FARMINGTON, Utah (Jan. 21, 2026) – Nearing the halfway point of conference action, Big Sky women's basketball teams look to hit their stride heading into the critical weeks ahead.
Big Sky Women's Basketball Weekly Notes (Week 12)
Dos Santos Named Player of the Week
Dos Santos averaged a double-double (12 ppg, 11 rpg) on 50/50/70 shooting, and the Vandals won both games including a huge rivalry game against ISU for King Spud. She also surpassed the 1k-point plateau for her career.
Along with 12 points per game, Dos Santos also added seven blocks, three assists and three steals.
The Vandals went 2-0 on the weekend and have now won five of their last six contests.
Other’s Nominated for Women’s Basketball Player of the Week
Ella Gallatin (EWU), Jamison Phillips (MSU), Naomi White (NAU), Aniah Hall (UNC), Taylor Moffat (PSU), Rubi Gray (SAC)
The Best on the Boards
Eastern Washington’s Kourtney Grossman has claimed the top spot in the nation in boards per game.
The sophomore forward is currently averaging 13.3 rebounds per game, over .5 more than the player behind her.
Grossman also leads the nation in total rebounds with 239 on the season.
She is the only player in the nation to have two 22+ rebound games and has now recorded 10+ rebounds in 11 consecutive games.
Leading the Lumberjacks, and the Big Sky
Naomi White has been a lethal force for the Lumberjack offense in her first season in Flagstaff.
Through 20 games, White leads both the Lumberjacks and the Big Sky in scoring averaging 22.4 points per game.
She recorded six consecutive 20+ point games to open the season. She also recently set a new career high of 37 points against Weber State. The redshirt-freshman drained a career-high 9 triples in that contest.
This is White’s first season of collegiate action after redshirting her freshman year at Grand Canyon as a season ago.
Montana State Sweeps Preseason Polls
After a 30-win campaign a season ago, the Bobcats begin their title defense as preseason favorites of both the Coaches' Poll and Media Poll leading up to the 2025-26 Women's Basketball season, the conference office announced.
The Bobcats received five first-place votes in the coaches’ poll and 11 in the media poll compared to Montana three first-place votes in the coaches' poll and seven in the media poll. Idaho and Idaho State gathered the final two first place votes in the coaches poll.
Montana State finished its last campaign with a 30-4 overall record, the first Big Sky team to reach the 30-win mark, and a 17-1 mark in Big Sky action. The Bobcats swept the Big Sky titles, earning their eight regular season crown and its fourth tournament title. The season came to a close in Columbus where the Bobcats faced the Buckeyes of Ohio State in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
2025-26 Big Sky Women’s Basketball Preseason Coaches’ Poll
1: Montana State (5) – 74
2: Montana (3) – 72
3: Idaho (1) – 65
4: Idaho State (1) – 57
5: Sacramento State – 50
6: Eastern Washington – 38
7: Northern Colorado – 36
8: Weber State – 28
T9: Northern Arizona – 15
T9: Portland State – 15
() – Denotes First-Place Votes
2025-26 Big Sky Women’s Basketball Preseason Media Poll
1: Montana State (11) – 238
2: Montana (7) – 224
3: Idaho (7) – 220
4: Sacramento State (2) – 177
5: Idaho State – 161
6: Eastern Washington – 123
7: Weber State – 120
8: Northern Arizona – 102
9: Northern Colorado – 86
10: Portland State – 34
() – Denotes First-Place Votes
Versteeg Headlines Preseason All-Conference Team
The 2025-26 Big Sky Women's Basketball Preseason Team has been revealed, the conference office announced. Sacramento State's Benthe Versteeg highlights the team, earning Preseason MVP honors.
Versteeg represents one of five schools through the six-member Preseason All-Conference Team.
Versteeg enters her redshirt senior season as one of the league's most impactful returners, collecting All-Big Sky First team honors a season ago. In her 2024-25 campaign, she led the conference in assists with 208, nearly 40 more than anyone else in the conference. The Hornet also ranked Top-10 in the conference in scoring (10th), total points (8th), field goals made (7th), assist-to-turnover ratio (7th), steals (8th) and minutes (2nd). Her defensive efforts have earned her a spot on the Big Sky All-Defensive team twice in as many years.
The Lady Griz of Montana are the only school represented on the Preseason All-Conference team twice in Mack Konig and Avery Waddington. The Lady Griz duo led the squad a season ago as the two highest-point scorers on the team, both averaging 10+ points per game. Montana enters the first full season of the Nate Harris era, who led the team to a championship appearance in Boise to close out the 2024-25 season.
2025-26 Big Sky Women’s Basketball Preseason All-Conference Team
Benthe Versteeg, Sacramento State (Preseason Most Valuable Player)
Mack Konig, Montana
Taylee Chirrick, Montana State
Kourtney Grossman, Eastern Washington
Avery Waddington, Montana
Hope Hassmann, Idaho
Starch Madness
The 2026 Big Sky Basketball Championships in Boise, Idaho will take place from March 7-11 inside Idaho Central Arena. Visit
StarchMadness.com for more details.
2026 Big Sky Women's Basketball Schedule (Week 12)
Thursday, Jan. 22
Montana at Weber State // 6:00 p.m. MT (ESPN+)
Montana State at Idaho State // 7:00 p.m. MT (ESPN+)
Idaho at Sacramento State // 7:30 p.m. MT (ESPN+)
Eastern Washington at Portland State // 8:00 p.m. MT (ESPN+)
Saturday, Jan. 24
Northern Arizona at Northern Colorado // 2:00 p.m. MT (ESPN+)
Montana at Idaho State // 2:00 p.m. MT (ESPN+)
Montana State at Weber State // 2:00 p.m. MT (ESPN+)
Eastern Washington at Sacramento State // 3:00 p.m. MT (ESPN+)
Idaho at Portland state // 3:00 p.m. MT (ESPN+)
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