BOZEMAN — The Montana State Bobcats beat Carroll College in their women’s basketball season opener 64-48 in front of the program’s first-ever sold-out crowd on Tuesday.
MSU hosted the second annual Bobcat School Day, where schools around the state got to attend Tuesday’s game for free.
“Some of them never get to come, so this day, it instills experience for them,” said Mrs. Fettis of Ridgeview Elementary in Belgrade. “And they get so excited and like to cheer for the team, and they will see them on TV tonight and say, ‘Oh, we know them.'”
Nearly every seat in the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse was filled with eager youngsters, some happy to be out of the classroom and some not so much.
“(It’s) fun and not fun because I like school,” fourth grader Milo said about the day off from the books.
The Bobcat School Day also provided some encouragement for the MSU basketball team, especially when it came to noise.
“I think it’s great on both ends,” MSU head coach Tricia Binford said. “For us, it gives us a great atmosphere that was loud and noisy and fun for us to compete in, but also hopefully they had a great day at school, learned a few things, and had some fun in the stands.”
The total attendance topped out at 6,772 fans, the first-ever sold-out game in Montana State women’s basketball history.
“Oh my goodness. It’s unlike any other when everyone starts screaming and you can’t hear anything,” senior forward Claire Lundberg said about the crowd. “That’s what makes it so much fun. This day is just something special.”
Next up for the Bobcats, they will travel to Marquette on Friday for the first round of the WNIT preseason tournament.
