By TOM SCHULZ
Montana State Sports Information
GRAND FORKS, N.D. – Montana State senior and Big Sky Conference preseason MVP Peyton Ferris scored a season-high 32 points to become MSU’s 22nd member of its prestigious 1,000-point club as the Bobcats escaped the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center with a 74-71 win in overtime Thursday night.
The Twin Bridges product scored six of MSU’s eight overtime points, including a pair of free throws with four seconds remaining to secure the victory and knock the Fighting Hawks from the ranks of the undefeated in Big Sky play.
Montana State 12th-year head coach Tricia Binford
“Our seniors really stepped-up,” said MSU 12th year head coach Tricia Binford. “In the last seconds of overtime Peyton got us a big offensive board and hit two crucial free throws. Riley (Nordgaard) got us off to a great start. She was on fire in the first half.”
Ferris posted 16 points in the opening half, while Nordgaard chipped in 11 points and seven rebounds. Montana State (11-4, 4-1) held a 38-28 advantage heading into intermission.
North Dakota (9-7, 4-1) rallied from a 10-point third quarter deficit to even the contest at 47-all at the 3:14 mark, but the Bobcats were able to push the margin to four points heading into the final frame.
UND used a 9-0 run midway through the fourth quarter to take a five-point lead with 5:40 left. The Fighting Hawks held a five-point cushion at the 3:41 mark, before the Bobcats went on a 7-0 run sparked by a 3-pointer by junior Hannah Caudill and back-to-back buckets by Nordgaard and Ferris to take a 66-64 edge with 43-seconds left.
Makailah Dyer’s basket with 37-seconds remaining finished the scoring as neither team was able to convert down the stretch.
“Hannah carried us through with our execution and hit a big 3-pointer in the fourth quarter and another big shot with a minute left in overtime,” Binford said. “I also thought the kids responded to the rebounding challenge. I’m proud of our team for sticking together and finding a way to win in a tough place.”
Aside from Ferris’ 32-point output, Caudill finished with 15 points, including three triples and four assists. Nordgaard posted her third double-double of the year with 13 points and ten boards.
For the game, MSU shot 35.5 percent from the field and connected on seven-of-21 from beyond the arc. UND held a narrow 48-47 edge under the glass, but MSU out-rebounded the Fighting Hawks 25-22 in the opening half and 7-3 in the overtime period.
Dyer led UND with a team-high 19 points.
The Bobcats will travel to Northern Colorado on Saturday afternoon. The Bears are 13-3 overall and sit atop the league standings with a 5-0 record after a win over Montana on Thursday night.
