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RENO, Nev. (March 6, 2016)- There will never be a doubt that the 2015-16 season was a banner season for the Montana State Bobcats.
The Bobcats captured the Big Sky’s regular season crown with a 14-4 league record, earning the top seed in tomorrow’s 2016 Big Sky Basketball Championships. Also, Montana State has had one of the best seasons in school history, with a chance to add more to the total in Reno.
Capping it all off, the Bobcats were well-represented on Sunday’s All-Conference list, with three Montana State players earning individual awards, while two players were named to the first team.
Montana State forward Jasmine Hommes is the league’s MVP, after averaging 15.4 points a game for the Bobcats. Hommes, who adds another chapter to a rich family tradition at Montana State, was also a unanimous selection for the first team.
Hommes’s teammate, Riley Nordgaard, also earned an individual award, as the league’s Top Newcomer. A redshirt last season, after transferring into the Montana State program, Nordgaard averaged 11.1 points and 7.2 rebounds a game.
Reserves can play a key role for teams, but no player had an impact off the bench quite like Montana State’s Peyton Ferris. Ferris, who averaged 16.3 points a game in conference, had one of the best individual performances of the Big Sky season, going 16-of-17 from the field in a 92-71 win over Weber State.
Not many Big Sky players have had quite the debut like Northern Arizona’s Alyssa Rader, who earned the league’s Outstanding Freshman award. Rader led the Big Sky in double-doubles, finishing the season by averaging 14.4 points and 8.9 rebounds each game. Rader finished the regular season with 13 double-doubles.
Weber State had a resurgence this season, with several player having prominent roles. Wildcats guard Brittney Dunbar was named the league’s Defensive Player of the Year, helping the Wildcats have the league’s third-best defense, surrendering just 63 points per game.
Other first teamers include Eastern Washington’s Hayley Hodgins, who has led the Eagles to a top-four seed in Reno. Hodgins averaged 21.1 points a game this season for Eastern Washington, who finished the regular season as runner-up. Joining Hayley on the team was younger sister Delaney Hodgins, who earned second-team All-Big Sky honors.
Montana’s Kayleigh Valley was part of a formidable duo for the Lady Griz, and after leading the conference in scoring with an average of 21.6 points a game, Valley earned a unanimous first-team selection. Valley’s teammate, McCalle Feller, earned second-team honors.
The Idaho Vandals finished the season in the third spot in the Big Sky, and in their sophomore season back in the Big Sky, the Vandals had several players make outstanding marks in league play. Christina Salvatore earned first-team All-Big Sky honors, while two teammates earned honorable mention honors - Ali Forde and Geraldine McCorkell.
North Dakota may be the hottest team entering the conference tourney, on the back of a five-game winning streak. While the start of the season may have been unexpected for the Fighting Hawks, what wasn’t unexpected was that Mia Loyd would play well for North Dakota. Loyd, the conference’s preseason player of the year, earned first-team honors, after averaging 12.3 points and 8.4 rebounds for the Fighting Hawks.
Sacramento State has one of the league’s top defenses, and guard Adella Randle-El did as much as a player could possibly do for her team. Randle-El earned first-team honors, after averaging 16.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 3.8 steals a game for the Hornets.
Players making the All-Big Sky second-team were: McCalle Feller, Montana; Regina Okoye, Weber State; Peyton Ferris, Montana State; Delaney Hodgins, Eastern Washington; and Makailah Dyer, North Dakota.
Honorable mentions in the Big Sky for this season include: Deeshyra Thomas, Weber State; Apiphany Woods, Idaho State; Ali Forde, Idaho; Geraldine McCorkell, Idaho; and Riley Nordgaard, Montana State.
*MVP
^Unanimous Selection
| 2016 Big Sky All-Conference First Team |
| Player |
Team |
Position |
Hometown |
| Jasmine Hommes*^ |
Montana State |
Forward |
Lynden, Wash. |
| Hayley Hodgins^ |
Eastern Washington |
Guard |
Pasco, Wash. |
| Kayleigh Valley^ |
Montana |
Forward |
Spokane, Wash. |
| Christina Salvatore |
Idaho |
Guard |
Anaheim, Calif. |
| Mia Loyd |
North Dakota |
Forward |
Minneapolis, Minn. |
| Adella Randle-El |
Sacramento State |
Guard |
Racine, Wis. |
| 2016 Big Sky All-Conference Second Team |
| Player |
Team |
Position |
Hometown |
| McCalle Feller |
Montana |
Guard |
Lewistown, Mont. |
| Regina Okoye |
Weber State |
Guard |
Albuquerque, N.M. |
| Peyton Ferris |
Montana State |
Guard |
Twin Bridges, Mont. |
| Delaney Hodgins |
Eastern Washington |
Guard |
Pasco, Wash. |
| Makailah Dyer |
North Dakota |
Guard |
Madison, Wis. |
| 2016 Big Sky All-Conference Award Winners |
| Player |
Team |
Position |
Award |
| Jasmine Hommes |
Montana State |
Forward |
Most Valuable Player |
| Riley Nordgaard |
Montana State |
Forward |
Top Newcomer |
| Alyssa Rader |
Northern Arizona |
Center |
Outstanding Freshman |
| Brittney Dunbar |
Weber State |
Guard |
Defensive Player of the Year |
| Peyton Ferris |
Montana State |
Guard |
Top Reserve |