OGDEN, Utah – The stakes continue to grow in the Big Sky Conference, as the #RoadToReno gets even more intense as the conference tourney gets closer.
Upsets are happening on an almost-weekly basis, as teams like Portland State, which had previously been at the bottom of the standings, upset top-ranked Eastern Washington in a game last Thursday. Then, traditional powers like Montana have lost four straight, while upstart Weber State swept a two-game road trip.
Strong performances are part of the league’s weekly recaps as well. This week, Eastern Washington guard Hayley Hodgins repeats as #BigSkyWBB Player of the Week, helping the Eagles to a 1-1 road trip.
Hodgins averaged 27 points per game in Eastern Washington’s two games this past week. She finished with 33 points against Portland State on Thursday, Jan. 28, making five three-pointers and adding three rebounds and three steals to her stat line
She also notched 21 points against Sacramento State on Saturday, Jan. 30, shooting 47.1 percent from the field to go along with two rebounds, two assists and two steals.
There were other strong performances last weekend. Northern Arizona’s Alyssa Rader put up a line of 23 points and 14 rebounds – her highest totals of the conference season – and shot a season-best 9-for-11 from the free throw line. Her final two points with 26 seconds left in the game were the eventual game-winner.
Also, Montana State’s Riley Nordgaard had a complete game for the Bobcats in its 61-52 victory over Montana on Saturday afternoon. The Canby, Minnesota product posted 11 points, and a team-high nine rebounds, five steals and four assists. She finished the game shooting 56 percent from the field. Nordgaard had an outstanding fourth quarter for MSU as they rallied to the nine-point victory. In the final stanza, Nordgaard notched five points, three rebounds, two steals and two assists.
Others nominated included: Christina Salvatore, Idaho; Brittney Dunbar, Weber State; Breanu Reid, Southern Utah; Savannah Smith, Northern Colorado; Adella Randle-El, Sacramento State; Stephanie Smith, North Dakota; Anna Policicchio, Idaho State; and Cici West, Portland State.
Press release courtesy of John Oglesby – Big Sky Conference. All Rights Reserved.
