The Montana State Bobcats and the Idaho State Bengals won first-round games in the Big Sky Conference women’s post-season tournament at Dahlberg Arena in Missoula Thursday.
MONTANA STATE 74 -- NORTHERN ARIZONA 64
The third-seeded Bobcats got an all-star performance from senior post Nubia Garcia in a 74-64 win over the Norhern Arizona Lumberjacks in the tourney’s first game.
PHOTO LEFT: Montana State senior center Nubia Garcia posts up for two of her game-high 19 points in Montana State's first-round win Thursday. Defending is sophomore Lumberjack forward Lauren Hoisington.
Garcia notched more than a double-double by adding six steals, three blocks and two assists to her double-figured 19 points and 11 rebounds
against NAU. She got plenty of help, however, as her four starting teammates also reached double figures in scoring. Junior guard Erica Perry and freshman guard Katie Bussey each scored 13 while sophomore forward Sarah Strand added 12 and senior guard Anne Phippard had 10.
PHOTO LEFT: Bobcat sophomore forward Sarah Strand scores two points over Northern Arizona forward Katie Schafer. Stsrand had 12 points, six rebounds and three assists in the Bobcat victory. Schafer had five points and eight
reobunds for the Lumberjacks.
Sophomore forward Lauren Hoisington made 7-of-16 shots and 12-of-13 free throws to lead the Lumberjacks with 26 points, while freshman guard Caty Huntington scored 13 in the losing cause.
The Bobcats, now 15-14, move into the semifinals in a rubber-match contest against the second-seeded, 21-8 Portland State Vikings. The teams split games during the regular
season, each notching a win on the other team’s home court.
PHOTO ABOVE LEFT: Bengal junior forward Devin Diehl battles Hornet forward Atty Boyer for possession of the ball in first-half action of ISU's 78-76 overtime win Thursday. Diehl's free throw with 32 seconds left in overtime sealed the win for the Bengals. Boyer, a senior, finished her career with 18 points and 13 rebounds.
IDAHO STATE 78 -- SACRAMENTO STATE 76 The Bengals eked out a two-point overtime 79-77 thriller over the Hornets when junior Bengal forward Iona Lacovita hit a 16-foot jumper with less than a second remaining.
PHOTO LEFT: Junior Hornet forward Erika Edwards drives to the bucket against Bengal Michelle Grohs.
The quarterfinal game between the Bengals and the Hornets was tied 37-37 at halftime and was never separated by more than seven points throughout.
Idaho State improved to 11-19 with the victory while the Hornets finished the season with a 9-21 record.
Bengal guard Jenna Brown sent the game into overtime when she converted a jumper with three seconds remaining in regulation for a 69-69 tie.
Brown paced the Bengals with 23 points and forward Michelle Grohs notched a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds.
Idaho State advances to a semifinal game against regular season titlist Montana on Friday. The Lady Griz won both conference matchups against the Bengals, 70-48 in Missoula and 73-39 in Pocatello.
Charday Hunt led Sacramento State with 23 points.
