Montana State University will host the University of San Francisco in a Women’s National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) contest on Sunday, March 22. The Bobcats received a first-round bye and will face the Dons, who recently defeated Utah Valley 80-50 at home.
This game marks the latest date Montana State women’s basketball has played in its history, as the team seeks its first post-season win. The Bobcats have achieved 25 wins this season, tying for the third-most in program history under head coach Tricia Binford. Only last year’s team with 30 wins and the 1992-93 squad with 27 wins have surpassed this mark.
Montana State is one of only thirteen Division I teams to record at least 25 wins over the past two seasons. The team currently ranks fifteenth in the collegebasketballinsider.com Mid-Major poll and holds sixty-ninth place in the NET rankings as of March 19. Notably, Montana State is among eight Division I teams that have used the same starting lineup throughout every game this season.
The Bobcats lead the Big Sky Conference in turnover margin (+10.25), which is also fourth-best nationally, and top their conference in assist-to-turnover ratio (0.98). They are undefeated at home with a perfect thirteen-win record so far this season—their first unbeaten home campaign since 2016-17.
Sophomore guard Taylee Chirrick has recorded six games this season with at least five points, rebounds, assists, and steals—second-most nationally. Other highlights include ranking second in their conference for three-pointers made per game (7.6), scoring offense (74.4 points per game), and leading in scoring margin (13.2). Ella Johnson contributed seven blocked shots during three Big Sky Tournament games, while Montana State’s defense averages fifteen point three steals per game—fourth-best nationally—and has forced seventy turnovers across those tournament contests.
