GREELEY, Colo. — Montana State won its sixth consecutive game Thursday, notching a 68-57 win over Northern Colorado in Big Sky Conference women's basketball action at Bank of Colorado Arena.
Esmeralda Morales and Marah Dykstra each scored 15 points for the Bobcats, and Lexi Deden added 13, as Montana State used a big third-quarter advantage to get the win.
The Bobcats trailed 32-29 at halftime but outscored the Bears 21-9 in the third period. With MSU trailing 37-35 early in the quarter, Dykstra sank two free throws to tie the game. A Dylan Philip bucket, five Morales points and a Taylor Janssen 3-pointer quickly pushed the Cats' lead to 47-37, and they kept the Bears at arm's length the rest of the way.
The teams were nearly even statistically — Montana State was 26-of-52 shooting, Northern Colorado was 23-of-48 — but the Bobcats had a seven-point advantage at the free throw line and had seven fewer turnovers. Philip had three steals, while Janssen, Dykstra, Deden and Katelynn Martin each had two.
London Gamble led Northern Colorado with 24 points on 11-of-18 shooting.
Montana State, which is ranked 14th in the CollegeInsider.com Mid Major Top 25, is 13-2 overall and 3-0 in Big Sky play. The Bobcats play at Northern Arizona in a matchup of two of the top teams in the league on Saturday.
Northern Colorado has now lost five straight games and is 7-7 overall and 0-3 in the Big Sky.
