Matadors Beat Montana State

Cal State Northridge compensated for a poor shooting performance with aggressive defense and rebounding to defeat Montana State, 74-66, in a matchup of Big Sky Conference women’s basketball leaders Thursday night at Northridge.

The Matadors made only 25 of 70 shots (35.7%), but forced 28 turnovers and scored 17 second-chance points thanks to 20 offensive rebounds. Northridge (10-5, 4-1 in conference play) scored 38 points off turnovers, compared to nine for Montana State (9-5, 3-1).

Jamilah Jones, Edniesha Curry and Neda Milic each scored 12 points for the Matadors, who moved into sole possession of first place. Leah Rice added 10 points and Tina Greer had a game-high six steals, though she made only one of 13 shots.

Montana State forward Tennyson Ballek led all scorers with 26 points, making 11 of 14 shots.