grizzlyjournal

Lady Griz embark on quest for third-straight Big Sky Title

The Montana Lady Griz embark on a quest for their third-straight Big Sky Conference championship in a semifinal clash against the Portland State Vikings, the only conference team to sweep Montana in league play this year.

The Vikings, who were my pick to win the Big Sky this year, present a distinct challenge for Montana's zone defense – due in part to the ability of all-conference point guard Claire Faucher to penetrate on a dribble-enter and then to kick out to the Viks' talented three-point shooters.

The Lady Griz were expected to rebuild this season after the loss of seniors Mandy Morales, Sonja Rogers and Britney Lohman. But – bouyed by the stellar play of freshman center Katie Baker – Montana became an early challenger... until Baker went down with a season-ending injury in the Lady Griz' first game against Eastern Washington, a last-minute loss.

But Montana coach Robin Selvig and his staff have – as they do every season – molded this diverse Lady Griz team into an unexpected contender. That's no surprise to Montana fans, who have become accustomed to watching Lady Griz teams get steadily better... game, by game.

PHOTOS: (Top) Montana guards Lauren Beck and (bottom) Shaunte Nance Johnson from Montana's last meeting against the Vikings, played earlier this season.

Evidence of that is the improved play of senior center Shadra Robison, red shirt frosh forward Alexandria Hurley and true frosh wing Alyssa Smith, all of whom are much improved since the teams' earlier meetings.

Key to Montana's success against the talented Vikings will be the play of Montana's guards, seniors Lauren Beck and Shaunte Nance Johnson, and freshman phenom Kenzie De Boer. They'll need to create inside-outside opportunities much like the Vikings do. De Boer has steadily gained confidence as a scorer, which has opened things up for Beck in particular. Nance-Johnson needs to keep Montana's transition game flowing.

If they do, that means that junior sharp shooter, wing Stephanie Stender will get some long-range scoring opportunities. Which, if Stender can capitalize on, should open up the key a bit for junior forward Sarah Ena. The Vikings' win in Missoula was keyed by double-teams that kept Ena contained.

This will be an interesting matchup.The Vikings are likely motivated as the Big Sky's second-place team the past two seasons.

Whichever team emerges as the winner, they'll be fully capable of giving the conference-play titlist Eagles all they can handle for the tourney crown.

Bobcats pull away for 77-72 win over Lady Griz

The Montana State Bobcats pulled away from the Montana Lady Griz midway through the second half and posted a 77-72 win in front of 4283 partisan fans in Big Sky Conference action at Dahlberg Arena Saturday.

The Bobcat win ensured that both teams qualified for the conference post-season tourney, currently tied as the fifth seeds with one week remaining in conference action.

Bobcat guard Katie Bussey nailed two of her six three points in the final one-plus minute of action, good enough to break a deadlock and give the Bobcats the eventual win. Bussey made 6-of-10 three pointers and led the Bobcats with 18 points. Bobcat post Sarah Strand scored 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field and 10 rebounds. The Bobcats outrebounded the Lady Griz 41-32.

Montana was led by junior guard Stephanie Stender's 16 points, on 6-of-8 shooting, 4-o5-5 from three point range. Stender was joined in double-figure scoring by senior guard Lauren Beck's 10, 14 from junior forward Sarah Ena and 10 from junior post Jessa Loman Linford.

The two teams shot 46 percent from the field from the game, but the difference came from long range, as the Bobcats made 52 percent from beyond the arc on 10-of-19 shooting compared to Montana's 26.7 percent on 4-of-15 shooting from beyond the arc.

Montana hits the road for its final league games against Northern Arizona and Northern Colorado.

PHOTOS: (Top) Junior wing Stephanie Stender battles a Bobcat defender for possession of the ball during second half action. Stender led the Lady Griz in scoring with 16 points on 4-of-5 shooting from beyond the arc. (Middle) Junior post Jessa Loman Linford scores two of her 10 points for the game over Bobcat Lyndi Seidensticker (#21). Loman Linford also pulled down six rebounds for the Lady Griz. (Bottom) Junior forward Sarah Ena posts up for two of her 14 games against Seidensticker and Bobcat post Sarah Strand (#20). Ena also collected six rebounds.

NOTE: Because of the two-home-game schedule, only brief photo coverage is provided tonight. More photos of both games – including slide shows – will be posted during the week.

Lady Griz rebound with 15-point win over league leading Eastern

The Montana Lady Griz discovered the energy that deserted them Friday, shooting a hot 60 percent from the field in a 41-point second half and stormed to a 75-60 win over first place Eastern Washington before 4002 fans at Dahlberg Arena Saturday.

The win, coupled with Montana State’s 79-70 win over Portland State, tightened the first three slots in the Big Sky Conference standings. The Eagles, at 8-3, hold a half-game lead over the Lady Griz (8-4), while the Vikings are back another half-game at 7-4.

Junior forward Sarah Ena scored 17 points on a variety of post-ups, drives and pull-up jumpers to lead Montana in scoring. Battling foul problems for the second-straight night, Ena also pulled-down 8 rebounds and had two assists on the night.

The Lady Griz rode two surges, one in each half, to subdue the talented Eagles, both keyed by Ena, who converted several jumpers from the top of the key early in the game to give Montana leads of up to seven points.

The rest of the Montana players started cold however, and despite a solid defensive effort, shot only 35 percent from the field, which allowed the Eagles to stay within reach.

The Eagles – unable to penetrate the Lady Griz zone – pulled within three, 31-29 at halftime on the strength of a talented long-range shooting corps. The Eagles finished the game with 10-for-31 treys, getting three each from Kyla Evans and Jessica Huntington, and treys from three other players.

PHOTOS: Montana forward Sarah Ena is fouled by Eagle Tatjana Sparavalo on a drive to the bucket. The foul was called flagrant and Ena made one of two free throws. (Second photo) Montana wing Stephanie Stender looks to pass the ball to the wing in first half action. Stender made 3-of-4 three point shots and finished with 11. (Third photo) Alexandra Hurley battles for a rebound with Eastern post Julie Piper in second half action. Hurley had four points and three rebounds.

Though Montana made only 5-of-11 three point shots, most came at critical junctures, especially two in the first half by junior wing Stephanie Stender, who nailed treys that both times blunted an Eagle run.

“I thought we executed pretty well offensively all night,” said Montana coach Robin Selvig. “We missed a lot of shots again. We just don’t make shots sometimes.

“But I thought we got pretty good shots most of the game,” he added.

But the Lady Griz – who played tentatively in their Friday loss to the Vikings – remained aggressive against the Eagles throughout the game. It paid off.

Montana quickly stretched its three-point halftime lead to 39-31 – keyed by another trey from Stender –  and then steadily expanded the lead with a run that saw at least five Lady Griz players score layups down the right lane against Eagle defenders who were just a step too late.

All nine Lady Griz players who played scored.

“I felt like we started to get a little comfortable,” said Ena. “Yesterday, Portland State was so physical and kind of pushed us out of our comfort zone and Lauren, Kenzie, Steph... all these players kind of got in the groove,” said Ena.

Senior guard Lauren Beck and junior post Jessa Loman Linford had off nights from the field. But Loman Linford made 5-of-6 free throws after being fouled on shots, and finished with eight. Beck made only 4-of-14 field goals, but was 4-of-4 from the line and finished with 14.

Beck credited much of Montana’s energy to a solid defensive effort game long.

“I thought our defense was able to get our hands on the ball a lot in the zone which helped us a lot,” said Beck.  “It builds our confidence and then it turn it builds our offense a little bit better,” she added.

Montana meanwhile got sparkling performances from freshman and bench players in the win. Kenzie De Boer scored nine points, but tallied four nifty assists, several on lobs to Loman Linford, Ena or senior post Shadra Robison, who scored six and had six rebounds. Freshman wing Alyssa Smith played an aggressive game at both ends of the floor, pulling down four rebounds and dishing three assists while scoring four. Redshirt frosh Alexandra Hurley, despite some shooting nerves, played solidly as Ena’s backup at power forward.

PHOTOS: (Top) Freshman wing Alyssa Smith drives to the bucket for two of her four points. Smith also pulled down four rebounds and had three assists on the night. (Bottom) Senior center Shadra Robison battles Eagles Jessica Huntington and Chene Cooper for ball control during first half action. Robison scored six points, pulled down six rebounds and had two blocks.

Eastern's stellar post, Julie Piper, made 9-of-17 shots to lead Eastern with 20 points. Guard Kyla Evans added 13. No other Eagle reached double digits.

Montana outrebounded the Eagles 42-37. The teams were even statistically on assists, turnovers and steals.

Though Montana is locked in a jam at the top of the Big Sky, it doesn’t get any easier. The Lady Griz travel to Sacramento State for a Sunday game against the fourth-place Sacramento State Hornets, who have been playing their best basketball over the past three weeks. Three of Montana’s final four games are road clashes.

“We can’t take any of these games at the end of the stretch lightly,” said Ena. “I’m proud of my teammates and the way that we fought and bounced back from the loss last night,” she added.

Portland State outlasts Montana Lady Griz; pull away for 72-60 win

The Montana Lady Griz had no answers for the Portland State Vikings outside shooting game Friday, as Vikings' wing players Eryn Jones, with 19 point, and Kelly Marchant, with 18 points sank timely shots over the final 10 minutes to lead the Vikings to a 72-60 win over the Montana Lady Griz in front of 4219 fans at Dahlberg Arena.

Marchant made 4-of-7 shots from beyond the three point arc and Jones sank 3-of-6,many coming during the final 10-minutes of the game as the Vikings became the first Big Sky team in four years to beat Montana at Dahlberg Arena.

The Lady Griz were led in scoring by freshman Kenzie De Boer, who tallied 17, junior forward Sarah Ena, who scored 15, and junior wing Stephanie Stender, who scored 10.

Montana had a 49-44 lead with just over 14 minutes remaining, but made only 4-of-17 shots from there as the Vikings -- who shot only 39 percent from the field in the second hald -- rode the hot hands of Marchant and Jones.

But the Vikings dominated the boards, with a 38-33 edge, blocked five Lady Griz shots, and forced 13 Lady Griz turnovers to take command of the floor game and momentum.

With the win,the Vikings leapfrogged Montana into second-place in the Big Sky at 7-3, while Montana fell to 7-4. The Lady Griz host the league-leading Eastern Washington Eagles Friday, where a win could tighten the Big Sky race to within a half-a-game between the three teams, depending upon the results of Portland State's clash with the Montana State Bobcats Saturday in Bozeman.

PHOTOS: Montana center Shadra Robison tangles for possession of a loose ball with Portland State guard Claire Faucher. Robison had two points and six rebounds in 15 minutes of action. (Middle) Montna senior guard Shaunte Nance Johnson drives to the bucket against Portland State's Kelly Marchant in first half action. Nance Johnson had three assists and one point in 14 minutes of action. (Bottom) Freshman guard Kenzie De Boer goes up for two of her team-high 17 points with this drive against Viking defender Lexi Bishop. De Boer made 7-of-14 shots from the field sank both of her free throws, had two assists and four steals in 23 minutes of action. 

Upstart Lady Griz poised for Big Sky breakout

The Montana Lady Griz – despite its youth and the loss to injury of its leading front-court player – continues to provide loyal Montana fans the promise of a championship contender as the halfway point in conference play concludes this week.

The two-time defending Big Sky champs relied early on the leadership of two returning starters – senior Lauren Beck and junior Sarah Ena – in a shaky pre-season while returning underclass players and a promising freshman class adjusted to their roles.

View a slide show of Montana's 65-54 win over Northern Colorado University HERE:

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View a slide show of Montana's 54-48 win over Northern Arizona University HERE:

The most encouraging early sign was the assured and aggressive play of freshman post Katie Baker... enough so that rumbles of another title run started surfacing among fans and on chat-room posts.

The setbacks were numerous and costly, however, as Baker joined teammates Misty Atkinson and Ashley Ferda on the sideline with serious injuries (Atkinson has returned, but is not yet at full strength).

Any comparable loss of players by any other Big Sky team would likely relegate the team to also-ran status. Not the Montana Lady Griz.

Last weekend’s home-court wins against Northern Colorado and Northern Arizona were a solid enough sign that this still-young team continues to make strides on defense, in chemistry... and at several key front-court positions.

No doubt Montana is still very thin at point guard, with senior Shaunte Nance-Johnson as the only true point, capably spelled by Beck, who splits time at point and wing. Freshman Kenzie De Boer is improving rapidly and is due for a break-out scoring game.

 But equally exciting has been the chemistry-bonding development of Montana’s front court.

Several players have stepped up, almost as a group, to fill Baker’s shoes at center... and if that front-court-by-committee lineup of junior Jessa Loman Linford, senior Shadra Robison, freshmen Alyssa Smith, Alexandra Hurley and junior swing player Stephanie Stender continue their steady game-by-game improvement... look out.

Each player contrbutes a unique style of play (and skill). What a diverse group. But Montana coach Robin Selvig has done a masterful job of mixing and matching. As their minutes have increased, each player has responded with outstanding efforts.

The result is that Montana will hit the road for Weber State and Idaho State this weekend at second place at 6-2 in the Big Sky behind 7-1 Eastern Washington. A split will stamp them once-again as contenders. A sweep might just make them odds-on favorites, even though the season is still relatively young.

Montana’s early January run of excellence came about because of Baker’s dominant play in the key on both offense and defense.

No Lady Griz fan should really be surprised that Selvig is getting inspired play from a combination of solid players who complement each other well.

It’s definitely too early to make predictions. Eastern Washington is playing very well and certainly has the players to claim the regular season title.

