PORTLAND, Ore. — Montana State survived poor shooting in a choppy game Thursday night to beat Portland State 66-63 on the road in Big Sky Conference women's basketball.
The Bobcats won their fifth in a row and improved to 21-6 overall and a 14-2 in the league. They did it despite shooting 37.5% from the floor and just 14 for 29 from the free throw line. MSU also made only 4 of 17 3-point tries.
Kyleigh Brown tied the game 62-62 for Portland State with a 3-pointer with 1:11 remaining. MSU's Issy Bunyan then scored in the paint to put the Cats back up by two points. That was followed by a blocked shot by Ella Johnson on PSU's Brown.
Two foul shots by Jamison Philip gave the Bobcats a little breathing room with 28 seconds left, but Taylee Chirrick missed a pair of free throws 10 seconds later, which left the Vikings with a chance to tie on their final possession. Brown and Cici Ellington both missed 3-point tries for PSU before the buzzer.
Chirrick had 22 points to lead the Bobcats, and also had eight rebounds and four steals. Kadynce Couture chipped in 12 points, while Addison Harris finished with 10.
Five players finished in double-figure scoring for Portland State, led by Ellington's 14. Ellington also had a game-high nine rebounds. Brown had 10 points for the Vikings.
Montana State will next travel to face Sacramento State on Saturday, with tipoff scheduled for 2 p.m. Mountain time.
