Taylee Chirrick led Montana State with 24 points in a 92-72 victory over Weber State in women’s basketball on Saturday. Addison Harris added 15 points for the Bobcats, who improved their overall record to 14-5 and are now 7-1 in Big Sky Conference play. The win keeps Montana State tied with Idaho as the only teams in the conference with just one league loss.
Chirrick made seven of her fourteen shots from the field and converted nine of thirteen free throws. She also collected seven rebounds, five assists, and five steals. Harris contributed by making four of eight shots, while Kadynce Couture provided four assists and four steals off the bench.
“We had some great performances today,” said Montana State head coach Tricia Binford. “We got a road win, and it’s hard to win on the road, so that’s positive. But we were inconsistent, and the difference between a good team and a great one is that level of consistency.”
Montana State started strong by scoring the first six points of the game and never fell behind. Weber State closed within two points late in the first half after Lanae Billy scored five quick points, but Courtney Smith responded with her first three-pointer as a Bobcat, followed by another three from Issy Bunyan. The Bobcats then maintained control for most of the game.
The team led at each quarter break: 23-17 after one period, 44-32 at halftime, and extended their advantage to 74-43 after three quarters. However, Weber State opened the fourth quarter with a 23-5 run that narrowed Montana State’s lead to thirteen points before free throws from Chirrick, Harris, Bunyan, and a jumper by Couture restored a twenty-point cushion.
“That fourth quarter doesn’t sit well,” Binford said. “In the third quarter, especially, we looked like we want to look. We shared the ball, we played unselfishly, and we defended.”
Montana State shot nearly fifty percent from both the field (48.3%) and three-point range (50%, making thirteen out of twenty-six attempts). The team forced twenty-nine turnovers from Weber State—collecting twenty steals—while committing fifteen turnovers themselves.
Weber State dropped to an overall record of 6-15 with an 0-8 mark in conference play.