PHOTOS: Junior center Jessa Loman Linford (Top) clears the boards in Montana's 54-48 win over Northern Arizona. Loman Linford has contributed solid defense and rebounding in league play. Senior Shadra Robison (Second Photo) has stepped capably into the post in recent games. Robison is also a solid outside shooter ready for a breakout on offense. Freshman Alyssa Smith (Third photo) is making strides on defense and is a cabable ball-handler for breaking presses. (Bottom photo) Kenzie De Boer is providing Montana with quickness and the ability to slash to the bucket on early offense.

But they’d better not rest easy.

The Montana Lady Griz can make a statement this weekend. It’ll be fun to see if this well-balanced squad can solidify its growing chemistry on the road in a remarkably competitive Big Sky conference.

Beck, Ena lead Lady Griz to 54-48 win over Northern Arizona

The Lady Griz got their first lead of the second half when senior guard Lauren Beck hit a jumper in the key with 3:37 remaining for a 44-43 Montana lead over the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks. It was a lead they would keep for good en route to a 54-48 Big Sky Conference victory over the Jacks before a raucous crowd of 3555 at Dahlberg Arena Saturday.

The win boosts the Lady Griz into a tie for second with Portland State at the halfway mark of conference play. The Vikings edged league-leader Eastern Washington Saturday.

Junior forward Sarah Ena scored 17 points, despite battling constant double-team pressure from NAU, while Beck added 15 on a variety of dribble-enter drives for pull-up jumpers over the collapsing Lady Jack defense.

But the Jacks – sparked by the stellar shooting of freshman guard Amy Patton, who scored 17, and reserve guard Caty Huntington, who scored 11 – forged a 27-21 halftime lead with 6-for-15 three-point bombs for 40 percent shooting from beyond the arc.

PHOTOS: Montana junior forward Sarah Ena (top) posts up against NAU double-team defense in second half action. Ena, who scored 17 points, was fouled on the shot. (Middle) Senior guard Lauren Beck scores two of her 15 points against NAU defender Jenna Galloway in second half action. (Bottom) Senior center Shadra Robison posts up against NAU pressure in first half action. Robison had seven rebounds and seven points in 20 mnutes of acstion.

NAU maintained its lead well into the second half, despite Montana’s masterful zone defense, which held the Jacks to 28.1% in the second half and 32 percent for the game. More importantly, the Lady Griz limited NAU to only two treys (2-for-15) in the second frame.

The game was marked by pugnacious defensive efforts from both teams. The Lady Griz had 12 steals and forced 16 NAU turnovers, but committed 17 of their own against the Jacks, who had six steals.

“It was physically demanding and I think mentally it was even tougher,” said Beck. “But I thought in the second half we came out and played more aggressively and at our tempo more.

“The key was sticking with our zone defense and knowing that if we got some rebounds and some loose balls on the floor... if we won that battle then we would start getting good shots,” said Beck.

But game momentum seemed to swing under the boards, with reserve center Shadra Robison clearing the glass for seven boards, leading the Lady Griz to a six-board 39-33 margin. Robison, who had perhaps her best game ever as a Lady Griz, anchored Montana’s zone in the key at both ends, and scored seven points on the night.

“I wanted to step up and get my chance,” said Robison. “I’m making the most of the time that I have left, and... I’m having a blast,” she added.

Frosh guards Kenzie De Boer and Alyssa Smith, and redshirt frosh Alexandra Hurley again contributed quality minutes off the bench, combining for 10 rebounds  and solid defensive play.

But it was the play of Montana’s experienced leaders Ena and Beck that spelled the difference. Ena had a sub-par rebounding night, but was constantly hounded by double-team pressure... still scoring 17 on 5-of-9 shots and 7-for-7 from the free throw line.

Beck, who was shadowed by Huntington all game, shot 6-of-11 from the field, grabbed six rebounds, dished three assists, notched three steals and had three blocked shots, while turning the ball over only three times.

Montana is in the thick of a three-team battle at the top of the Big Sky. Northern Arizona slipped to 3-5 and sixth place in conference play.

Montana now hits the road for a two day swing to last place Weber State and fifth place Idaho State.

Northern Arizona will host the Northern Colorado Bears next week.

Lady Griz turn tables on Hornets; pull away for 77-61 win

The Montana Lady Griz were a dramatically different basketball team than they were two weeks ago.

The loss of freshman Katie Baker for the season makes it so. Baker was well on her way toward being the go-to player for the Lady Griz... and certainly had the inside track as freshman of the year, if not more, in the Big Sky.

But Montana's 77-61 win over the Sacramento State Hornets Friday proved many things. Foremost is that Montana still has the players to make a run at the Big Sky regular season title.

But it may take a couple of games, as Friday's starkly contrasting two halves of play demonstrated.

The team is shorter, and not quite as formidable in the key... both on offense and defense. And Montana Coach Robin Selvig is experimenting with numerous lineups to see how things sort out. Selvig looked and sounded like it was the first game of the year as he frantically directed his players toward cohesion in a season that's
nearing the midway point of conference play.

PHOTOS: Sarah Ena (top) has the ball poked away by Hornet defender Emily Christensen during second half play of Montana's 77-61 win Friday. Ena scored 11 points. Jessa Loman Linford (second photo) drives to the bucket for two of her 15 points against the Hornets. Linford drove past defender Erika Edwards on the play. (Third photo) Montana players Stephanie Stender and Lauren Beck fight for possession of the ball in a second half scramble. Beck led the Lady Griz with 19 points while Stender had a sub-par shooting night (1-for-9, and 1-for-5), but grabbed six boards.

Senior guard Lauren Beck and junior forward Sarah Ena must now carry more of the scoring responsibly. They did just that, with Beck scoring 19 and grabbing eight rebounds in her usual quiet fashion, while Ena tossed in 11 points and grabbed seven boards.

But the biggest boost to Montana's offense was provided by three players who will steadily see more minutes as the season progresses. Junior post Jessa Loman Linford, who has moved into a starter's role, played a masterful game Friday, scoring 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting while pulling in seven boards for the Lady Griz.

The other two are -- like Baker -- freshmen. True frosh Kenzie De Boer is still trying to find her shot, but nonetheless scored 12 points, grabbed five rebounds in 19 minutes of play. And redshirt freshman Alexandra Hurley scored 10 points in 12 minutes of play.

The Lady Griz had an off shooting night, shooting an icy 35 percent from the field, 13.5 percent from three point range.

But the team is still working out the kinks with a dramatically re-worked lineup in the paint. After a game or two more of experience, the inside-outside game should get back to the form it was hitting before Baker went down.

In some ways, the Lady Griz may be a bit deeper than anticipated by the end of the season. That's because Selvig may well need to rotate more players into action. But that will just help this team develop as the second half of the season rolls around.

Two weeks ago the relatively young Lady Griz had the look of conference contenders. Friday night they looked like a team trying to find its identity. No matter.

Once the players get more comfortable in their new rotations, this team will return to form. The loss of Baker for the remainder of the season is unfortunate (to her the most, but also to the team). But this team still has the young talent to make a late run for the crown, if not in league play, then most certainly in the tourney.

BOTTOM PHOTOS: Alexander Hurley (#23) scores two of her 10 points in this second-half play. Hurley had her best game of the season so far and is expected to get more minutes through the remainder of the season. (Bottom photo) Freshman Alyssa Smith posts for a shot during second half action. Smith played 13 minutes and scored two points. She was fouled on this play and made one of her two free throws.

Baker's double-double paces Montana's 63-55 win over Idaho State

In a Big Sky Conference women’s basketball game that sported all the attributes of a back-alley brawl, Montana freshman Katie Baker stepped to the fore in her second straight game, scoring 23 points and hauling down 17 rebounds to lead the Montana Lady Griz over the pugnacious Idaho State Bengals 63-55 before 2661 fans in Dahlberg Arena Monday.

Of perhaps even more importance was the timing of Baker’s most inspired stretch of play, a brief 60-second, five-point flurry that broke open a game that had seemed endlessly deadlocked by furious defensive attacks from both teams.

It all started when Lady Griz off-guard Stephanie Stender’s baseline three-pointer from Sarah Ena’s assist erased Montana’s final deficit of the game for a 43-41 lead with 5:49 remaining.

Over the next minute of play, Baker grabbed three rebounds and scored two buckets -- one on an offensive board and put-back -- and then made one of two free throws, catapulting the Lady Griz to a 48-41 lead with 5:06 left to play.

The mini-rally was capped by senior guard Lauren Beck, whose trey gave Montana a 51-41 lead at the 4:08 mark.

The deadlock of the tense game was broken and the Lady Griz were able to keep the scrambling Bengal defenders at bay over the next four-plus minutes of play.

With the win, Montana moves to 2-0, tied for first in Big Sky play, while the Bengals drop to 1-1 after earning a road split with an overtime win at Montana State Saturday.

Idaho State coach Seton Sobolewski described Montana’s Baker-led stretch succinctly.

“I thought Katie Baker did a nice job. She got an offensive rebound, she got a put-back, and then she had a low-post move that put them up four,” said Sobolewski.

“I think in close games one or two possessions can make a big difference... and in a close game a four-point lead down the stretch is a big difference.”

“And that made a big difference because we didn’t respond,” said Sobolewski.

Baker’s two-game stretch of play has netted her 47 points and 25 rebounds, and coincides nicely with the beginning of conference play. Her 17 rebounds is three short of the Montana record of 20, set by Lady Griz great Greta Koss.

“I want to be more aggressive on the boards,” said Baker. “Coach Selvig has been really pounding to get the boards. And my brother has always been telling me to get the boards... it’s like, ‘Block out, or get out.’” said Baker with a laugh.

That aggressiveness created more opportunities to score, said Baker.

“I saw my opportunity and went in and I think I missed one, but got the rebound and kept going back up. You know, it’s just opportunity. If I get the ball and have an opportunity to score, I’m going to try and do that.”

PHOTOS: Lady Griz freshman post Katie Baker battles for position against two Bengals defenders. Baker scored 23 points and grabbed 17 rebounds to lead Montana. Lady Griz point guard Shaunte Nance-Johnson (second photo) is defended on a fast break by ISU's Oana Iacovita (21) and Chelsea Pickering. Reserve forward Jessa Loman Linford (third photo) looks for an outlet pass after grabbing a rebound in first-half play. Baker (bottom), scores two of her game high points against Bengal defender Iacovita.

Montana coach Robin Selvig credited Baker’s work ethic and mental confidence for her steady progress.

“She’s starting to get a better feel for when she has a shot. She always plays hard,” said Selvig. “She has a great mental attitude in terms of she thinks she’s a player... she’s coachable... and I can rant and rave at her and it doesn’t seem to bother her,” Selvig Added.

Until the Montana rally, the two teams had battled on even terms for nearly 35 minutes of play. Montana grabbed two early first-half, six-point leads.

But the Bengals -- behind the steady point-guard play of Andrea Videbeck -- always battled back, and took their first lead of the game with one second remaining in the half when guard Devin Diehl made two of three free throws for a 27-26 ISU lead.

The Bengals maintained a slim margin through the early minutes of the second half, a rugged stretch where each team’s defensive intensity literally overpowered any offense either team could muster.

The defensive slug-fest was revealed statistically. Montana made only 20-of-58 field goals (34.5%), while the Bengals shot a slightly icier 20-of-59 (33.9%). The Lady Griz committed 16 turnovers, which were nullified by ISU’s 14. The major difference came at the free throw line where Montana made 17-for-21, seven more points than ISU’s 10-for-14 mark at the stripe.

Chalk it all up to defense, said Sobolewski.

“It was a defensive battle and, you know, sometimes as a spectator it’s not the funnest game to watch. We don’t do exactly what Robin does with his team. But we try to emulate being of the toughness, at least,” said Sobolewski.

Which meant the stage was set for any breakthrough, no matter how minor.

Baker’s play on the boards spelled the difference. The Lady Griz finished with a solid 46-38 margin on the boards, and 16 of those rebounds came at the offensive end of the floor.

For the second straight night, Montana got balanced scoring. Senior guard Beck scored 16 and junior guard Stender scored 12, six of them coming from two three-point buckets at critical points of the game.

“Seph’s playing good,” said Selvig. “And in the last two games in particular she’s hit some real big shots for us.”

ISU’s Diehl led the Bengals with 11 poins, while forward Oana Iacovita scored 10 and Videbeck had nine. Shooting guard Chelsea Pickering made only 3-of-13 shots, one-of-8 from three point range.

Montana now hits the road for games against Eastern Washington and conference pre-season pick Portland State.

The Bengals return home for games against Northern Arizona and Northern Colorado.

Lady Griz shake the jitters, rebound to beat Weber State 73-67

It took nearly 19 minutes, but the Montana Lady Griz eventually overcame a severe case of first-half jitters – and an assortment of Weber State zone trap pressure looks –  to post a Big Sky Conference-opening 73-67 win before 3051 fans at Dahlberg Arena Saturday.

The win moves Montana to 1-0 while WSU dropped to 0-2 in league action. Monday Montana will host the Idaho State Bengals, overtime winners over MSU on Saturday.

Montana trailed the Wildcats by as many as 11 points midway throughout the first half, but got key buckets from senior forward Lauren Beck and junior guard Stephanie Stender in the final minute to narrow the halftime deficit to five, at 36-31.

Then – despite stumbling out of the gates with three straight turnovers against the Cats’ pressure – Monana outscored WSU 11-3 in the first two minutes of the second half, quickly commandeered a 41-39 lead, and then gradually extended the margin to nine with a classic Lady Griz inside-outside offensive game before securing with win at the free throw line during the final minutes of play.

The Lady Griz got balanced scoring from four starters, but freshman post Katie Baker and junior guard Stephanie Stender sparked Montana during critical second-half stretches.

Baker displaying remarkable poise for a true frosh, provided muscle and the offense in the paint during Montana’s crucial second-half run. The young post led all players with 24 points on 9-of-13 scoring, pulled down eight rebounds and had two steals.

