Bussey's record-breaking night leads MSU women past NAU
Posted: Thursday, February 16, 2012 11:45 pm | Updated: 11:13 pm, Thu Feb 16, 2012.
By COLTER NUANEZ Chronicle Sports Writer | 0 comments
Katie Bussey didn't waste any time etching her name into the record books.
The last time the Montana State senior took the hardwood, it was for her final game at Brick Breeden Fieldhouse on the MSU campus in Bozeman. Bussey scored 20 points, including a 3-pointer that tied the Big Sky Conference's all-time record for 3-point makes in a career, but the Bobcats lost in heartbreaking fashion, 77-76 to Sacramento State on a buzzer-beater.
Thursday in Flagstaff, Ariz., Bussey made the record hers alone, nailing a 3-pointer to open the game. She went on to bury four triples on the evening en rout to a game-high 24 points as MSU posted an 83-78 road win over Northern Arizona.
Bussey, a 5-foot-9 senior from Alamosa, Colo., now has 242 3-pointers in her stellar MSU career. She surpassed the previous mark of 238 held by Weber State's Chelsey Warburton.
The win moves Montana State to 9-5 in Big Sky play, 17-9 overall. The Bobcats stayed a half game ahead of Northern Colorado and Montana for third place in the league standings. The Bobcats have a Feb. 25 showdown with the Lady Griz in Missoula and a trip to last-place Weber State remaining on their regular-season schedule. MSU has already sewn up a bid to the Big Sky Championship tournament in March.
Thursday, Montana State started quickly, building a 13-point lead capped by freshman Kalli Durham's 3-pointer. NAU went on a run of its own to close the first half down by one point.
"I was really pleased with our start," said MSU head coach Tricia Binford in a press release. "Then I thought we got a little complacent on defense. We challenged some kids at halftime and they came out and got the job done in the second half. I'm very proud of their effort."
The second half featured seven ties, before the Bobcats went on an 11-0 run over the course of three minutes, sparked by a six-of-six effort from the free throw line.
NAU's Amy Patton hit a jumper with 1:18 left to pull the Lumberjacks to within three points, but MSU converted 9-of-10 from the line down the stretch to put the game away.
Patton, NAU's stellar junior and the ‘Jacks' leading scorer, finished with a team-high 20 points. Four Bobcats - Durham, Ashley Albert, Rachel Semansky, and Chelsea Banis - joined Bussey in double figure scoring. Durham and Semansky each had 11 points, Albert netted 12 points and Banis had 14 points off the bench.
"It was one of those games where we got a lot of great individual performances," Binford said. "But, when you put it all together come away with a solid team victory."
The win helped MSU keep pace with Eastern Washington for the league's second seed as the league tournament quickly approaches. EWU lost 56-49 at Northern Colorado Thursday, dropping the Eagles to 10-3 in league, 1.5 games ahead of MSU. EWU still has to play first-place Idaho State twice to conclude the season. In the six-team Big Sky Championship field, the top two seeds get first round byes.