Montana senior point guard Mandy Morales did what she does best... again, scoring 25 points, dishing out seven assists and snaring six rebounds to lead the Lady Griz past the Idaho State Bengals 70-56 in Big Sky Conference Postseason Tournament semifinal action Friday.
PHOTO ABOVE RIGHT: Montana senior center Britney Lohman battles Idaho State guard Devin Diehl for possession of the ball in first-half semifinal action Friday. Lohman scored six points, grabbed six rebounds and hade a game-high five steals in Montana's 70-56 win. Diehl scored eight points, hade three rebounds and dished out five assists in the Bengals' losing cause.
Morales keyed a late Montana surge that helped Montana break away from a tight six-point margin with just under two minutes remaining. Morales made nine of Montana's final 15 points as the Lady Griz pulled from a 56-50 lead with 1:55 remaining to the game's final 14-point margin.
Shooting guard Sonya Rogers was on-target as well, scoring 17 points on 1-of-11 shooting and a perfect 5-of-5 from the free throw line. Sophomore forward Sarah Ena, suffering from the effects of a viris, scored 14 points and collected six boards in only 29 minutes of action.
Senior forward Oana Iacovita made 11-of-14 shots in the paint to pace the Bengalswith 22 points and seven boards. Senior point guard Jenna Brown made four treys and scored 15 points. The Bengals finished their season with an 11-20 record.
PHOTO RIGHT: Junior guard-forward Lauren Beck drives to the bucket against Idaho State post Oana Iacovita in first half action. Beck scored six points and h ad three rebounds in Montana's win. Iacovita led the Bengals with 22 points and seven rebounds.
Montana, at 27-4, will attempt to record a second-straight Big Sky Conference Title on their home floor. The championship game against the second-seeded Vikings starts at 4 p.m. Saturday.