Stender, showing more confidence with each game played, nailed three important treys – one during Montana’s late first-half run, and two others at important junctures late in the game. She finished with 15 points and pulled down six rebounds, one that she converted into to a put-back bucket in the game’s final minutes.

Senior guard Lauren Beck had a sub-par shooting night, but still scored 16 points, while junior forward Sarah Ena made 8-of-9 freethrows, – several during the game’s final minutes – and scored 14 total.

Montana committed numerous turnovers in several frantic minutes of the first half, and finished with 16. But both Montana coach Robin Selvig and Baker said the turnovers seemed to be self-forced rather than the result of actual Wildcat pressure.

“We know what we’re supposed to do,” said Baker. “The crowd was like ‘Go, go go,’ but you don’t necessarily have to race through a press-break, you know. We have to pass it back and forth like we did...

“We just finally figured it out, we got our rhythm back, that was all,” said Baker.

 “It wasn’t really what we were doing... where we were,” said Selvig. “The girls were just throwing it away, traveling... being scared to have the ball.”

“We didn’t pull out any miracle, ‘Let’s run this,’” added Selvig. “The crowd’s always wanting you to ‘Go, go, go.’"

"Well, you can’t just go, go, go. But I thought we were just more confident with it and took care of the ball better,” said Selvig.

PHOTOS: Freshman post Katie Baker (top) scores two of her game-high 24 points with this second-half drive. Senior guard Lauren Beck (middle) converts two of her 16 points against the Wildcats. Junior Guard Stephanie Stender grabs an offensive rebound against WSU. Stender scored on the putback for two of her 15 points.

The Wildcats, with five returning starters, were led by forward Caitlin Anderson’s 7-for-11 shooting  for 16 points down low and guards Tonya Scnnibbe (16) and Sarah Conner

(11)  who efficiently mixed dribble-ener drives with pull-up jumpers.
But as the Lady Griz eventually solved the Cats’ trapping pressure, a better effort on defense followed suit. Lady Griz defenders nabbed several second-half steals, which in turn sparked their offensive play. That’s when Baker took over down low. Several of her buckets came on assists from point guard Shaunte Nance-Johnson (5 assists) and Beck (3). And forward Ena, who dished three.

With the turnaround Montana’s play became more confident, and – despite a late run by the Wildcats – the Lady Griz never seemed in danger, nailing 15-of-19 second half free throws, several during the final two minutes of play.

“This is a huge win, starting conference,” said Baker. “We really needed to get early momentum. We just made a statement, down by five at half and coming back hard in the second half and able to come back. We didn’t just give up.”

Stender agreed. “This will definitely give us a confidence boost... not like we were low on confidence to begin with... But it’s important, especially going into conference. And it should be a booster going against Idaho Sate,” said Stender.

Montana continued its steady offensive improvement, converting 23-of-50 shots for 46 percent, while outrebounding the Cats 33-30. WSU ended with a solid 46.7% field goal mark, but made only 5-of-8 free throws on the game.

Defense trumps poor shooting as Lady Griz out-muscle Montana Western by 35

It was one of those strange games where the Montana Lady Griz -- 65-30 winners over Montana Western -- may well have been expected to win easily.

The the Lady Griz seemed listless at times, downright frustrated at others while shooting a miserable 24.2 percent in the first half and a still-icy 35 percent on the game.

It took senior shooting guard Lauren Beck to charge Montana’s second-half offense. Beck ended with 15 points on 6-for-10 shooting from the field, three of four from three point range.

The young Lady Griz seem still searching for on-court chemistry as coach Robin Selvig works senior point guard Shaunte Nance-Johnson into a team leadership role along with upperclassmen Jessa Linford and Stephanie Stender, who each played 19-plus minutes Wednesday.
 
Three freshmen, Katie Baker, Kenzie De Boer and Alyssa Smith are also fitting into the Montana system. along with upperclassmen Jessa Linford and Stephanie Stender.

Nine other Montana players scored, none more than Jessa Linford’s nine. Senior post Shadra Robison played 14 quality minutes, scoring eight points and grabbing three boards. Freshman post Baker scored eight points on a chilly 3-for-9 from the field, but compensated with an outstanding floor game, snaring six boards and grabbing five of Montana’s 16 total steals.

The Lady Griz swept the board battle, 48-33, and forced 20 Western turnovers.

Montana continued its improvement on defense, holding Western to 22.4 percent shooting from the field.

PHOTOS: Redshirt frosh Alexandra Hurley converts a second half shot over Montana-Western's Laura Geis. Hurey scored three points and had two rebounds. (Middle) Junior forward Sarah Ena battles for position against two Western defenders, including Chloe Mosey (52). Ena scored six points and had seven rebounds for the Lady Griz. Stephanie Stender (bottom) drives between two Western defenders in first-half action. Stender was scoreless, but pulled down five boards in the game.
Jessa Linford (background) looks on.

There will be no more gimmes for Montana, which now heads into the Gonzaga University kennel for a Thursday night showdown against the tough 8-2 dogs, losers to only South Dakota State and Stanford.

Montana returns home for a Sunday matchup against Idaho and then hits the road for a game at Portland on the 19th.

Montana's Lauren Beck video interview on Lady Griz first win

Grizzly Journal caught up with Montana Lady Griz senior Lauren Beck after Montana defeated Denver University 65-51 Tuesday. Beck credited the Lady Griz with an improved second half defensive effort as the key to the win.

Read the game story of Montana's 14 point win on this page. Be sure to also check out the slide show of the game.

To view the video, simply click on the video photo frame.

Lady Griz shrug off shooting woes; defeat Denver 65-51

The Montana Lady Griz regrouped and recovered from a first-half full of shooting woes -- that included 8-of-29 shooting from the field --  to upend the Denver Pioneers 65-51 in nonconference play Tuesday.

Senior guard Lauren Beck, who went 0-for-4 from the field with 3-of-6 free throws in the first half, led a dramatically more efficient young Montana squad in the second half with 14 points, 12 of them coming on treys.

With senior point guard Shaunte Nance-Johnson on the bench in street clothes nursing an injury from Sunday’s game, Beck played all but a minute of the contest at point and looked comfortable in the role.

As the game progressed, both Beck and her teammates became more comfortable in their roles and settled down to run Montana’s offense patiently.

PHOTOS: Kenzie De Boer battles Denver's Brianna Culbertson for control of the ball in first half action. De Boer scored 15 points, 10 in the second half, for Montana. MIDDLE: Senior Lauren Beck puts up a shot against Denver's Laura Palmere in first half play. Beck played 40 minutes at point for Montana, scoring 17 while grabbing five rebounds. BOTTOM: Frehsman Katie Baker drives to the bucket for two of her 16 points for Montana. Baker shot 50 percent from thei field and pulled down seven rebounds.

SEE GAME SLIDE SHOW HERE:

 

Down by five at 30-25 to the Pioneers at halftime, freshman Kenzie DeBoer scored seven points in the first two minutes of the second half and the Lady Griz tied the score at 32, then burst to a 37-34 lead, which they expanded steadily to the final 14-point margin.

DeBoer had her best game as a Lady Griz, finishing with 15 points and five rebounds.

Frosh forward Katie Baker continued her stellar play in the paint, scoring 16 points on a variety of power moves to the bucket, converting on 7-of-14 shots while pulling down 7 rebounds.

Only three other Lady Griz players scored in the game. Junior Sarah Ena scored eight points and grabbed 6 rebounds while junior Stephanie Stender scored six, but played a solid defensive game onthe wing. Freshman Alyssa Smith scored three points on a second-half trey.

Beck credited the second half to a more consistent defensive defensive effort, which she said then allowed the Lady Griz to relax on offense. NOTE: Grizzly Journal will post a video interview with Lauren Beck, which was conducted just after Montana’s win over Denver. Check back soon to view the video.

The Pioneers had the Lady Griz on their heels with a patient passing game, from which they converted 13-of-26 shots, many on nifty post moves in the paint by Kaetlyn Murdoch, Ashly Robinson and Brianna Culbertson. At one point toward the end of the first half the Pioneers led by as many as nine points.

But Montana pulled to within five in the final minute of the first half and exploded from the gate immediately on a blistering scoring pace that resulted in a 52 percent shooting mark.

This time it was Montana’s defense that shut down the Denver passing game, as Montana defenders shut down the paint and disrupted the wing and baseline passing lanes, which limited the Pioneers to 30 percent from the field.

The going gets even tougher from here. Montana’s next action is Friday in the Loyola Marymount Thanksgiving Invitational in Los Angeles. The Lady Griz tip off the tourney against South Florida at 3 p.m. The winner moves to the championship game against the winner of the Saint Louis University - Loyola Marymont contest.

Oregon outlasts Lady Griz, 86-81

  It would take the most cynical of fans to be too disappointed at Oregon’s 86-81 victory over the Montana Lady Griz Sunday at Dahlberg Arena.

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, did turn the ball over four times, as did point guard Shaunte Nance-Johnson. But the senior guard seemed to stabilize a still-young team that got caught up in the hectic pace of first half play and shot an icy 24 percent from the field, often on open shots in the paint or at relatively close range.

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.

Beck leads Lady Griz past Idol Sports, 77-57

Veteran Montana Lady Griz coach Robin Selvig has built a stable women’s basketball program on several foundational principles, one of which was severely tested in the Lady Griz’ 77-57 win over All-American great Cheryl Swoopes’ Idol Sports Warriors Sunday.

With every new season, Selvig gives his returning upper-class players the first opportunity to step into starting positions vacated by departed seniors, and Sunday’s pre-season contest was the perfect test to see which of several solid vets would step into the vacancies left by all-conference starters Mandy Morales, Sonya Rogers and Britney Lohman.

But no fewer than five promising freshmen are pushing to turn the tables of tradition on this young season, and one -- frosh forward Katie Baker -- was named “player of the game” after scoring 19 points while grabbing seven rebounds in 20 minutes of play against the Warriors Sunday.

Baker is one of a trio of frosh -- off-guard Kenzie De Boer (6 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists), and forward Alyssa Smith (3 points, 3 boards, 3 assists) are the others -- who are in the thick of the battle for those two open starting positions.

Two more, redshirt frosh Alexandra Hurley and freshman point guard Ashley Ferda -- whose play might be limited by a potential chronic injury -- may see increased playing time as the season progresses.

Selvig made certain every player got significant floor time to make their case.

With the exception of senior shooting guard Lauren Beck -- who played 31 stellar minutes, scored 22 points and stepped assertively into the role of team leader -- nine players logged between 15 and 22 minutes. All played well in short spells in a game that was never in doubt.

PHOTOS: Senior Lauren Beck (above) scored 22 points, grabbed 5 boards, and dished 3 assists while frosh Katie Baker (right) scored 19 points and grabbed 7 boards.

Joining Beck as a returning starter will be junior power forward Sarah Ena, who had a slightly off-kilter game, but still scored 14 points and grabbed eight boards. Senior Shaunte Nance-Johnson made only one of six shots, but dished four assists at point and will likely assume the starting role.

Those three will be expected to provide leadership until two starters and three more first-line reserves claim roles on a team that looks -- on paper -- to be inexperienced.

But several upperclass players -- backcourt players Stephanie Stender and Tianna Ware, and front court vets Shadra Robison, Jessa Linford and Misty Atkinson -- all played solid floor games, though only Atkinson (5 points and 4 rebounds) produced a stat line to scrutinize.

With such solid production from his frosh, Selvig will likely redshirt only one or two, while the others -- in their quest for playing time -- will likely push this year’s Lady Griz squad at an accelerated pace. There were few, if any, disappointed fans after Sunday’s game.

Swoopes led the Warriors with 31 points and 15 rebounds while Rogers donned the unfamiliar blue and red Idol Sports uniform and scored 13 points.

The Lady Griz jump into the fray on Friday, with a tough season-opening two-game road swing to Colorado State and Wyoming (11/15).

POSTGAME NOTES: Redshirt frosh Ashley Ferda sat at the end of the bench with a plastic boot on her right foot. Selvig said that Ferda was dealing with a chronic condition and her playing status wouldn’t be known until Monday or Tuesday. Ferda’s injury makes it even more likely that Selvig will play at least thee of his four true freshmen. The fourth true frosh, Kelsey Hildal, did not play and is a likely candidate for redshirt.

Montana Lady Griz Hoops: The best photos of 2009

Grizzly Journal was there at every home game of the Montana Lady Griz' Championship Season in 2008-09. These photos represent just a glimpse of the players, coaches and fans who participated in Montana's Big Sky Conference Championship. These photos represent my best and -- in some cases -- my favorite photos. Hope you enjoy them.

Johnson & Johnson pace Griz, Lady Griz pre-season scrimmages

The husband-wife duo of Anthony Johnson and Shaunte Nance-Johnson made the headlines in their teams’ initial outing of the 2009 Montana basketball season, but it was exceptional team depth -- some of it surprising -- that may write the complete story of the two teams as the season progresses.

The senior guard Johnson duo provided the marquee storylines for the initial public scrimmage by the Montana Grizzlies and Montana Lady Griz 2009-10 basketball teams Tuesday.  Both squads have been tabbed in most pre-season polls to finish their respective Big Sky Conferences in second place.

PHOTO: Montana senior guard Anthony Johnson drives through the lane for two of his game-high 25 points.

Anthony Johnson scored 25 points on 8-for-15 shooting from the field and 7-of-8 from the free throw line for the Griz, while Shaunte started at point for the Lady Griz maroon squad, notching 19 points on two assists and 2-for-2 shooting at the free throw line.

But AJ got stellar support from junior college newcomer, Raason Young, in the wing position. Young scored 18 points with 4-of-6 shooting from beyond the three point line and sent an early signal that he’ll vie for playing time at wing for the Griz.

