighted by Marah Dykstra’s 3-pointer that gave the Bobcats a 37-21 advantage with 6 minutes, 29 seconds left in the period.
Weber State whittled the margin to 11 points, but back-to-back steals by Hannah Robbins and Esmeralda Morales and consecutive layups via Ella Johnson — in the span of nine seconds — blew the game open.
“We had a great third quarter and the two steals gave us control,” Binford said. “The other three quarters we were forcing things, over dribbling and trying to go for the home run, when we want things simple.”
MSU outscored WSU 24-8 in the third frame, shooting 58.8% from the floor.
The Bobcats grabbed their largest lead at 62-38 on a Natalie Picton layup with 4:52 remaining.
Dykstra was the only player to score in double figures, recording 14 points on 5-of-12 shooting from the field, including a pair of triples. Katelynn Martin and Picton added nine points apiece.
Martin paced the Bobcats with six rebounds as MSU held a narrow 38-35 edge under the boards.
MSU forced 28 turnovers by the Wildcats (who forced 15), and for the third time this season, the Bobcats recorded 20 steals, led by Dylan Philip with four. Montana State also held an opponent under 50 points for the fourth time in Big Sky play.
Montana State faces Idaho State on Saturday at 2 p.m. in Pocatello, Idaho.
Get local news delivered to your inbox!
