Montana State women rout Portland in WNIT third round to reach Great 8, extending postseason run
Montana State advances, Portland’s postseason ends on the road
Montana State’s women’s basketball team moved into the Women’s National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) Great 8 after a 72-54 victory over Portland in a third-round game played at Montana State. The result ended Portland’s WNIT run and sent Montana State into the tournament’s quarterfinal round, which is scheduled within the WNIT’s Great 8 window of March 28–30, 2026.
The third-round matchup came less than five months after the teams met in Portland early in the season, when Montana State won 86-72 at the Chiles Center on Nov. 7, 2025. In that game, Portland forced 24 turnovers and recorded 11 steals but also committed 33 turnovers, a disparity that shaped the outcome despite Portland shooting 41.8% from the field.
How Portland reached the WNIT field
Portland entered the postseason from the West Coast Conference (WCC) after falling 60-50 to Oregon State in the WCC tournament quarterfinals on March 8, 2026, in Las Vegas. One week later, on March 15, Portland accepted an at-large bid to the WNIT, extending its season beyond the conference tournament.
The WNIT’s structure places the Super 16 round on March 25–27, followed by the Great 8 on March 28–30. Portland’s loss to Montana State occurred during the tournament’s third round, positioning the Bobcats for a spot in the Great 8 bracket segment.
Context: Montana State’s season profile
Montana State arrived in the postseason after a high-performing season in the Big Sky Conference. A Big Sky postseason summary released March 17 listed Montana State with a 25-7 overall record and a 16-2 conference mark. In the Big Sky tournament, Idaho defeated Montana State to claim the league’s automatic berth to the NCAA tournament, placing the Bobcats among the teams continuing their seasons in the WNIT.
Montana State’s late-season form included several lopsided conference wins, such as a 91-43 home victory over Portland State on Jan. 31, 2026, in which Taylee Chirrick posted a triple-double. Earlier in February, Portland State also pushed Montana State to a 66-63 finish in Portland, reflecting the range of outcomes the Bobcats navigated in league play.
What comes next
Montana State: advances to the WNIT Great 8 round, to be played March 28–30, 2026.
Portland: season concludes with the third-round WNIT loss after reaching the field via an at-large selection.
The WNIT Great 8 is scheduled for March 28–30, 2026, following the Super 16 round held March 25–27.