SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Montana State women's basketball team snapped its three-game skid with a 55-51 Big Sky Conference win at Sacramento State Saturday.
The Bobcats started slow, especially on the defensive end, falling behind 23-15 at the end of the first quarter. The Hornets extended their lead to 28-19 in the second quarter before Montana State rallied to cut the deficit to just 36-34 at halftime.
The Bobcats started the second half on a 14-2 run, capped by a Malea Egan layup to go up 48-38. But Sac State responded with a 7-0 spurt, and the Bobcats' lead was 48-45 going to the fourth quarter.
Neither team was able to muster much offense in the final 10 minutes, though. Montana State made just 1 of 8 field goals — an Isobel Bunyan 3-pointer with 7:24 to play — in the final quarter, while Sac State was just 3 of 13 from the floor.
Marah Dykstra had 13 points, six rebounds and three assists to lead Montana State. Madison Hall and Natalie Picton each added 11 points.
Summah Hanson had 13 points and 12 rebounds for Sac State.
Montana State shot 34% in the game, while Sac State was 33%. The Bobcats, though, made 13 free throws to just eight for the Hornets.
Montana State (15-13 overall, 9-6 Big Sky Conference) is back in Bozeman for two games next week. The Bobcats host Idaho on Thursday, Feb. 29, and Eastern Washington on Saturday, March 2.