Johnson, who has been billed as a pre-season All-America candidate, flashed the on-court brilliance Griz fans got accustomed to last season, slicing quickly into the key on his patented slashing drives or pulling up quickly for smooth midrange jumpers.

But Young’s shooting touch and heady man-on defense had scrimmage viewers buzzing. The lanky 6’-5” wing has a high and quick shot release that’s difficult to defend. That shooting touch shows promises to invigorate Montana’s perimeter offense from the wing position this year.

The Grizzlies got balanced scoring from a several players expected to contribute during the year. Senior shooting guard Ryan Staudacher (15), senior wing Jack McGillis (12), sophomore power forward Derek Selvig (15) and junior center Brian Qvale (10) notched double digits for the Griz.

Junior shooting guard Michael Taylor scored eight points and logged a solid floor game while sophomore point guard Shawn Stockton -- who played much of the game at point opposite Johnson --  scored nine points and dished four assists.

Nance-Johnson stepped into her role as the Lady Griz point guard for the season. Nance-Johnson’s 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting led both squads. Senior shooting forward Lauren Beck scored 12 points on three treys, while junior forward Sarah Ena scored 11 points and cleared seven rebounds.

PHOTO: Montana Lady Griz senior guard Shaunte Nance-Johnson drives through the lane for two of her game-high 19 points.

But a group of impressive freshman logged aggressive games, validating pre-season poll-pickers for ranking the very young Lady Griz squad so high. Forward Alyssa Smith (13), forward Katie Baker (11), guard-forward Kenzie De Boer (13), and redshirt guard Ashley Ferda (8) played outstanding floor games in support of upper class players Stephanie Stender, Jessa Linford, Misty Atkinson and Shadra Robison, who they may well push for playing time.

It’s dangerous to ever say, “the best ever” when referring to any of Montana coach Robin Selvig’s long string of championship teams. BUT... this group of freshmen has potential to be one of Selvig’s best freshman classes. Time will tell, perhaps soon.

Check back for more photos from Tuesday’s scrimmage and for several pre-season KEYS for the Montana Grizzlies and the Montana Lady Griz.

Lady Griz Big Sky trophy triggered by loss to Vanderbuilt

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.”

Big Sky Champions, 2009

The Montana Lady Griz are the champions of the Big Sky Conference, after emerging with an electrifying 69-62 win over the Portland State Vikings Saturday at Dahlberg Arena in Missoula. Montana senior point guard Mandy Morales was named tourney MVP for the second straight year. Morales is only the second player honored as a two-time MVP.

Joining Morales on the All Big Sky tourney team were: Idaho State Bengal senior forward Oana Iacovita, Portland State sophomore forward Kelli Valentine, Portland State point junior guard Claire Faucher, Montana senior shooting guard Sonya Rogers and Montana sophomore forward Sarah Ena. See photo #2 below.

Lady Griz qualify for Big Sky championship with 70-56 win over ISU

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.

Montana State, Idaho State win first-round Big Sky tourney women's games

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.

 

Lady Griz claim Big Sky crown with 70-60 win over Portland State

Senior guard Sonya Rogers made six three-point shots – four of them during a critical second-half stretch – and propelled the Montana Lady Griz to a 70-60 win over the Portland State Vikings before a racous crowd of 6734 fans in Dahlberg Arena Saturday.

With the win Montana clinched its second straight Big Sky Conference Crown, and the host role in the post-season tourney which will be held March 12-16.

Rogers, who led both teams with 22 points, was joined in double figures by senior point guard Mandy Morales and sophomore forward Sarah Ena, who each scored 16.

PHOTO RIGHT: Sonya Rogers drives against PSU guard Claire Faucher in first-half action Saturday. Rogers made 6-for-8 three pointers and scored 22 points to lead the Lady Griz to their second-straight Big Sky Conference regular season title Saturday.

Junior point guard Claire Faucher paced the Vikings with 20 points while senior forward Kelsey Kahle scored 11.

PHOTO RIGHT: Montana senior point guard Mandy Morales drives  against Portland State's Kelly Marchant to score two of her 16 points against the Vikings. Morales had five assists and pulled down 10 rebounds while directing Montana's floor play.

In a game played on even terms – both on the floor and statistically – it was Rogers and Morales who spelled the difference with timely three-point conversions over a Vikings zone defense set up to stop Montana’s dominant inside game.

PHOTO RIGHT: Sophomore forward Sarah Ena battles Kelly Valentine for possession of a loose ball during first half action Saturday. Ena won this battle and scored two of her 16 points on the play. Ena dominated the paint on defense and rebounding, grabbing 11 boards for a double-double.

NOTE: Since Grizzly Journal is providing coverage of Saturday’s double header, additional and extended coverage of both games will be provided Sunday.

Lady Griz beat Eastern 72-53; set state for title clash with PSU

The Montana Lady Griz were certainly not merely going through the motions in their72-53 win over the seventh-place Eastern Washington Eagles before 3445 fans at Dahlberg Arena Thursday.

That’s partly because the 10-18/5-10 Eagles wouldn’t let Lady Griz players look past them to Saturday night’s season-ending clash with the Portland State Vikings.

None of that mattered to the Eagles, who delivered blow after blow to the Lady Griz in a game that at times resembled a prize fight through more than three-quarters of the contest. It wasn’t until Montana point guard Mandy Morales grabbed an offensive board, stepped back beyond the three-point arc on the left baseline and calmly sank a three-point shot for a 13-point Montana lead that expanded a slim 9-point lead to 50-38 with 8:27 remaining.

From there Montana gradually stretched the lead to the final 19-point margin.

Montana’s win firmly set the stage for Saturday’s season-ending confrontation with the Vikings in a game that will decide both the regular season champs and the host site for the post-season tourney.

The Vikings did their part in a 75-61 win at Bozeman against the Montana State Bobcats, the only conference team to have beaten the Vikings this year.

Now the Lady Griz and the Vikings – at 14-1 apiece and clearly the class of the Big Sky Conference - will battle for everything in one 40-minute clash. No other team is close to the two title-contenders.

In fact, no other Big Sky team will finish conference play with a winning record and the four remaining teams to qualify for the tournament will have at least eight fewer wins combined than the Lady Griz and Vikings combined.

It was Montana’s MVP senior candidate Morales who took control of the game at precisely the critical juncture where it seemed feasible the Eagles could pull within eight points for the first time since the early going. Morales scored 11 of her game-high 22 points over the final 8:27 and handled the ball efficiently against the Eagles’ frantic full-court pressure over the final few minutes.

Montana’s steady front court forwards Sarah Ena and  Britney Lohman ensured Montana dominance of the paint, each notching a double-double with 13 and 11 points respectively and leading a 50-31 margin in rebounds... 13 by Lohman and 10 by Ena.

But it was perhaps junior point guard Shaunte Nance -Johnson who helped Morales most over the game’s final minutes. Nance-Johnson -  slowed by a hip bruise from a first-half collision - controlled the perimeter with steady ball handling, two assists and  seven points on several quick drives to the bucket while Morales posted up down low.

Eastern Washington post Julie Piper scored 14 points and reserve Amy Bratvold chipped-in 10. Neither team shot well from the field, Montana notching a 35.2 percent average while the Eagles were under 30 at 29.6 percent.

Forty six fouls were whistled in the contest, with Montana cashing in at the free throw line, sinking 31-of-41 for 75.6 percent.

The Eagles face elimination from post-season competition, depending upon the results of Saturday’s games.

Meanwhile, Montana turns its focus to the Vikings, who roll into town for Saturday’s 2 p.m. contest. Neither team has lost since the final week in January when the homestanding Vikings beat the Lady Griz and then promptly lost an overtime battle to the same Bobcat team they beat Thursday.

PHOTOS: (top) Montana point guard Mandy Morales fights for possession of the ball with Eagle forward Pauline Ferrall. Morales led all scorers with 22 points. (middle) Montana backup point guard Shaunte Nance-Johnson drives for the bucket in second half action. Nance-Johnson scored 7 points and played a solid floor game in the second half.  (bottom) Sarah Ena goes up for two of her 11 points. Ena notched a double-double with 13 rebounds as well.

Lady Griz roll over UNC Bears, 71-51

In the long run it didn’t matter that the Northern Colorado Bears held Montana’s all-everything senior point guard Mandy Morales to two first-half points.

Or even that the Bears gave the Lady Griz a tough fight through the first 10 minutes of the opening frame.

The Lady Griz – before a strangely passive, almost ‘ho-hum’ crowd of 3317 – responded by sharing the ball and the scoring with an efficient 51.9 percent shooting effort that set the stage for yet another Big Sky Conference runaway win... this one 71-51 over the Bears at Dahlberg Arena.

The catalyst in Montana’s first-half breakaway was senior center Britney Lohman, who mailed-home two three-point shots from the tip of the key that helped expand a slim 12-11 margin to a 35-23 halftime lead.

PHOTO: Montana guard Shaunte Nance-Johnson is stopped by Northern Colorado defender Cassie Lambrecht on a drive to the basket during first-half action. No foul was called on the play.

Sophomore reserve Stephanie Stender added her own trey during the span, while starters Sarah Ena, Sonya Rogers and Lauren Beck each scored a bucket. But it was Montana’s iron-clad man-on defense and several key offensive rebounds by Ena and Lohman that gave balance to Montana’s steady pull-away.

PHOTO: Reserve Misty Atkinson has the ball stripped by Bears' guard Cassie Lambrecht in second half action. Atkinson lost control of the ball, which was recovered by Lambrecht.

The Lady Griz also limited the Bears to only 28.6 percent shooting in the first half, and with each stop or steal, the Bears’ shooting became ever-more tentative.

Montana coach Robin Selvig credited the Bears' early efforts against his squad.

“Well it was nice to get a little run toward the end of the half,” said Selvig. “They’re a good team, I mean they run good things and we were working hard and they were defending us well and... you know, we just can’t expect to be up 15 right away on people that’re good teams.”

Any doubts after first-half action were quickly erased as the second half got underway.

In typical Lady Griz fashion, Montana put an exclamation point on its first-half dominance with a quick trey by Rogers and two treys and a jumper by Morales in the first 135 seconds of the second half.

Suddenly, the Lady Griz were up by 19 at 46-24 with 17-plus minutes of game time remaining.

PHOTO: Senior reserve center Tamara Guardipee posts up against Bears' defender Cayla Maneotis in second half action. Guardipee, who scored four points and grabbed two rebounds, made the shot on this play.

Morales finished the game with 13 points and five assists, and was joined in double figures by 13 from Lohman, 12 from Rogers and 10 from Ena, who dominated the boards at both ends with 11.

Six other Lady Griz scored in a game where eight Montana players logged floor time in double digits.

Selvig – who rotated his entire bench liberally into the game action – was visibly pleased with his squad’s efforts.

“Everybody’s contributing,” said Selvig. “Everybody’s... you know, earlier in the year maybe somebody’s going to kill you on defense... but that’s not the case (tonight). We’ve got kids communicating well, playing good defensively.”

The Bears got an outstanding effort from junior guard Whitley Cox, who scored a game-high 18 points on 8-of-19 shooting from the field, most on quick-pivot dribble enter drives past Montana defenders. No other UNC player scored more than nine points.

The Bears were also hurt by 14 turnovers, but what hurt most was their miserable first-half shooting that improved only marginally – to 33.3 percent – by game’s end.

Montana out-rebounded the Bears by six, forced 14 UNC turnovers and had seven steals.

The win upped Montana’s record to 13-1 in conference play, 24-4 overall, and into a statistical half-game hold onto first place ahead of the 12-1 Portland State Vikings.

The Bears slipped to 5-8, tied with Eastern Washington in a battle for the final post season tourney playoff spot.

Game photos of Lady Griz' 76-48 win over Northern Arizona

Game photos of the Montana Lady Griz' 76-48 win over the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks are now posted at the Grizzly Journal photo site.

Photos can be viewed HERE.

Montana senior point guard, Mandy Morales, scored 19 points in the win, while senior guard Sonya Rogers netted 4-of-6 shots from beyond the three-point arc and finished with 14 points and three assists. Junior forward Lauren Beck also had solid night offensively, making 6-of-9 shots for 14 points total. Junior reserve guard Shaunte Nance-Johnson scored five points, dished out four assists, and had a steal in 14 minutes of action.

Montana’s zone defense limited the Lumberjacks to 26.7 percent for the game and only 22.6 percent in the second half, when the Lady Griz extended a 9-point 37-28 lead to high double digits in the first five minutes of play, before extending the lead gradually to the final 28-point margin.

PHOTO: Sophomore guard/forward Stephanie Stender sets to shoot against Lumberjack defender Jenna Galloway, while Tiffany Amos looks on. Stender has provided steadily increasing minutes off the bench for Montana coach Robin Selvig in recent games. On Thursday, she scored 10 points against Sac State. Against the Lumberjacks, Stender scored two points, grabbed two rebounds, and had two assists and two steals in nine minutes of play.

Game Photos of the Lady Griz' 75-48 win over Sac State

Game photos of the Montana Lady Griz' 75-48 win over the Sac State Hornets are now posted at the Grizzly Journal photo site. Photos can be viewed HERE.

Montana senior point guard, Mandy Morales, scored 22 points in the win, while senior center Britney Lohman had 13 points, nine rebounds and two assists. Reserve guard/forward Stephanie Stender added 10 points and four rebounds.

Montana held the Hornets to 33.3 percent shooting for the game and outrebounded Sac State by 16, 48-32.

PHOTO: Reserve center Shadra Robison battles Sac State's  Charday Hunt for a loose ball in second half action. Robison had two points and a block in the game. Hunt led the Hornets with 13 points, five rebounds and two steals.

Lady Griz maul Northern Arizona 76-48

Fans of anagrams and basketball will take pleasure in some tidy game-time digit reversals in the Montana Lady Griz’ 76-48 thrashing of the NAU Lady Lumberjacks  before 4421 fans Saturday.

