In a head-on championship clash between the two premier teams in the Big Sky Conference, won 69-62 Saturday by Montana over Portland State, each team accomplished its drawn-up game plan, said the coaches.
Those plans centered on defense. The task: stop the players and the plays that had been essential to the opponent’s trademark success for 2008-09.
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED on both ends of the floor. Story continues below photo.
PHOTO ABOVE: Montana forward Sarah Ena celebrates Montana's Big Sky championship.
The post-game statistics revealed what the game was: balanced.
In all but one critical statistic, the Montana Lady Griz and the Portland State Vikings battled to a standoff. Each team limited the other to 33 percent shooting from the field. The Lady Griz made 20 of 60 field goal attempts; the Vikings made 19 of 58. Each team had three starters notch double digits in scoring. And the figures for assists, turnovers, blocks and steals were uncannily identical.
“We’re both pretty good offensively, but that game was dominated by intensive defensive play,” said Montana coach Robin Selvig. “Every possession was a dogfight, and neither of us shot. I see we shot 33 percent, they shot 33 percent.”
But – at the end of a grueling conference campaign – the contrast between the two teams finally became very clearly drawn in one critical statistical measurement, enough so that if these two teams were to play three more games, and log the same non-scoring statistics, the better rebounding team, Montana, would win the series.
PHOTO RIGHT: Montana's Sarah Ena grabs one of her seven offensive rebounds over PSU forward Kelsey Kahle in second half action. Ena scored on the put-back.
Because that one statistic provides a clearly defined panorama that explains why the Montana Lady Griz are undisputed champions.
REBOUNDING.
Again, as in previous games, Montana was clearly the superior rebounding team. In this championship slugfest, Montana
emerged with a 12-rebound, 46-34 advantage. Leading the way once again were the trio of top Montana rebounders. Forward Sarah Ena ripped down 14, post Britney Lohman had eight, and floor general Mandy Morales had nine. In contrast, the highest rebound total for any single Viking was eight.
Montana’s rebounding dominance did not escape Portland State coach Sherri Murrell, who lauded Ena’s sheer muscular dominance of the boards at both ends of the floor.
PHOTO RIGHT: Mandy Morales scores two of her game-high 23 points. Morales, who had nine rebounds, was named tourney MVP.
Said Murrell: “Sarah Ena. I’m going to tell you again... her rebounding. If I can find one of those kids recruiting-wise, I’ll do everything in the realms of the NCAA compliance to get her into my program.”
Selvig agreed with Murrell’s assesment of Ena.
“She’s relentless to the boards and that’s one of the big things she does for us,” said Selvig. “Some people have the knack, some people just wear you down getting to the offensive boards.”
Ena’s dominant rebounding performance was even better than the statistics indicate. That’s because Ena was slowed by a nagging virus, and thus did her damage in only 29 minutes on the floor.
Ena’s 14 rebounds meant more than 14 extra possessions. That’s because she snared seven offensive boards, several of which she converted into two of her 19 points scored.
But no single rebound or putback spelled Montana’s victory, however.
PHOTO Above left: Portland State Coach Sherri Murrell with point guard Claire Faucher in the post-tame interview. PHOTO LEFT: Montana coach Robin Selvig thanks Dahlberg Arena fans after Montana's championshuip celebration.
That dramatic play was provided by Morales, who tracked-down an errant pass and fluidly erased a poor shooting night with a sudden trey from the left wing at the game’s 4:30 mark. The flipping net triggered a partisan crowd roar that shook the Dahlberg Arena rafters.
“I knew that I had to step up and do something,” said Montana’s and the Big Sky’s consensus MVP.
“My mom always says, you know... good shooters keep on shooting. So I just had to really focus on that and keep on shooting.“
Morales’ shot bumped a narrow 49-48 Montana lead to four points. But that lead was then widened to 55-50 a mere 30 seconds later by two Britney Lohman free throws.
THE WINNING EDGE
Something hard to pinpoint happened at that point, but it was visible in both the exuberant celebration of Montana fans and players... and in the defeat-slumped shoulders of the Vikings, who had up to that point valiantly battled blow-by-blow with Montana in a tension-packed fray rarely separated by more than three points.
In the end, though, it was the repeat of a pattern of Lady Griz dominance that has occurred so many times this year. And it signified that point - always visible and always somewhere before the numerical end of the game, regardless of the score - where Montana had both physically and mentally beaten its opponent.
Not so oddly, it had happened at about the same point the previous night in Montana’s semifinal 70-56 victory over the Idaho State Bengals.
Whether Montana’s winning edge is physical or mental or both, Montana’s final surge always has the effect somewhat similar to the final kick of a superior marathon runner as she pulls away from the field.
This season, every Lady Griz opponent has been ready to wage battle.
Every Lady Griz opponent has stepped onto the floor prepared to deliver their toughest physical effort of the year. And there have been battles, many of them knock-down brawls. Every time but once, however, Montana has pulled away for the win.
Early on, the Vikings were up for the battle. They delivered... and absorbed their own blows.
“It’s tournament time,” said Murrell. “You know, I’ve got I think I’ve got a black eye and a couple of (bruised) lips (in my locker room). “
“It’s going to get physical,” Murrell added. “Two teams are going to battle it out. Normally we back down. We didn’t back down tonight. It was not easy for either team to win this game. I don’t think Montana cruised through this game. I think we matched their physical play and we didn’t back down.”
But the Vikings, finally, were beaten. And when it happened, with 4:30 remaining, every person in Dahlberg Arena knew it.
PHOTO RIGHT: Montana senior guard Sonya Rogers battles PSU guard Lexi Bishop for control of the ball in first-half action. Rogers scored 12 points against the Vikings and had two steals. Rogers, was named to the All-Big Sky tourney team along with teammates Morales and Ena, PSU's Faucher and Kelli Valentine, and Idaho State's Oana Lacovita.
In the post-game interview, both Morales and Ena alluded to Montana’s winning edge as something that was motivated by their 40-point loss to Vanderbuilt University in last year’s NCAA first-round game. After that crushing loss Lady Griz players responded by spending endless summer hours in Montana’s weight room. And in the practice gym.
“I knew that we had to get into the gym during the summer and get (our) game to a different level than it was last year,” said Morales. “Our girls really worked hard this summer lifting and shooting around and we came back to the game more focused. “
“I don’t think you can expect anything,” said Ena. “But we knew who we had returning and being able to taste that bit of NCAAs last year... we knew. And this year we could see it was in reach. So we just had to go out and make it happen.”
It’s fitting that each of these outstanding teams will play at least one tournament game. Montana advances to the NCAA playoffs as a potential “ten-to-13” seed, by Selvig’s estimate. And the Vikings move on to the Women’s National Invitational Tournament first round.
“To not go to the NCAA, I understand that,” said Murrell. “But it’s so good to know that a program as young as we are is going to go to the NIT. We’re going to do our darndest to represent... and heck, maybe we’ll go further.”
“I’m still on cloud nine or 20 or whatever,” said Morales. “It’s going to be a sweet night tonight to celebrate with my family and you know, on Monday get focused on the NCAAs.”
