BOZEMAN — The Montana State women's basketball team sits atop the Big Sky Conference with a perfect 4-0 record in league play, despite having zero seniors on the roster.
Among the young players leading the charge is freshman point guard Jamison Philip, whose family connection to the program runs deep.
Jamison's older sister Dylan was a key player on last year's historic Montana State team before an injury against rival Montana ended her season prematurely in February. The junior guard continues working toward a return in the coming weeks, while her younger sister has stepped into a leadership role for one of the conference's top programs.
"This kid is tough. She's gritty. She's really, really quick," Montana State coach Tricia Binford said of Jamison Philip. "She's just always had tremendous instincts that we've seen on the floor. But, you know, that family is a competitive family, play a lot of sports. And we're really grateful and thankful that she's on our squad."
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Despite being a freshman, Philip has already earned the trust of her coaches and teammates.
Last week against Eastern Washington, Binford called Philip's number in the pivotal moment. With the game tied 70-70 with eight seconds to play in overtime, Philip drove the length of the court, sliced through the Eagles' defense and banked in the go-ahead basket.
"It makes me feel really good that my team has that much confidence in me to be able to perform like that and give me that opportunity," Philip said. "I feel like confidence is something super important in an athlete. And to know that my team is able to rally behind me and give me that opportunity makes me feel super confident in myself, as well."
Philip brings an impressive winning pedigree to Bozeman. She lost just two games during her entire high school career in Ellensburg, Wash., where she won two state championships and was a 2025 McDonald's All-America nominee.
With the Bobcats, she's started all 15 games this season. She's averaging 6.3 points per game, leads the team with 56 total assists and is second on the team with 42 steals.
"This group is super competitive and we all want to win really bad," Philip said. "But we also just have a hard work ethic and give 110% all the time. And I think that's what makes us stand out and special from other teams, is nobody's going to let down, and we're always going to find a way to win."
Philip will experience her first Brawl of the Wild when Montana State (11-4 overall, 4-0 Big Sky) hosts Montana (3-12, 0-4) on Saturday. The Bobcats have won the past three meetings in the series, including a thrilling 58-57 game in the Big Sky Conference tournament championship last season.
Over the past decade, MSU owns a 17-4 advantage over UM.
"I'm super excited for it," Philip said. "I've actually never been to a Cat-Griz game before. Even though my sister's played in them, I've only seen it on the TV, so that makes me super excited to be involved with it. I know there's a lot of hype around it, but I know that all I have to do is prepare and just be ready."
The Montana and Montana State women will tip off at 2 p.m. Saturday inside Worthington Arena. The men's game will follow at 7.
Both games will be broadcast by Scripps Sports and air on The Spot – MTN.
