BOZEMAN — The Montana State basketball teams host the second round of the historic Brawl of the Wild doubleheader against rival Montana on Saturday.
The Montana State women will be chasing history. A win on Saturday would put them at 18 straight, which would be the longest winning streak in program history.
But, the team isn’t focused on records, rather the game to win directly in front of them.
“I’m just trying to really focus on their champion habits right now, and I know there’s a lot of season left,” Montana State coach Tricia Binford said. “I know there will be a time to celebrate all those accomplishments and moments. Right now, I just want them continuing to get excited for playing hard for each other and finding a way to get better today.”
Last month, MSU's narrow 67-66 victory over the Lady Griz in Dahlberg Arena in Missoula was the closest conference win the Cats have had all season.
“I think we took a lot of risks at the end of that game, and we weren’t in our defensive mindset that we usually are in, so making sure we just stay disciplined with what we do every day,” Montana State forward Marah Dykstra said.
The Lady Griz are looking to also stay in the moment, as they try to grab their first win in Worthington Arena in over a decade.
“I think there’s things we can learn,” Montana interim head coach Nate Harris said in reference to last month’s Cat-Griz meeting. “Obviously, we’re going to watch the film and attack certain things and not allow them to attack certain things where they hurt us the last time. But, I think the best people in athletics stay very moment-focused in terms of, how do I be good today?”
On the men’s side, the Griz are riding an eight-game winning streak and grabbed the 77-70 home win in this matchup last month.
“We take note of things that worked, but we find other things that maybe we didn’t take advantage of, or didn’t do a good job of executing, and how can we get better, and for us since that game, we’ve improved in those areas.” Montana coach Travis DeCuire said. “So, I just think if we just continue to play the way we’ve been playing offensively, we’ll be fine on that side of the ball. And then defensively, we’ve got to be more physical.”
“There’s a lot of pressure trying to be at the top and stay at the top, but it also gives your team confidence,” Montana guard Joe Pridgen said. “So, just finding that balance in between of like, OK, we’ve got to play hard but also be smart with it, also enjoy where we’re at.”
The Montana State men have been dominant in Bozeman, however, boasting a 10-2 home record thus far this season.
“Our fan support, the community engagement and attendance that we’ve had throughout the year just provides a bolt of electricity and enthusiasm for our guys,” Montana State coach Matt Logie explained. “Obviously, it’s where they practice and shoot and play the most, and so I think the comfort of being at home is always a real thing, especially on the offensive side of the floor.”
The Montana (10-15 overall, 6-8 Big Sky Conference) and Montana State (24-2, 14-0) women tip at 2 p.m. Saturday inside Worthington Arena, and the men's game between the Bobcats (12-15, 7-7) and Grizzlies (19-8, 12-2) tips at 7. The games will be broadcast on the Montana Television Network.
