ANTI-MOMENTUM WITH YOUR CHAMPAGNE HANGOVER, ANYONE?

By MIKE KIEFER Chronicle Sports Writer

What a change from the post-game radio interviews of the Bobcat women’s Iowa road trip in late November

Then the message was plain: the Bobcats, 2-4, were still in their infancy developmentally. The progress outweighed the 26-point loss to the Cyclones and a 12-point defeat at Drake.

Everything would come round.

On Sunday, complete opposite.

There was nothing redeemable in Fargo (no argument here). There was no progress. Regress was a better word. Without their rebounding and defense – foundational studs supposedly in place last season – the Bobcats would crumble like so much loose sheet rock.

The two non-conference road trips were different animals, of course. It’s true that MSU really didn’t expect to compete with Iowa, which was on the verge of a national ranking.

Division II North Dakota (undefeated, sure-sure) and a 5-6 NoDak State team are another matter. They were placed in the schedule as “quality” opponents to set the tone for streaking Montana (10-3), and the rest of the conference season. In the scheduling calculus, the Bobcats should have competed if not won in both games.

Now we see a reprise of last year, when MSU finished the non-conference with three duds and then lost an opener to Eastern Washington.

But on to the week ahead. Postgame water-cooler comment of the day: Jim Cnockaert would give nearly anything to be a fly on the wall of this week’s practice. (a column’s forthcoming, no doubt).

The armchair psychologist in all of us wants to see how Binford will spin this stinker. The coach, like most of her peers, has a weakness for aphorisms: “We have something big to prove!” or perhaps “Back to basics!” Or will reviving the rivalry carry the day: “UM will expect a cake walk. How about we prove them wrong for once?” “Gearing up” or “Just another game”?

Personally, I keep waiting for that last-second 3-pointer Mandy Morales hit in 2005 to make a motivational appearance. That was Binford’s first trip to Missoula and it was shot from half-court to ice another 25-point margin of victory. Twist that knife, Mandy.

Perhaps a bit of everything will be deployed.

I’ll try to get to practice to see for myself how it’s playing itself out.

Some ear-buzzing “Auld Lang Syne” thoughts:

**It’s worth noting MSU came within a game of finishing the non-conference with .500 record. ISU parlayed much less into a NCAA tournament appearance a year ago.

**Every day it’s someone else. Mercer was on against Utah Valley State. She was the third Big Sky player this year to score 30 in that game. Wallace fended off the blowout against Gonzaga with a career-high 24. Sunday, it was Jenny Heringer, off the bench that stood out. This is a liability or an asset depending on your perspective. Still, where’s the star?

**On the Griz side of things: Morales was passably excellent in her return, making the tournament team as Montana won its seventh and eighth straight this weekend. She hit five of 11 Griz 3-pointers for 20 points against Ole Miss. Our girl Laura Cote comfortably returned to her sixth-woman role and finished with 10 points. Dana Conway had five points filling in for Britney Lohman, suspended until further notice on last week’s drunken driving charge. Lohman played huge off the bench for the Griz in both rivalry match-ups last year. Will her absence make things interesting?

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