by Tom Schulz
Montana State’s starting post duo of Lexi Deden and Kola Bad Bear combined for almost half of MSU’s points, guiding the Bobcat to a 60-57 win over Idaho State on Thursday night in Reed Gym.
Deden led Montana State (10-7, 3-2) with 16 points connecting on seven-of-11 from the field, while Bad Bear posted 12 points on six-of-10 shooting.
“Our posts played really well off each other,” said MSU head coach Tricia Binford. “Lexi and Kola were very aggressive and played with a lot of heart.
“We were able to grind out a win by getting the stops we needed,” she added. “We also responded well when they took the lead.”
Montana State got out to a 21-12 lead after the first 10-minutes as Deden established herself with eight points. Idaho State (8-7, 3-1) turned the table in the second quarter outscoring MSU 16-7 and Carsyn Boswell’s 3-pointer with 34-seconds left evened the score at 28-all entering intermission.
The Bengals took its first lead of the contest at 39-38 with 5-minutes, 47-seconds left in the third quarter. MSU’s closed out the stanza on a 7-2 run sparked by Leia Beattie’s triple with one-minute, 21-seconds remaining in the period to give the Bobcats a 45-41 advantage heading into the final frame.
MSU held a five-point lead early in the fourth quarter before ISU rattled off a 6-0 run to take a 48-47 lead with 7-minutes, 49-seconds left. Tied at 50-all with just over five minutes remaining, Beattie hit her third 3-pointer of the contest and the Bobcats never relinquished its lead.
ISU pulled to within one point on two occasions down the stretch but were thwarted by a pair of Bad Bear layups. The Bobcats went three-of-four from the line in the final 18-seconds and a final three-point attempt by Boswell missed the mark as MSU knocked the Bengals from the list of the unbeatens.
Montana State got a boost from its bench as it outscored the Bengals 24-14. Beattie finished with 11 points, while Grace Beasley chipped in seven points.
