Weber State University Athletics
Weber State University
Montana State
Montana State Downs Wildcats 76-59
2/7/2010 5:21:00 AM | Women's Basketball
OGDEN, Utah -- The Weber State women's basketball team dropped a crucial Big Sky contest on Saturday night as Montana State claimed a 76-59 win at the Dee Events Center.
The Bobcats rebounded their way to the win, posting a 49 to 27 advantage on the boards. The 22-rebound margin led to a 20-2 advantage in second chance points and contributed to a 34-18 advantage in points in the paint.
"I think the difference in great teams at this point in the season are the teams that win the hustle plays," said WSU head coach Carla Taylor. "Teams that are getting 40-plus rebounds and every loose ball and every loose rebound. The teams that are going to go after those and get those are the teams that are going to be successful with a win. Tonight that was Montana State. We have really focused hard on being aggressive and getting to the ball. Tonight it didn't happen for us, but that will continue to be our focus."
The Wildcats didn't score for the first four minutes and 54 seconds and trailed 5-0, but Joey O'Neill got WSU on the board with a jumper from the top of the lane.
O'Neill's bucket started a 12-0 run for the Wildcats, which was capped by back-to-back three-point field goals by freshman Megan Patterson, who finished the game with 11 points.
The Bobcats answered with a 22-5 run of their own, and outscored the Wildcats 31-10 overall for the remainder of the half to take a 36-22 lead at the break.
Weber State got within seven points with 7:17 remaining in the game, but the Bobcats closed with an 18-8 run to win going away.
WSU's Caitlin Anderson led all players with 19 points, which came on 7 of 13 shooting from the field. Joey O'Neill added seven points, while Tonya Schnibbe posted a season-high 12 assists.
Montana State placed four players in double figures, led by Rachel Semansky, who had 16 points. Semansky also added a game-high 11 rebounds. Katie Bussey, Sarah Strand and Erica Perry each added 14 points for the Bobcats.
The Wildcats will head out on the road next week to face Northern Arizona and Northern Colorado.
