Montana State’s women’s basketball team ended its historic season on March 29 with a 65-56 loss to South Dakota in the Women’s National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) Great Eight. The game saw standout performances, including a 31-point effort from South Dakota’s Molly Joyce, who scored nearly half of her points in the fourth quarter.
The significance of this game lies not only in the outcome but also in Montana State’s strong performance throughout the season and their ability to push deep into postseason play. The Bobcats played without any seniors on their active roster and finished with a record of 27-8, tying for the most games played by the women’s team and marking March 29 as the latest date a Montana State basketball team has competed.
“Joyce was fantastic today,” said Tricia Binford, head coach of Montana State. “She put the team on her back and made big shots.” Despite Joyce’s performance, Binford praised her own team’s resilience: “This team never gives up. It was a gritty comeback, we got it to one possession in the fourth quarter, but didn’t quite get over the top. I’m really proud of this team and I want to highlight how we are of these kids and all they accomplished this season.”
The Bobcats struggled offensively early in the game, shooting just three-for-18 in the first quarter. By halftime they trailed by ten points after making only six field goals overall. “We didn’t shoot the ball great at the start of this game, so later in the game there’s not much room for error,” Binford said.
After halftime adjustments focused on increasing pace and ball movement helped spark a rally that brought Montana State within one point late in third quarter play. However, key baskets from Joyce kept South Dakota ahead until time expired.
Reflecting on both disappointment at missing out on another tournament selection and pride for her team’s accomplishments over two seasons—where they achieved more wins than any other Big Sky program across consecutive campaigns—Binford said: “Without having a senior on this team, these kids did so much… There were tremendous highs this season. This team set records and had so much fun.” Looking forward she added: “We don’t graduate a player off the active roster and we’re all looking forward to moving this forward.”
