After looking like they’d be blown off the floor at points in the first half, Montana battled back into the game and even took two very brief one-point leads before fading down the stretch.
So, instead of lamenting the lost opportunities that could have notched Montana a win over the Pac 10 Ducks, it’s likely that the lessons learned from being able to eventually handle Oregon’s full-court pressure will pay off down the road.
The Lady Griz panicked early and often against Oregon’s full-court press -- while the Ducks built several first-half 8-point leads.
After wilting early in a contest that threatened “runaway,” Montana regrouped under the steady hand of senior guard Lauren Beck and gave the Ducks a run for the money.
Beck, who scored 17 points and grabbed seven rebounds,
Montana quickly cut Oregon’s six-point lead in half early in the second period with good scoring balance around the floor, scoring at a 56 percent rate and battling the Ducks on the boards as well. Power forward Sarah Ena scored 18 points and snared 10 rebounds while freshman forward Katie Baker was a force in the paint as well, notching 15 points while grabbing nine rebounds.
PHOTOS: Lauren Beck (top) drives to score two of her game-high 8 points in first half action. Freshman Katie Baker (second photo) scores two first half points on a reverse hook. Baker scored 15 points. Sarah Ena (third photo) scored 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in her first action of the year after suffering an ankle sprain. Stephanie Stender (bottom) makes two of her 15 points. Stender made 5-of-8 shots, including 3-of-4 from three point range.
Reserve guard Stephanie Stender had perhaps her finest game as a Lady Griz, scoring 15 points on 3-of-4 shooting from beyond the arc while grabbing five rebounds.
A brief Montana rally midway through the second half, fueled by three straight Ducks turnovers, gave the Lady Griz their first lead of the game at 51-50. But, having taken the opportunity to assert control of the pace and scoring in the game, Montana misfired on several opportunities to take control over the next four minutes.
Oregon took a brief 66-60 lead with just under 10 minutes remaining, but a trey by Stender drew Montana again within three.
From there, Montana stayed close enough to make another run, which also resulted in a one-run lead at the 3:59 mark, when a jumper by Beck gave the Lady Griz a 75-74 lead. This time it hurt when Montana couldn’t maintain control of the game.A short timeout turned into an inbounds turnover by Montana, and was followed by another turnover and a missed Montana shot... and an 80-75 Ducks lead, which they maintained for the win.
Oregon got balanced scoring from six players. Reserve Nicole Canepa scored 18, while starting forwards Amanda Johnson had 17 and guard Lilley Taylor scored 15. Nia Jackson scored 12 while Micaela Cocks and Victoria Kenyon scored 11.
Montana outrebounded Oregon 49-46. The Ducks had 18 turnovers to Montana’s 17.
