Most weeks, it’s easy to differentiate between prospective player of the week candidates. However, in the 2016-17 Big Sky Conference women’s basketball season, it’s been a difficult task.
For the third time this season, and the second consecutive week, two Big Sky performers will share weekly honors, after they helped their teams to undefeated weeks. In response to their strong play, Montana State guard Peyton Ferris and Portland State guard Ashley Bolston share this week’s honors.
Both helped their teams to undefeated weeks, with Ferris helping Montana State to an overtime home win over Eastern Washington, followed up by a dominant win over defending #RoadToReno tourney champ Idaho. Meanwhile, Portland State earned a two-point win over rival Sacramento State, with Bolston leading the way.
Ferris averaged 26 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game, scoring a season-high 30 points in the overtime win over Eastern Washington. Against the Eagles, she also added a game-high nine rebounds and chipped in three assists and a steal.
Then, in the win over Idaho, the preseason Big Sky MVP followed the Eastern Washington performance with a game-high 22 points, despite foul trouble which saw her play only 18 minutes. Against the Vandals, she connected on 9-of-14 from the floor, which included a 3-of-4 effort from long distance.
“She’s been really efficient for us and is a big part of what we do,” MSU head coach Tricia Binford said on Tuesday. “She’s always been a great teammate. That’s what makes this team special: We have great chemistry.”
Bolston scored a career-high 29 points, while leading the Vikings to their first Big Sky Conference win of the season, over Sacramento State. The sophomore guard from Medford, Ore., led all scorers with those 29 points, going 12-for-18 from the floor with a 3-pointer.
She also went 4-for-7 at the line. He 12 field goals were also a career high and were tied for the most by a Vikings player this season. She added six rebounds, six assists, and four steals in 37 minutes played.
Other nominees include: Samantha Roscoe, North Dakota; Jocelyn Adams, Weber State; Savannah Scott, Northern Colorado; Tisha Phillips, Eastern Washington; Grace Kenyon, Idaho State; Darri Frandsen, Southern Utah; Taylor Piece, Idaho; and Ashlyn Crenshaw, Sacramento State.
