Season in Review

Start to Finish was the theme for this year's team. The 2012-13 Team got off to a good start even with seven newcomers in the program. Our goal was to define ourselves as a dictating defensive unit which catapulted our uptempo offense. This offense would be inside out oriented with great strengths in our post play and balance on our perimeter. The previous year we averaged 20 three point attempts per game rather than this year's team utilizing our strong post play led by Rachel Semansky and Ashley Brumwell. As a result our team had early wins on the road at CSU and Denver. We played in the championship game vs host SMU, eventual Conference USA Champ, with a ten point lead with two minutes to go. SMU, however, made a remarkable comeback at the hands of a couple of critical errors and lessons for our squad. We walked away from that one with a devastating one point loss. We finished the preseason 6-3 learning that we could beat anyone on our schedule on a given night when we played together and dictated defensively as well as lose to anyone if our defensive intensity was't there. Conference started before Christmas this year which was extremely unusual but it was time to make it count. Quickly we found that success came when Tish Adams mad timely scores and steals. Led by inside outside Rachel, Ashley, and Kalli Durham the fourth offensive key was Tish. Close victories on the road at Portland State, Southern Utah, Eastern Washington and rival Montana proved that. Another ingredient pulled the pieces together as well, our contributions and impact of our bench. We were deep. Midway we were in first before we went to Idaho Sate, our first loss after seven straight wins. Then another close loss verses Eastern at home. This was the game the Cats started to play a little tighter. Decisions became less crisp, offense became more stagnant, and the energy on defense seemed drained. Stopping the slide didn't come easy but our Cats got back in the winning column hosting Weber State. A roller coaster finish to the Big Sky Tournament we battled back and forth with Eastern Washington until a couple of turnovers and quick threes gave Eastern enough breathing room to advance to the semi finals. The Cats, we found ourselves Abruptly short of our mission. Expectations and not reaching them are hard to swallow but this I do know. We had two fantastic seniors finish incredible careers representing the Cats in Blue and Gold. We finished a successful season making the Big Sky Tournament for the sixth year in a row. We finished the season with a winning record for the fifth year in a row. We have fourteen talented Bobcats returning! As far as the Big Sky Conference goes this is one of our most successful seasons in that we have one team representing us in the Big Sky Tournament, and three invited to the WNIT. Our RPI's nationally this year were much more competitive and I know that is going to make the Bobcats even tougher next year. Cat fans, thank you for your tremendous support because we are not finished yet!

Senior Night

To all of you freshmen out there, it DOES go fast.

Latisha Adams and Rachel Semansky will play their final basketball game in the Fieldhouse tonight at 7:00pm so come out and support these two incredible women and their careers at Montana State.

I want to thank Kyle from the Chronicle on giving the readers a glimpse of who Tish and Rachel are in real life. As their coach, I'd like to add how proud I am of who they are as people and representatives of our program.

Tish and Rachel have totally different personalities yet have impacted this team in so many ways.

Rachel is a leader that raises the bar for others as she competes and gives her best effort in everything she does. As a Two Time Big Sky Conference Player and a Two Time All American Academic Award winner, she has an expectation for herself to work as hard as she can in everything she does.  Our team has seen first hand the results of exceptional habits and work ethic in place. She challenges herself and her teammates daily.

Tish, or as her teammates call her, "T Time," has developed into the quiet leader of this team. Tish's career started out quiet and has sky rocketed the last two years through her perseverance and steadfast commitment. For me, she has become my "rock", our team's "steady," the one that doesn't get too high or too low, but can resond to any circumstance. She brings individuals along, grabs them on the sideline and encourages, teaches, and lifts them up.

Together these two complement each other in their way of play, in their way of communicating, in their way of impacting and leading this team. This may be our last home game of the year, but it's not our last game of the season.

Behind these two, I believe we have an exciting post season ahead, yet so much more than that. Their impact in our program will continue on, and in Tish's words she will come back to Bozeman when someone gets married. I am still hoping that crab legs work as well and maybe Bozeman can wrap Rachel right up and keep her here as one of the finest future teachers in this generation.

I love these kids, yet they are not kids anymore!

Coach Bin