The difference in the game was a matter of efficiency all around the court: Montana’s machine-like offense produced 17 assists – distributed evenly by  seven players – while committing a mere 10 turnovers. For NAU, a reversal in those numbers added up to 10 assists... and 17 turnovers.

And for the second straight night the Lady Griz held their opponents to precisely 48 points, this time winning by 28, compared to a 27-point victory (75-48) against Sac State Thursday.

Thursday, Montana limited the Hornets to 20 first-half points and 28 second half points. Saturday, NAU scored 28 in the first half, while netting a measly 20 in the second.

PHOTO: Sophomore forward Sarah Ena is fouled by NAU's Lauren Hoisington in first-half action. Ena, who had seven points and 11 rebounds, made one of her two free throws.

There was little trickery in the primary cause for Montana’s resounding victory however. From tipoff the Lady Griz covered the floor with a suffocating zone defense, and held the hapless Lady Jacks to a mere 22.6 percent in second-half field goals and 26.7 percent total on 16-of-60 field goals total.

PHOTO: Montana forward Lauren Beck is congratulated by teammates Shadra Robison and Stephanie Stender after scoring 14 points and dishing four assists in Montana's win against the Lumberjacks.

A relaxed Montana coach Robin Selvig said afterward, “I always think it’s important to not let the other team get easy baskets to get going when they come in here. “(It’s important) to take control, don’t let them get anything easy.”

“I thought our defense was good,”he added. “I thought we communicated... I just thought the ladies did a nice job in the zone.”

PHOTO: Senior guard Mandy Morales fights for a loose ball with NAU's Katie Schafer in second half action. Morales finished with 19 points and four rebounds.

Junior forward Lauren Beck said the Lady Griz played zone for the entire game.

“Going into the zone you eliminate the straight shot down the lane, but then you have to get to the open shooters too, and so you make them hit threes and if they don’t then there’s long rebounds and so you go on the offensive end and you get layups yourself.” 

As usual, Montana’s senior all-league, MVP point guard Mandy Morales was the focal point. She scored 19 points on 5-of-12 shooting from the field and 9-for-9 from the free throw line, most of them coming in the paint, where she posted up against her smaller defenders – most frequently Jacks’ guard Sade Cunningham.

PHOTO: Montana reserve post Tamara Guardipee scored eight points in six minutes of playing time. Guardipee scored on this post-up move against Melissa Spaich of NAU.

And – when the NAU defense collapsed in an attempt to corral Morales, she reversed the ball to the perimeter where senior guard Sonya Rogers or junior forward Beck were set-up. Each scored 14 points, Beck on 6-for-9 efficiency and Rogers netting 5-of-her 12 shots.

“I think I integrated myself in the offense a little bit more,” said Beck. “Mandy did a great job down low, and so when people collapse down on her, the other guards are going to be open from the outside.

“Sonya hit some really big shots down the stretch there when Mandy was triple-teamed,” Beck added. “So you move to open places, and Mandy’s a good enough player that she’ll get you the ball.”

The only lead NAU had was on the first possession, when forward Katie Schafer made the game’s first shot from beyond the tip of the key to give NAU a 3-0 lead.

From there momentum reversed for good, and the Lady Griz ran off an 18-2 run to claim a 13 point, 18-5 margin. The game – though the Jacks were game throughout –  was academic from there.

Montana quickly expanded its nine-point halftime lead at the start of the second half, pushing the margin to 20 before Selvig altered his rotation to get his reserves into the fray.

Ten of the 12 Lady Griz to see action scored. Reserves Shaunte Nance-Johnson and Tamara Guardipee played particularly well. Guardipee scored eight points in six minutes of play while Nance-Johnson had four assists and scored five points on two first-half mid-range jumpers.

The Lumerjacks won the battle of the boards, 41-39, with forward Katie Schafer pulling down 13, while Montana forward Sarah Ena had 11 to go with seven points

The win boosted Montana’s conference record to 10-1 and within a half-game of the leading Portland State Vikings at 11-1.

The Lady Griz head out for their final road trip of the season with games at Weber State and at third-place Idaho State, a team that has improved greatly since dropping a 70-48 decision to Montana earlier in the season.

NAU heads home where they’ll finish out league play with four straight home-court games.

Lady Griz whip Sacramento State Hornets 75-48

In the latest of a string of lopsided victories at Missoula’s Dahlberg Arena, the Montana Lady GrizSacramento State Hornets pounced quickly on the overmatched and cruised to an easy 75-48 Big Sky Conference victory before 4305 fans Thursday.

With the win, Montana moved to 20-4 and maintained joint ownership of first place in the Big Sky, tied with the Portland State Vikings at 9-1 with four of their final six games at home, including a looming rematch with the Vikings in the final conference game of the year.

PHOTO: Center Shadra Robison battles for a loose ball with Hornets Charday Hunt and Karri Gallagher. Robison had a blocked shot and two rebounds in six minutes of action.

Montana’s golden point guard Mandy Morales continued to establish her credentials as one of the best players in Big Sky Conference history, scoring 22 points and grabbing three rebounds to pace all scorers.

Morales was joined in double figures with 13 points and nine rebounds from center Britney Lohman and first-line reserve guard Stephanie Stender, who made 4-of-6 shots from the field and grabbed four rebounds.

The Hornets were paced by forward Charday Hunt, who scored 13 points and had five rebounds.

PHOTO: Mandy Morales goes up for two in heavy traffic during first-half play. Morales made 8-of-16 field goals, 4-of-6 from three point range, and grabbed three rebounds for Montana.

While the Lady Griz shot a respectable 44.4 percent from the field Thursday, it was defense that spelled defeat for the Hornets. Montana limited Sac State to 7-of-17 first half shots, a percentage of 25.9. The Hornets finished with a 33.3 percentage rate on the evening, and made ten fewer field goals than Montana (28-28).

The Hornets, like a majority of Montana foes lately, concentrated on shutting down the Lady Griz perimeter game, and limited shooting specialist Sonya Rogers to seven points on 1-of-6 shooting. The Lady Griz made only7-of-16 from beyond the arc, but in actuality... didn’t need to.

That’s because Lohman, forward Sarah Ena and reserve forward Jessa Linford dominated the inside game on offense and defense. The Lady Griz owned the glass, clearing 48 rebounds compared to the Hornets’ 32. Added to that dominance was the intimidation factor inside, which included four Montana blocked shots.

PHOTO: Montana senior center Britney Lohman looks to pass to a teammate in first-half action. Lohman made 5-of-7 shots from the field for 13 points. She grabbed nine rebounds, had two assists and a block in 25 minutes of play.

Montana’s frontline reserves, Stender, Linford and guard Shaunte Nance-Johnson continue to increase their playing time off of the bench, which will become a factor as conference play wraps up. If there is a single contrast between this year’s Lady Griz compared to last year’s championship squad, it’s that two forwards off the bench play nearly at the level of the starters.

PHOTO: Reserve guard-forward Stephanie Stender makes two of her 10 points against the Hornets. Stender shot 4-of-6 from the field, and pulled down four rebounds.

And if senior post Tamara Guardipee, recuperating from a chronic hip injury, can steadily increase minutes, the Lady Griz stand to get even better. Guardipee played eight minutes Thursday, scoring four points,

Montana’s next game is Saturday at 7 p.m., when they host Northern Arizona, which dispatched Montana State 79-60 in Bozeman Thursday.

Game photos of Lady Griz' 82-54 win over Weber State

 Game photos of the Montana Lady Griz' 82-54 victory over the Weber State Wildcats are now posted at the Grizzly Journal flicker photo site.

PHOTOS: (Top) Shaunte Nance-Johnson passes the ball off for an assist after dribbling into the key and collapsing the Weber State defense. Nance-Johnson had seven assists, five points and five rebounds in Montana's 28-point win over the Weber State Wildcats Saturday.

(Bottom) Montana senior post Britney Lohman snares one of her six rebounds against the Wildcats. Lohman had 6 points and four assists as well.

NOTE: Grizzly Journal will feature a post-game recorded interview with Nance-Johnson within the next day or two!

Game photos of Lady Griz' 70-48 win over ISU

Game photos of the Montana Lady Griz' 70-48 victory over the Idaho State Bengals are now posted at the Grizzly Journal flicker photo site.

PHOTOS: (top) Lady Griz forward Sarah Ena gets congratulated by teammates after her 14-point, eight rebound performance against ISU. (bottom) Lady Griz center Britany Lohman drives to the bucket for two points during Montana's 70-48 win over the Bengals.

Lady Griz corner Idaho State Bengals, 70-48

It was one of the strangest post-game interviews I’ve attended in some 28 years of sportswriting. It was over within two minutes because...

Well, because none of the sportswriters, myself included, had much to ask. And coach Robin Selvig, though very gracious toward the Idaho State Bengals, didn’t have much to say either.

“It was a tough night for them,” said Selvig of the Bengals. “They’re way better than they looked, the way that went.

“You know I, I didn’t anticipate anything like this tonight,” said Selvig. “Boy, watching them on video they looked awfully good the last couple of games.”

Not on this night.

The Montana Lady Griz’ throttling of the overmatched Bengals was so thorough, in so many aspects of the game, that the win was in the pocket for Montana before the game was barely eight minutes into the first half.

In a game that Montana could have won by 30-plus points, they won by 22. That’s because Selvig awarded liberal playing time to his entire bench, which held its own against the Bengals. No single sub played less than eight minutes and 10 of the 12 Lady Griz scored.

And Selvig noticed, crediting his entire bench, but singling out Stephanie Stender – who scored eight points on a perfect 3-for-3 from the field with two of the makes beyond the arc – Tamara Guardipee (six points), Misty Atkinson (four points), and Jessa Linford (three points).

The Lady Griz played with energy and efficiency early, slapping a tight man-on defense on the Bengals and – at the other end of the floor – scoring repeatedly from within the paint, usually on quick entry passes to sophomore forward Sarah Ena or senior post Britney Lohman. Ena paced Montana wit 14 points, most coming in the first half, and eight rebounds. Lohman had eight points and seven rebounds.

Midway through the first half Montana broke from a 16-12 lead on a jumper by Stephanie Stender and then exploded on a 22-6 run from there to halftime.

It was a Montana team effort by both starters and reserves. And it was businesslike. Montana’s run was so decisive, the 20-point lead seemed to be a precursor for more. But while the Lady Griz expanded the lead to as many as 29 points (55-26) with 13 minutes remaining, the Bengals started chipping away as Montana’s lead.

Also in double figures were senior guards Sonya Rogers (14) and Mandy Morales (10).

It was Montana’s vise-tight defense that spelled the difference quickly. The Lady Griz held the Bengals to 30.8 percent from the field and held ISU to 18 points by halftime. The Lady Griz held Bengals leading scorer, Chelsea Pickering, to only eight points on 2-for-14 shooting from the field.

Michelle Grohs led the Bengals with 14 points on 6-for-10 shooting from the field, but only went 1-for-4 from beyond the arc. Devin Diehl scored nine points.

Other areas of the game were equally lopsided. Montana out-rebounded the Bengals 44-31 and shot 45.3 percent from the field compared to the Bengals’ 33.3 percent. The Lady Griz had a 42-20 scoring margin in the paint, and got 23 points from its bench, compared to six by the Bengals.

PHOTOS: (TOP) Point guard Shaunte Nance-Johnson drives between a pair of defenders in second half play. (Upper middle) Jessa Linford made three points. (Lower middle) Sarah Ena looks for a pivot move. Ena led Montana in scoring with 14. (Bottom) Mandy Morales scores two o her 10 points against the Bengals.

Montana, which moved to 4-0 with the win, hosts Weber State Saturday, while the Bengals play MSU in Bozeman.

BOX SCORE

Check back Friday for a complete game action slide show.

Lady Griz tip off Big Sky conference play with power & balance

The Montana Lady Griz proved quickly in their opening Big Sky Conference game of the season that balance and depth – not any single player – will be keys for another successful run at the league crown.

Four of five Lady Griz starters – led by Sony Rogers who scored 30  – reached double figures in scoring on an afternoon thrashing of the Montana State Lady Bobcats that was Montana’s best shooting effort (62.5 percent) in some time.

The shooting success was due in part to six assists, delivered adeptly by point guard Mandy Morales (photo at right from a game earlier this year). But Morales’ six dishes were not even one-third of the 19-total assists delivered by Montana passers. The result, delivered to the players at the scoring end of those passes – was simply too much for a talented, but for this afternoon, over-matched Lady Bobcat team.

The stat-line tells it all. Rogers scored 30 on 10-of-14 shooting, 5-of-7 from three-point range, and 5-of-5 from the free throw line. Morales notched 21 points on a blistering 10-of-11 makes from the field. And forward Sarah Ena scored 19 on 9-of-14 shooting, many of them mid-range jumpers from near the free throw line. Only Britney Lohman shot below 50 percent, scoring 10 points on 4-of-9 makes.

And only one starter – forward Lauren Beck – scored fewer than 10 points. But Beck has proven herself a capable scorer in in several games this year. So, if any Lady Griz opponent tries to shut down one of those top scorers, it’s a certainty that Beck will get her offensive opportunities.

In this game the Montana bench didn’t score many. But a very promising sign is that senior post player Tamara Guardipee is returning to form in a slow recovery from a nagging chronic injury. Guardipee scored seven points on 3-of-5 shooting in only six minutes of playing time.

Bench players Shaunte Nance-Johnson, Jessa Linford and Stephanie Stender are steadily providing solid play off the bench.

The signs point solidly to a Montana team that may have more depth than it has for several seasons. And they’re getting better game by game.

Montana coach Robin Selvig, a normally cautious team analyist, almost (and I mean almost, not actually) marveled at his squad’s depth in Montana’s win over Nevada earlier in the year.

