Montana State women fall in WNIT Great 8 to South Dakota

Bobcats finish historic season with 27-8 record despite loss

Mar. 29, 2026 at 10:34pm

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A cubist, geometric painting depicting a women's basketball game, with the court and players broken down into sharp, overlapping planes of navy, green, and red, conveying the intensity and energy of the sport.Montana State's WNIT run ends, but the Bobcats' future remains bright with their young core returning.Vermillion Today

The Montana State women's basketball team saw its season come to an end with a 65-56 loss to South Dakota in the Great 8 round of the WNIT on Sunday. Despite the defeat, the Bobcats finished the year with a 27-8 record and return their entire roster for next season.

Why it matters

Montana State's deep WNIT run marked a successful season for the program, which will look to build on this experience and return to postseason play next year with its young core of players.

The details

The Bobcats and Coyotes played a tight defensive first quarter that ended 8-8, but South Dakota pulled away in the second quarter to take a 10-point lead at halftime. Montana State made a push in the third quarter behind 11 points from Addison Harris, cutting the deficit to 3 points, but could not complete the comeback. Taylee Chirrick led the Bobcats with 23 points, including 4 three-pointers, while the defense held South Dakota's leading scorer Angelina Robles to just 4 points after she had 21 and 20 in the team's previous WNIT wins.

  • The game was played on Sunday, March 29, 2026.

The players

Taylee Chirrick

A key player for the Montana State Bobcats, Chirrick scored a team-high 23 points in the WNIT loss.

Addison Harris

The Bobcats' point guard, Harris scored 11 points in the third quarter to help Montana State make a push to get back in the game.

Angelina Robles

South Dakota's leading scorer, who was held to just 4 points in the WNIT matchup after scoring 21 and 20 in the team's previous tournament wins.

Tricia Binford

The head coach of the Montana State Bobcats, who was proud of her team's effort and sees a bright future ahead despite the season-ending loss.

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What they’re saying

“The point production, the team production, when you're traveling you don't have that community behind you and we still give that great effort and got it to one possession. This team's got it in them and they're going to continue to get better with another year under their belt.”

— Tricia Binford, Head Coach, Montana State Bobcats

What’s next

The Bobcats will look to build on this WNIT run and return to postseason play next season, as they do not lose any players to graduation and will have their entire young core back.

The takeaway

Montana State's deep WNIT tournament run, despite the season-ending loss, demonstrates the program's growth and bright future. The Bobcats' young roster gained valuable experience that should translate to continued success next season and beyond.