BOZEMAN, Mont. – The University of San Francisco women's basketball team (19-14) hits the road for the second round of the women's National Invitational Tournament when it takes on Montana State (25-7) at 1:00 p.m. PT/2:00 p.m. MT on Sunday, Mar. 22, at Brick Breeden Fieldhouse.
 
GAME 34 DETAILS:
Opponent: Montana State (25-7)
Date: Sunday, Mar. 22, 2026
Time: 1:00 p.m. PT/2:00 p.m. MT
Location: Bozeman, Mont. / Brick Breeden Fieldhouse
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
 
DONS AT A GLANCE:

• San Francisco enters its second-round matchup following a dominating 80-50 victory over Utah Valley last Thursday at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center. Candy Edokpaigbe paced the Dons with 20 points, her team-leading 14th 20-point game of the season, while shooting 80 percent (eight-for-10) from the field. She also connected on her lone three-point attempt, grabbed four rebounds, and dished out three assists.
• In 30 minutes of action, Mara Neira matched a season-high in three-pointers, knocking down five of her 11 attempts from distance.
• Leading the second unit, Michelle Ugwah scored nine of the Dons' 28 bench points while shooting 50 percent (three-for-six) from the field and recorded three boards in 17 minutes.
• As a team, San Francisco shot 56.9 percent from the field, the second-highest shooting percentage in a game this season. The green and gold also connected on 50 percent of its attempts from the three-point line, the first time the teams have shot 50 percent or better from distance this season. Five different players connected from long range throughout the contest, led by Neira's five.

SCOUTING THE BOBCATS:

• Montana State is set to appear in its fourth Women's National Invitational Tournament (WNIT) and is winless in its previous five games, including a three-team round-robin WNIT regional in 1988.
• Despite nearly erasing an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter, Montana State fell just short in the Big Sky Conference Championship in a 60-57 defeat to Idaho on March 11. The Bobcats struggled shooting most of the contest, hitting at a 35 percent clip from the floor and topping 36 percent in only one of the four quarters. Taylee Chirrick recorded 12 points to lead the Bobcats, and she added three rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Jamison Philip added eight points and three steals, while Brianne Bailey also scored eight points.
• Montana State's top three leading scorers are all underclassmen, with Chirrick leading the team in scoring at 17.8 points per game. Addison Harris (13.8 PPG) and Philip (8.3 PPG) also pace the Bobcats offensively. Chirrick is one of five players in the Big Sky averaging 15 or more points per game while ranking in the top five in the league in field goal percentage (fourth - 45.2 percent), assists per game (fifth - 3.7), and steals per game (first - 4.2).
• Montana State leads the Big Sky Conference and is third in the nation in turnovers forced per game at 25.6 per game. The Bobcats have forced 20 more turnovers in a game 28 times this season, highlighted by a season-best 37 against Caroll (MT) on November 4. Nine players have totaled double-digit steals throughout the season, with Chirrick leading the team and ranking second in Division I with 134.

SERIES HISTORY:

• San Francisco and Montana State are set to face off in the fourth all-time meeting, with the Dons holding a 2-1 advantage.
• The last time the two programs competed was during the 2000-01 season, with the Bobcats earning a narrow 60-55 victory over the Dons on the Hilltop.
• The green and gold previously won back-to-back games during the 1985-86 and 1991-92 seasons, outscoring Montana State by 19.5 points.  

FOLLOW US:
For updates and more information on the San Francisco women's basketball program, follow the Dons @USFDonsWBB on Twitter, @USFDonsWBB on Instagram and @USFDonsWBB on Facebook.
 
MERCHANDISE:
Want to dress like the Dons? Get your official San Francisco Dons gear from the University of San Francisco bookstore today! Click here to purchase.
 
SPONSOR US:
The University of San Francisco Athletics Department would like to acknowledge and thank our sponsor – Planet Orange –  for their continued support of USF Athletics. Interested in sponsoring the Dons? Please contact Frank Allocco, the Executive Senior Associate Athletics Director of External Relations, at fallocco@usfca.edu or at (415) 422-4561.