That’s not to say he’s getting complacent. That can be seen with Montana’s steady game-by game improvement on defense, particularly man-on defense. Since Montana’s known for its air-tight zone defense, that’s saying something.

If there are any soft spots in Montana’s attack, few teams have found them yet. But the Lady Griz will hit the road for games at Northern Arizona and Sacramento State.

Both teams have shown signs of improved play. But NAU and Sac State currently share the Conference cellar, with five wins and 25 losses split almost evenly between them.

If there’s any such thing as “good” way to start conference road play – and this is certainly not meant as a slight against either the Lady Jacks or the Hornets – then it’s a road swing against the two teams still searching for some answers.

LISTEN HERE: Grizzly Journal caught up with Ena Download 1.3.SarahE after Saturday’s game.

VIEW GAME PHOTOS HERE.

Lady Griz thump MSU 95-75 in conference opener

The Montana Lady Griz took several steps to demonstrate – with authority – that they're ready to reign as defending Big Sky Conference champions with a 95-75 walloping of the MSU Lady Cats at Missoula's Dahlberg Arena before 4320 pleased fans.

Four of Montana's five starters scored in double figures, led by shooting guard Sonya Rogers' 30 and point guard Mandy Morales' 21. Forward Sarah Ena added 19 while pulling down 9 rebounds, and Britney Lohman scored 10, while grabbing 6 rebounds.

Game photos are now available.

PHOTOS: Lauren Beck (top) fights Anne Phippard for a rebound. (Middle) Sarah Ena puts up a shot for two of her 19 against Phippard and Jamie Thornton. (Bottom) Co players of the game, Sonya Rogers and Mandy Morales chat with Montana coach Robin Selvig just prior to a post-game television interview.

Montana wins Holiday Classic with 59-51 victory over Nevada

The Montana Lady Griz struggled against an aggressive Nevada Wolfpack defense, bust broke open a tight game midway through the second half for a 59-51 win in the championship game of the 2008 Lady Griz Holiday Classic before 3466 fans Tuesday.

Senior point guard Mandy Morales shook off a cold-shooting first half to score 15 points in the Montana victory. Forward Lauren Beck played a masterful floor game, with four rebounds, an assist and two blocks to go with her 13 points. Senior shooting guard Sonya Rogers added 11 points.

VIEW MORE GAME PHOTOS HERE.

Britney Lohman and Sarah Ena dominated the paint, leading Montana to a 37-32 advantage on rebounds. Ena pulled down 10 boards and scored seven points, while Lohman had seven boards to go with her nine points.

Guard Dellena Criner led the Wolfpack with 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting with four assists. However, Criner turned the ball over eight times. Forward Cherlanda Franklin had 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting.

The game was a classic matchup of iron-willed defenses, a glove-tight man-on defense against Montana’s scrambling flex zone defense. In the end, Montana’s zone won out, holding the Wolfpack to 33.9 percent shooting for the game, though Nevada’s aggressive defense limited the Lady Griz to 40.4 percent on the night.

PHOTOS: Shadra Robison battles for a loose ball in first half action. Robison suffered an ankle injury early in the second half and did not return to action. Sarah Ena grabbed an offensive rebound and scored the putback to give Montana a 48-40 lead with six minutes left. Cherlanda Franklin (#25) defends.

The first half ended with the Wolfpack scrathing out a 25-24 lead after leading by as many as four. The teams battled on even terms through the early stages of the second half until Rogers and Morales nailed a trey on an assist by Rogers, reserve Stephanie Stender made a pair of free throws and Sarah Ena battled for an offensive board and a putback.

That flurry gave Montana its largest lead, 48-40 with six minutes remaining. And that was enough to hold the pack off until the final 45 seconds when six straight free throws extended Montana’s lead to 10.

Montana Lady Griz ambush Hampton Lady Pirates 88-47

The most significant statistics about the Montana Lady Griz’ 88-47 victory over Hampton in the first game of the Holiday Inn Holiday Classic before 3139 fans at Dahlberg Arena Sunday, centered on balance.

No player played more than Mandy Morales’ 23 minutes, or fewer than senior center Tamara Guardipee’s seven. All 12 Lady Griz scored, led by Morales’ 22. And it didn’t seem to matter which lineup Montana coach Robin Selvig put on the floor as Montana pounced early and then steadily built up leads over the outmatched Lady Pirates.

Montana’s balanced scoring was revealed in several statistical areas: 52.6 percent from the field in the first half, followed by 50 percent in the second half. Eleven points and six rebounds from sophomore forward Sarah Ena and 12 points, three assists and a steal from senior off guard Sonya Rogers... and a minimum of four points scored by eight other Lady Griz players.

Montana’s bench players contributed 34 points behind eight from center Shadra Robison, six each from Shaunte Nance-Johnson, Stephanie Stender and Tianna Ware, and five assists and four steals from an energized Nance-Johnson, who turned-in perhaps her best floor game of the season.

The Lady Pirates managed a 46-43 edge in rebounds, but turned the ball over 24 compared to Montana’s 15. The Lady Griz, had 15 steals on an efficient disruption of Hampton’s passing lanes.

PHOTOS: Lauren Beck (#45) and Sarah Ena battle Hampton players Jerika Jenkins (#23), Laura Lewis, (#20) and Ashlee Finlee for a rebound in first half action. Ena scored 11 points and had six rebounds while Beck scored five, had eight rebounds and dished out four assists. Jessa Loman Linford (bottom photo) rebounds the ball in second half action.

Hampton will face Nevada in the tourney’s second game Monday. The Lady Griz will then host Nevada in the tourney finale Tuesday.

Lady Griz survive body blow; beat tough Denver squad

Tom Stage’s radio play-by-play gave a pretty good mind’s eye view of the battle. A bloody nose to Sonya Rogers. Mandy Morales constantly getting slowed down by grab & jabs. Sarah Ena and Britney Lohman doing battle on the boards and in the paint. And Jessa Linford taking the brunt of a charging foul at a critical juncture of the game.

Montana coach Robin Selvig’s post-game comments with Stage were clearer still. The Lady Griz took a body blow late in the first half, and slid even more in early second-half play to a 13-point deficit against the Denver Pioneers.

But Selvig spoke with clear admiration of the ability of his team to shrug off the physical play and numerous “no-calls” to rebound for a 68-63 win over the Pioneers.

It wasn’t until 48 seconds remained – when Ena rebounded a miss by Lauren Beck, scored the put-back and sank a free throw – that the Lady Griz finally took a 63-60 lead, their first since midway through the first half.

Though Montana lost two games on a neutral court at the tough Caribbean Challenge tourney in Cancun, Mexico, this win means the Lady Griz have gone undefeated on the road in preseason play.

 Friday’s 4 p.m. confrontation with an excellent Gonzaga team may go a long way to give the Lady Griz mid-major (or even top 25) ranking. That game promises to be a battle as well.

Selvig didn’t outright say so, but this Montana Lady Griz squad has the opportunity to be one of the best in Montana Lady Griz history. That is truly saying a lot.

PHOTOS: Britney Lohman (top) pulls down a rebound against Boise State earlier in the season. Lohman tied Lauren Beck with eight rebounds to lead the Lady Griz, who out-rebounded Denver44-31. Sonya Rogers (#10) drives to the bucket against Colorado State. Rogers led both squads wisth 24 points on 7-for-13 shooting, 3-for-5 from three point range.

GAME BOX SCORE

Read Joel Carlson's game story here.

Montana second-half defense shuts down Colorado State, 68-53

Though Mandy Morales has long reserved a place among that select assembly of elite Lady Griz point guards, any doubters would be well advised to get a ticket to watch her guide her Montana team toward yet another bid for the Big Sky conference championship.

A mere day after being named the Big Sky Conference women’s Player of the Week for the ninth time In her stellar career, Morales scored 16 points, dished eight assists, snared nine rebounds and led Montana to another double-digits 68-53 win, this time over the Colorado State Rams before a sizeable mid-week crowd of 3020 appreciative fans.

On another night where the visitors focused -- with some success -- on stopping Montana post Britney Lohman and long-range shooting ace Sonya Rogers, Morales took control. When she wasn’t notching an assist on dribble-enter drives down the right baseline, she posted up and shot over her defenders.

Though Selvig was a bit surprised at Colorado State’s 10-for-17 shooting from beyond the arc, he was pleased with Montana’s offensive attack at the other end.

“If you’re going to be a good team you’ve got to have a lot of weapons,” said Montana coach Robin Selvig. “I mean... other teams worked really hard to take Mandy and Sonya out of there. It’s hard to do if other people can do things,” he said.

“We were getting what they were giving us,” Selvig added.  “You know, they were covering down on some people, and of course when we hit Mandy in the post she’s good at finding the right person. And if they make the shots, then we’re in good shape.”

The main recipient of Morales’ assists was usually forwards Lauren Beck, and Sarah Ena. Beck sank several mid-range jumpers on the left side. Ena – though good on only 4-for-12 from the paint - scored on several quick pivots and a couple of pull-up jumpers from near the free throw line.

Joining Morales in double figures were forwards Beck and Ena with thirteen each in a contest where the Lady Griz were never really challenged, and allowed Selvig to give playing time to 12 players, nine of whom scored.

Guard Kim Mestdagh led the Rams with 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting, 6-8 from beyond the three point arc, but no other Colorado State player scored more than eight.

PHOTOS: Montana point guard Mandy Morales drives the baseline against Colorado State. On this play, Morales dished to forward Jessa Linford for a jumper. (Middle) Morales, just after getting one of her game-leading nine rebounds. (Below) Montana forward Sarah Ena posts up for two of her 13 points on the night. Ena made 5-of-5 from the free throw line.

After allowing the Rams to shoot 44 percent from the field during the first half, the Lady Griz clamped down on defense and pulled steadily away, limiting the Rams to 35 percent in the second half and leading by as many as 20 at one point midway through the second half.

The Rams outrebounded Montana 42-36, but nearly every other statistical category tilted steeply in Montana’s favor, particularly in turnovers where the Lady Griz commited only eight compared to 20 for the visitors.

Reserves Jessa Linford and Shaunte Nance-Johnson played well off the bench.

Montana will now host Portland Saturday at 7 p.m. before heading to Denver for a single road game Dec. 17.

PHOTO: Reserve Stephanie Stender goes up for a shot in second-half action. Stender was fouled on the play and made both free throw shots. Stender had three rebounds and a steal for the game.

Montana Lady Griz celebrate Selvig's 700th with #702

Though Montana Lady Griz coach Robin Selvig would be the last person to want a game like Sunday’s 72-51 victory over the Boise State Broncos, his recent mark of 700 career victories as a college basketball coach became the main story on this day.

The Lady Griz win was actually number 702, but since numbers 700 and 701 came in Cancun, Mexico and Eugene, Oregon, Montana’s crowd was happy enough to fete him with an extended standing ovation prior to tipoff.

Selvig’s players orchestrated the ceremony, and it was an emotional one, not only for coach and players, but for the large and loud crowd of 4543 fans, many of whom have been faithful Lady Griz fans since he got his first win as a coach.

PHOTOS: Sonya Rogers (Top) and Mandy Morales each scored 20 points to lead the Lady Griz. Morales led Montana with 14 rebounds while Rogers had three steals, two assists and a block.

As a result, the Lady Griz started the game and played the first half as if they were distracted. Which they were. Montana struggled simply getting into the flow of the game, and a 33-29 halftime lead reflected an 0-11 shooting percentage from three point range.

It took all of three second half possessions to re-direct the game’s course. Point guard Mandy Morales nailed two treys and a putback jumper and Sonya Rogers buried another three-point laser and Montana broke to a 15-point, 44-29 lead by the 16:36 mark of the second half.

Barely three minutes later the lead had ballooned to 56-33 and the game was in hand. Selvig shuttled every player on his bench continuously over the next 12 minutes for the easy win.

Lady Griz fall to South Dakota State in Cancun tourney finale

There’s a difference in losing a game you “could have” won instead of “should have” won. Which explains why Montana Lady Griz coach Robin Selvig was upbeat after his team’s 64-59 loss to South Dakota State in its final game of the Caribbean Challenge in Cancun, Mexico Friday.

 Montana finished 1-3 in the tourney, with a 59-57 overtime win over Illinois and a 13-point 71-58 loss to top-10-ranked Maryland.

The could-have problems came in the second half after the Lady Griz had taken a five-point 35-30 lead at halftime. After shooting 58.4 percent from the field in the first half the Lady Griz tanked, clanking 7-for-29 shots for a miserable 24.1 percent. Selvig said Montana had numerous open looks that simply didn’t fall. He was pleased, he said, that the shots were there. He was disappointed, but not distraught, that the shots missed.

PHOTO: Montana guard Sonya Rogers drives against a Wyoming defender in the Lady Griz' 71-64 win over the Cowgirls earlier in the season.

In that regard, the game is one the Lady Griz can learn from, he said. Montana’s dynamic senior-guard duo of Mandy Morales and Sonya Rogers finished with 20 and 19 points. No other player scored more than soph guard Sarah Ena, who had eight, but struggled with foul problems from early in the first half.

Otherwise the difference came on the boards, where South Dakota State had a nine-board 42-33 edge.

Reserve forward Jessa Linford played an excellent game off the bench, scoring six points and grabbing six rebounds in 16 minutes of action. 

You can find a full box score here.

Maryland claimed the tourney title, with South Dakota State taking second. Illinois has the distinction of explaining how it lost to... Montana and South Dakota State in the four-team tourney.

Montana next heads to Eugene to face Oregon on Dec. 4 before returning to Missoula for eight of their final nine non-conference games in December, all at Dahlberg Arena.

COOL IN THE CLUTCH: Morales hits game-winner vs. Illinois

Mandy Morales nailed a driving jump shot with 0.7 seconds remaining in overtime as the Montana Lady Griz beat Illinois 59-57 in the second game of the Cancun Caribbean Challenge in Cancun, Mexico Wednesday, Nov. 26.

Morales took an inbounds pass with eight seconds remaining in overtime, drove the full length of the floor, and sank the jumper under intense pressure to spring the Lady Griz to their first win in the holiday classic.

The game was tied 49-49 at the end of regulation.

Despite numerous turnovers against an aggressive Illini man-on defense, Montana recovered to claim a one-point 26-25 lead at halftime.

The teams played evenly throughout the second half in the see-saw battle. Both teams missed key scoring opportunities as the game wound down into the final seconds of regulation play.

The win awarded veteran Montana coach Robin Selvig his 700th career win as Lady Griz coach, and gives his equally veteran squad a running start to the young season.

Selvig credited his team's focused defensive effort for earning the win... particularly when his team missed several offensive chances, particularly in the first half.

Veteran senior point guard Morales led the Lady Griz with 17 points in their first game of the Cancun tourney. Shooting guard, senior Sonya Rogers, scored 15 while forward Britney Lohman scored 10. Montana, behind 12 rebounds by wing Lauren Beck, outboarded the Illini 42-30.

Forward Jenna Smith scored 19 for Illinois. Game stats and play-by-play are available here.

PHOTO: Morales drives for two in Montana's 71-64 win against Wyoming, played earlier in the season.

The Lady Griz on Thursday face nationally ranked Maryland (#10), winners of the first game in the tourney, 68-56 over South Dakota State.

 

A future Lady Griz? She's got the right name(s)

A regular “fan” in the west level A bleachers at Montana Grizzly basketball games so far this season is young Cate Criswell.

Cate is the daughter of Tawny and Kevin Criswell, on whose lap Cate is perched in the photo to the right.

Kevin -- as most Montana basketball fans know -- is acknowledged in Montana basketball history as a backcourt leader of the Montana Grizzly squads that won back-to-back Big Sky postseason tourney championships in 2005-06, and a first-round 87-79 victory over Nevada in the 2006 NCAA postseason tournament.

A future Lady Griz? Time well tell. But there’s no doubt young Cate shares both first and last names with two of the best basketball players ever to set foot on the hardwood at Dahlberg Arena.

Her father, of course. And Lady Griz great, current Lady Griz assistant coach, multiple Lady Griz and Big Sky MVP and three-time Kodak All-American Shannon Cate Schweyen (1988-1992).

Montana edges Cowgirls in season-opening shootout, 71-64

The Montana Lady Griz showed up about five mintues late for their 2008-09 season-opener on Sunday in an eventual 71-64 opening-game victory over the Wyoming Cowgirls at Dahlberg Arena Sunday.

The young, sharp-shooting Cowgirls took quick advantage of Montana’s tardy start and cold shooting and posted an early 14-4 lead before the Lady Griz -- behind the mid-key prowess of sophomore forward Sarah Ena -- rattled off 17 straight to wrest a seven-point margin of its own in what then quickly erupted into an old-fashioned western shootout before 3240 delighted partisan Montana fans.

“She gave a ton,” said a pleased Montana Coach Robin Selvig of Ena. “I was particularly pleased for the most part with her defense.

“She was a horse in there. She gave us a scoring threat inside,” said Selvig.

After Montana's surge, the teams battled on even terms until the final minutes.

Neither team held more than a four-point lead until the dust finally settled with barely two minutes remaining. From there, Montana scored its final nine points at the free throw line and eased away from a one-point, 62-61 lead for the final seven-point margin.

Paced by Ena’s 19 points and senior post Britney Lohman’s eight offensive rebounds (12 total) and nine points, the Lady Griz dominated the paint and kept within striking distance of a deadly accurate Wyoming team that nailed 11-of-27 treys from long range -- three treys (and 20 points) from Austrailan freshman transfer Emma Langford and 5-of-12 treys by freshman wing Kristen Scheffler, who finished with 15.

Selvig also credited Lohman’s dominance in the key, particularly on offense during the second half.

PHOTOS: (top) Montana post Britney Lohman battles Wyoming players Jade Kennedy (#14) and Randi Richardson for a rebound. Lohman had 12 rebounds, nine on offense, in Montana's 71-64 win Sunday. (Bottom) Montana's Lauren Beck (#45) scored 11 points and had nine rebounds, while Wyoming senior Megan McGuffey (#24) scored 15 points and pulled down 10 boards for the Cowgirls.

Lady Griz dispatch Northwest Sports 66-55

Despite having an off shooting night, the Montana Lady Griz clocked in with a solid floor game on both offense and defense to ease away from a game Northwest Sports team 66-55 Saturday night.

Montana coach Robin Selvig said he saw marked improvement from the team’s first exhibition game last week, even though that improvement did not show up in the box score, which revealed a dreary 38 percent shooting night from the field and a subpar 48 percent from the free throw line.

Senior off-guard Sonya Rogers, junior Lauren Beck and sophomore Sarah Ena each scored 11 points in 19 minutes of play apiece.

“I thought we had real good play out of some people, but nobody could make a shot,” said Selvig.

“A lot of it, you can be playing well, and if you don’t make shots it seems like you’re playing crappy. It seemed like we missed a lot of good shots.”

PHOTOS: (Top) Sarah Ena (14) and Britney Lohman (54) battle NW Sports players for a loose ball. (Right) Lauren Beck drives the lane for two of her 11 points.

Elsewhere the Lady Griz dominated, outrebounding the visitors by 10, 48-38 while collecting 8 steals and 5 blocked shots. The five starting Lady Griz players evenly distributed 14 of the team’s 20 assists.

Montana led by six at halftime, 32-26, though the score was closer than the game seemed. Selvig played his entire bench, distributing Minutes in double-digits to all but one player.

Center Kristen Kozlowski was the only NW Sports player to score in double digits with 10.

Several younger Lady Griz and newcomer, JC point guard Shaunte Nance-Johnson, showed signs that Montana will have exceptional balance 10-deep throughout the season.

Senior post Tamara Guardipee, suffering from a chronic injury, did not suit up. As a result, Selvig put a fairly small three-forward starting five on the floor, with Beck, Ena and Britney Lohman anchoring the low blocks while seniors Rogers and Mandy Morales started at the two guard spots.

Junior post Shadra Robison, however, continues to show promise at post, scoring seven points in 20 minutes off of the bench.

PHOTOS: (Above right) Freshman Jessa Linford pulls down a rebound just prior to scoring two of her 4 points. (Right) JC transfer Shaunte Nance-Johnson drives the lane in second half action. (Bottom) Britney Lohman checks NW Sports post Kristen Kozlowski in first-half action.

Though Nance-Johnson didn’t score, she played well as Morales’ backup while frosh Jessa Loman Linford (6 points) and sophomore Stephanie Stender (4 points) played played well as well.

Montana’s next action is in a week when it hosts Wyoming in its season opener Nov 16 at 2 p.m. before hitting the road for five straight games on a brutal swing with stops at Illinois, Maryland and Orgeon, as well as at Idaho and South Dakota State.

Lady Griz underclass players will battle for playing time

The defending Big Sky Conference Champion Montana Lady Griz will return four experienced seniors for the 2008-09 season and are consequently the overwhelming favorites to win it all again.

Montana received eight first-place votes in the Big Sky coaches’ poll and 22 first-place votes (compared to 2 for runnerup vote-getter Portland State) in the media poll and -- on paper -- appear as overwhelming favorites, even though the Vikings and Montana State will field strong teams this year as well and cannot be counted out of the hunt.

PHOTO: JC transfer junior Shaunte Nance-Johnson drives against freshman Ashley Ferda.

But, despite the obvious skill and leadership of a healthy Mandy Morales -- the league and conference MVP -- long-range sharpshooter Sonya Rogers, dominant defensive ace Britney Lohman, and 6’-2” center Tamara Guardipee, Montana will rely heavily on a crop of very young or inexperienced backups to provide overall balance and bench strength.

The Lady Griz lost a potential top-level player when Dvera Tolbert elected not to return to school and -- though crowd favorite junior Lauren Beck and the pugnacious sophomore Sarah Ena are seasoned vets and will likely battle for starting spots -- no other underclass players logged much playing time last season.

It may well take most of what will once-again be a very tough preseason Lady Griz schedule to see how Robin Selvig’s team develops depth going into conference play.

I’ve only watched one Lady Griz practice, but have been impressed by several players. Here’s a brief position-by-position analysis...

Big Sky Conference's 'Year of the Guard'

I’ve followed the Lady Griz for 25-plus years as a fan and even covered them for the Missoulian during a four-year stretch in the late 1980s.

I have watched numerous outstanding Montana guards of course. Kelli Pilcher stands out most prominently for me. But so do Kyla Sisco, Cheri Bratt, Katie Edwards, Julie Demming and Barb Kavanaugh.

But I don’t believe I watched a group of guards as collectively talented as the five who took the court during the five games of the 2008 Big Sky Tournament finals that culminated with junior Mandy Morales claiming the tournament MVP award in the wake of Montana’s 101-65 championship-game win over the Montana State Bobcats.

This season could truly be called the, 'Year of the Guard' in the Big Sky Conference.

An MVP case could be made for any of the five, only one of which (Montana’s Laura Cote) was a senior this year.

PHOTO: Montana's Mandy Morales and Montana State's Erica Perry battle for control of the ball in Montana's 101-65 tourney championship win.

Three are Lady Griz, and that is evidence enough to explain why Montana won both the regular season and tourney titles for 2007-08.

Senior Laura Cote was arguably the Big Sky’s outstanding sixth-player, capable of changing games with her intensity, shooting accuracy and defensive prowess, which she put on display during Montana’s championship game win over Montana State. Cote averaged 8.3 points per game during the years, but more importantly, shot 43 percent from three point range, making 28-of-64 during the season. And how about a sixth-player, non-starter making the all-tourney team? Her 29 points, three assists and eight rebounds is proof enough that she deserved the recognition.

Junior Sonya Rogers – who also scored 29 points in tourney play – finished the season as the national leader in three point shooting percentage accuracy at 48.6 percent, was Montana’s second-leading scorer at 12.5 per game, and led Montana with 70-of-144 three point shots during the season. Her incredibly quick-release shot, often triggered from a single quick-turn-spring-and-shoot motion was always exciting, particularly when she was hot, best displayed this year during Montana’s first win over the Bobcats when Rogers made 5-of-6 treys and scored 32 points.

An then there’s junior Mandy Morales who – despite a battle with painful and nagging foot injuries during the season – finished as the Lady Griz scoring leader at 16.4 points per game. Morales racked up 124 assists against only 65 turnovers during the year, and made an astounding 83 percent of her free throws (107-128), many of which sealed important Montana wins in the final minutes. As her coach, Robin Selvig, noted in post-championship game comments, Morales – who scored 55 points, dished 14 assists and had 11 rebounds in two tourney games – is just getting back to form now after battling her painful injuries. If any single player can spark the Lady Griz to a first-round NCAA tourney win, it’s a healthy Mandy.

But two other classy Big Sky players – Portland State’s sophomore point guard Claire Faucher and Montana State’s sophomore point guard Erica Perry – were equally impressive during season and tourney play.

Montana whips Montana State to claim Big Sky Women's crown

The Montana Lady Griz won the 2008 Big Sky Women’s Championship Saturday with a 101-65 romp over the Montana State Bobcats at Montana’s Dahlberg Arena before 5016 fans.

Trailing by 12 points in the opening minutes of the game, Montana got the spark it needed from reserve senior guard Laura Cote, who knocked down three treys while point guard Mandy Morales converted her own treys from long distance.

By halftime the Lady
Griz had claimed a 19-point 49-30 lead with a threatened blowout, the promise of which Montana delivered early in the second half. The Lady Griz held leads between 18-to-36 points over the span of the entire second half.

Cote made 4-of-5 treys for 16 points while Morales shot a perfect 6-of-6 from long range to pace Montana with 24 points.

Cote, who  scored 30 points and sparked critical Montana rallies in Montana's two tourney wins, was named to the all-tourney team while Morales was named the tourney MVP for her combined 55 points and 14 assists in Montana’s two tourney victories.

PHOTOS: Senior Laura Cote was named to the tourney All-Tourney team. She's pictured here post-game with her 'personal' fan club (sorry, no names), with Mr. "C" identified as her fiance. Below, Morales goes up for two of her game-high 24 points in second half action.

Senior forward Johanna Closson scored 15 points, making 5-of-10 shots from the field while junior guard Sonya Rogers scored 16 on 3-of-6 from long range.

Montana shot 54 percent from the field on the game, and a blistering 62.5 percent from three point range.

Montana State senior post Krislyn Wallace made 17 points while sophomore point guard Erica Perry scored 11 on 4-of-13 shots from the floor. Both made the all-tourney team. Forward Rebecca Mercer added 11 points.

Montana advances to the first round of NCAA tourney action, which begins next week. First round seeding and locations will be announced at 5 p.m. Monday, March 17.

Montana, Montana State advanace to Big Sky Tourney Finals

In two semifinal games that delivered all the drama, action and emotion of championship college basketball - and sterling performances from three outstanding underclass point guards – the Montana Lady Griz and Montana State Bobcats capitalized on the minor flaws of their foes to advance to the championship of the Big Sky Conference Women’s Tourney, scheduled for 5 p.m. Saturday at Montana’s Dahlberg Arena.

MSU sophomore point guard Erica Perry repeatedly shredded the Idaho State defense with 15 points on deadly slicing drives to lead the Bobcats past the Bengals, 83-72 and move her team into an all-Montana championship final.

The other semifinal match was a battle of the wit, quickness and scoring punch of Montana’s junior point Mandy Morales, who scored 31 points and led her Lady Griz to a 94-80 victory over Portland State and its equally talented super-soph point, Claire Faucher, who scored 27 in a losing cause.

Despite the Lady Griz-Vikings’ point-guard standoff, it may have been the spirited second half play of another Montana underclass player – freshman forward Sarah Ena – that broke a tense deadlock and enabled Montana to surge to the win over the game’s final five minutes.

PHOTO: Montana frosh forward Sarah Ena (left) scored 13 points and grabbed six rebounds and sparked the Montana Lady Griz to critical late second-half surge over the Vikings. Defending is Vikings post Erin Yankus.

The Bobcats overcame the 34 points and 19 rebounds of all-conference Idaho State senior Natalie Doma by getting balanced double-digits scoring from five players.

Montana State, Portland State claim first round tourney wins

Night one of the Big Sky Conference Women’s Basketball tourney went as expected, with higher seeds Montana State and Portland State taking first-round victories.

The Bobcats edged the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks, 84-78 in a tense struggle that wasn’t decided until the final minute of play. Meanwhile the Vikings cranked up their perimeter shooting game and surged to an 11-point, 37-26 lead at halftime lead over the Northern Colorado Bears, before employing an efficient inside-outside passing game to extend the lead to 18 early in the second frame in an eventual 82-69 win.

The Bobcats will face the second-seeded Idaho State Bengals in Friday’s 5:30 p.m.  semifinal round and the Vikings advance to the nightcap where they will challenge the top-seeded Montana Lady Griz, a team they beat by 10 during the last week of regular season play.

PHOTO: Northern Colorado's Danielle Hagen (#33) goes up for two of her game-high 37 points against Vikings forward Erin Yankus.

The first night of the tourney saw stellar performances by two seniors playing their final games. Northern Arizona’s Laura Dinkins scored 28 points on 10-of-18 shots and pulled down 14 rebounds in her team’s loss to the Bobcats. Northern Colorado’s Danielle Hagan – a native of Sidney, Montana – scored 37 points to tie the mark for the second-highest point total in conference playoff history, while at the same time eclipsing the 1000-point career scoring mark  during her UNC career.

Cote leads Montana to 76-54 Win Over Idaho State

Laura Cote celebrated her last regular season home-game in grand fashion Saturday.

The Montana senior guard scored 10 points over a 2-minute, first-half span and sparked the Montana Lady Griz from a 4-point, 22-18 deficit to a lead they would not relinquish in an eventual 76-54 runaway over the Idaho State Bengals before a packed house at Dahlberg Arena Saturday.

The delighted partisan throng of 5544 celebrated in raucous glee as Cote – normally the first player off the bench (she started along with senior teammates Johanna Closson and Dana Conway), lit the fuse on the firecracker Montana rally with back-to-back treys in the span of 19 seconds, a driving jumper in the paint, and two free throws.

"Cote was awesome," said Montana Coach Robin Selvig. "In the first half she was huge. She’s just playing great basketball now at both ends of the floor. She banged two threes in the first half and I think that’s what got us going."

Cote would score only five more points from there, but those first 10 were enough to send the Bengals reeling in a tense battle for first place between Big Sky Conference leaders. Montana now holds a two-game lead over ISU, with three road games remaining in conference play.

Two Idaho State seniors also had banner nights. Guard Andrea Lightfoot, who  scored 26 and Natalie Doma, who became the leading rebounder in conference history during the game and scored 12, paced the Bengals. But no other Bengal scored more than three. In fact, beyond the combined 38 points from Lightfoot and Doma, all the rest of the Bengal team could muster was 16 of the team’s final 54 points.

Conway scored five points –  including a long trey during the final seconds of first-half play –  and Closson scored 10 points and had five assists.

PHOTOS: Top, Laura Cote drives past guard Jenna Brown. Middle, Mandy Morales is fouled by Bengal defender Andrea Videbeck. Botttom, Montana forward Sarah Ena drives for the first two of her six second-half points.

Gritty Montana point guard Mandy Morales – who continues to battle foot and lower leg problems – shrugged off leg cramps to lead the Lady Griz with 18 points, two assists and 2 steals in 24  minutes of play.

But it was Lady Griz second-half defense and rebounding – recognizable trademarks of Selvig’s best teams – that served as the catalyst for the 22-point victory.

"I just thought we did a great job on the defensive end tonight, and we kept at it," said Selvig.

"Doma’s a great player," Seivig added. "She didn’t have a big night. And I thought we did a good job on her and she didn’t make as many shots as she might."

The Bengals left the court at halftime down only five, at 35-30, having out-rebounded the Lady Griz 18-16 while keeping pace in scoring with a 40-percent average compared to Montana’s 42.4 percent.

Everything went downhill from there for the Bengals. Montana’s pugnacious man-on defense held ISU to a miserly 33.3 percent second-half shooting average, and outrebounded the visitors from Pocatello by eight, 36-28. The Lady Griz defenders also snared six steals, notched three blocked shots,  and forced 13 Bengal turnovers.

The sheer dominance of Montana’s defensive floor play was enough to trigger two second-half runs, the first of which put the game on ice early.

Sparked this time by six points on nifty drives into the paint by Closson, the Lady Griz five-point halftime margin bulged quickly to 16, at 51-35 over the first five minutes of second-half play.

Minutes later – after a brief scoring standoff – Montana reserve forward Sarah Ena subbed-in and promptly scored six points in 24 seconds, which was punctuated neatly by Cote’s third trey and – when the clamor subsided – Montana held a commanding 22-point, 63-41 lead with just over nine minutes remaining in a game that was effectively in the bag.

Montana’s dominant second-half play was capped by an efficient passing game on offense. The Lady Griz notched 17 assists against only eight turnovers.

Montana shot 58.6 percent from the field in the second half, upping its game total to an even 50 percent, matching the 50 percent (8-for-16) from three-point range.

Montana bench players accounted for 22 points (compared to ISU’s six), and the Lady Griz scored 11 points off of fast breaks.

Besides Montana’s seniors and Morales, six other Lady Griz players scored. Sonya Rogers scored 8, Britney Lohman and Ena scored six, Conway scored five while Tamara Guardipee and Lauren Beck scored four.

Montana’s battle for the conference crown won’t be easy. The Lady Griz face a tough Northern Colorado  squad Thursday. Then, after a visit to Eastern Washington, visit Portland State, now in second-place at 9-4, in a game that may well determine the site of post-season play.

"We haven’t got anything yet," said Selvig. "This is a championship type atmosphere. It’s a huge game at this point in the schedule. But we’ve got three road games left against tough teams with a two game lead."

The Bengals return home for three straight, hosting Sacramento State, Northern Arizona and Weber State.

Masterful Again: Montana rides 19-point surge past Weber State

In a game of wild momentum swings, the Montana Lady Griz made the most of their final surge, rallied from a six-point, 56-50 deficit with 7:10 remaining, and rode the wave to a resounding 74-61 victory over the Weber State Wildcats before 3676 fans at Dahlberg Arena Thursday.

Montana’s win sets the stage for a Saturday confrontation for first place with the Idaho State Bengals, which whipped the Montana State Bobcats 85-71 in Bozeman.

Montana’s final rally erupted in whipsaw fashion on a sudden recoil after a blistering Weber State run had just erased a 46-37 Montana lead. Wildcat guards Caitlin Anderson and Ali Thorderson had just teamed for five Wildcat treys (5-of-6) in a three-minute span midway through the second half, and had reversed the lead Montana had claimed a mere minute into the second half.

No single Lady Griz player keyed the 19-point Montana rebound. But Montana Coach Robin Selvig said the rally came about after a change of offensive strategy that featured Lady Griz point guard Mandy Morales penetrating on dribble-enter drives and posting-up low, where she drew a crowd.

PHOTO: Mandy Morales (#3) delivers an assist past Weber State defender Tonya Schnibbe (24).

"Mandy, we finally got her involved in the offense down under the basket where she had size on them and she got to the line," said Selvig. " When we were getting the ball to her under the basket there, she’s a load to handle. We didn’t really do that in the first half."

The change in offensive flow collapsed the Wildcat defense and opened up the perimeter. Up stepped Montana sharpshooters Laura Cote, Sonja Rogers and Britney Lohman, who knocked-down treys in rapid succession while Morales scored four points of her own.

Suddenly the 6-point deficit became a 68-59 lead with 1:02 remaining and the Lady Griz coasted on eight free throws and two Lohman blocks to the final margin.

PHOTOS: Johanna Closson (middle) puts up a shot over two Wildcat defenders in second-half action. Closson scored six points and grabbed seven rebounds. Laura Cote (bottom photo) drives for two past Wildcat defender Caitlin Anderson. Cote scored 11 points, had two assists and one steal that she converted on a breakaway layup in the final seconds of the first half.

Although the Wildcats were paced by the heady play and 21 points of all-conference senior Sarah Tuomi, her effectiveness was dulled by a poor 8-for-25 shooting night. Instead, it was the outside shooting of Thorderson (14 points) and Anderson (9 points), and the 10 assists from sophomore point guard Tonya Schnibbe that kept the Wildcats within striking distance.

Schnibbe led the Wildcats to an efficient first half that featured a  seven-point 28-21 WSU lead with barely over a minute remaining in first-half action.

Lohman almost single-handedly erased that lead with two steals, a jumper and four free throws before Cote stole a pass, scored on a breakaway and drew the Lady Griz within 31-27 at halftime.

The Lady Griz started second-half play with the same intensity, took the lead one-minute into the half, and looked as if they would steadily pull away after Morales’ mid-paint jumper gave Montana a nine-point 46-37 lead with 12:44 remaining.

That’s when the Wildcats caught fire and reversed the flow, setting the stage for the game’s final see-saw action.

Selvig credited Montana’s second-half resurgence to dominant rebounding and an in-your-face Lady Griz man-on defense. Montana finished with a resounding 46-28 rebounding margin by out-boarding the Wildcats by 19 in second-half action.

"We were tied in rebounding at half and we came out and outrebounded them by 18 in the second half, so that was probably the telling stat," said Selvig.

"You’ve just got to be relentless." said Selvig. "But I really think that's what the ladies showed... the little things that make a difference. We outrebounded them badly. Not just the ones that come to you. We went and got tough boards."

After the Wildcats shot 41 percent from the field and the three-point line in first-half action, Montana’s defense held the Wildcats to 35.4% from the field and 33.3% from three-point range in second-half play.

Meanwhile, Montana shot 48.1% from the field in the second half, as four Lady Griz – behind Lohman’s 18, (11-for-13 from the free throw line)– scored in double figures. Morales made 15 (9-for-10 from the free throw line), Cote scored 11 on several mid-paint drives, and Tamara Guardipee scored 12, most coming in the first half where she dominated the key.

Saturday's game may well determine which team has the inside track to host the post-season tourney. A Montana victory solidifies a hold on first place. An ISU win would give the Bengals a sweep of the Lady Griz and a tie-breaker in the standings.

Lady Griz Pull Away from Eastern Washington, 77-59

Montana Lady Griz point guard Mandy Morales single-handedly wrested control of a sluggish game with seven assists and masterful floor play, and led the Lady Griz to a 77-59 win over the Eastern Washington Eagles at Dahlberg Arena Saturday.

The win, -- in combo with Montana State’s 84-75 victory over Portland State -- solidified Montana’s first-place standing at the halfway point in conference play with a 7-1 record. Idaho State is second at 6-2, while MSU, PSU and Northern Colorado stand two games back with 5-3 records. The Eagles dropped to 3-18 overall and 0-8 in conference play.

For the second-straight game, Montana benefitted from balanced scoring. Joining Morales in double figures were Johanna Closson, with a team-high 16, Sonya Rogers and Laura Cote with 13 apiece, and Britney Lohman with 10.

PHOTO: Mandy Morales drives against Nicole Scott and an unidentified Eagle defender. Morales scored 11 points and had seven assists in Montana's 77-59 win.

The Eagles surprised a flat Lady Griz squad early and jumped to a 16-8 lead on the strength of several offensive rebounds and put-back shots, and two treys from center Nicole Scott, who led the Eagles in scoring with 16 and made  4-of-5 treys.

It took Montana most of the first half to generate some energy. But the tempo reversed after Montana Coach Robin Selvig switched from zone to man-to-man defense. The Lady Griz gradually took control of the flow of the game from there until Closson -- aided by an assist from Morales -- hit back-to-back jumpers for a 26-23 Lady Griz lead that Montana would never relinquish.

The Lady Griz manufactured a three-point, 30-27 lead by halftime and then gradually built second-half leads of 5-points, and then 10, before breaking the game open with about five minutes remaining.

PHOTO: Freshman reserve forward Sarah Ena drives to the bucket against the Eagles' Nicole Scott. Ena had two points.

The Eagles, which suit up only eight players, kept within striking distance behind timely scoring from power forward Sydney Benson (16 pts.), who also pulled-down a game high 10 rebounds. Two free throws by Benson pulled the Eagles to within eight points at 55-47.

That’s when Morales took control.

Over the next three minutes of play, Morales distributed three assists, which led to a Montana run of eight-straight points. A minute later she hit a trey off of a sagging Eagle defense, and the Lady Griz lead had quickly expanded to a 16-point, 63-47 margin with 4:41 remaining. It was essentially a wrap for the Lady Griz from there. With two minutes remaining, Selvig cleared his bench and let reserves expand the lead to the final 18-point margin.

Though Eastern Washington out-rebounded the Lady Griz 40-35, Montana forced 14 Eagle turnovers, had seven blocked shots, and stole the ball four times. A positive 18-assist to 9-turnover ratio sprung the Lady Griz to a solid 51.9 percent field goal ratio. Montana also made 15-of-16 free throws, an 81-percent average.

Montana hits the road to play the improved Bobcats next Friday, Feb. 8, then continues its road swing the following week with games at Sacramento State and Northern Arizona. The next Montana home game is Feb. 27 against Weber State.

Eastern Washington returns home for a Feb. 7 match against Sacramento State.