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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.

Lady Griz Edge Portland State 77-73 in Overtime

The Montana Lady Griz struggled through one of their worst shooting nights of the season, but but made enough of a difference in several other areas to hold off the Portland State Vikings, 77-73 in overtime Thursday.

The Lady Griz shot 32.8 percent from the field, and 25 percent from three point range, but made 77.8 percent from the free throw line, converting 28-of-36 from the stripe, many in the first half when Montana surged to a 16-point, 38-22 lead at halftime.

Montana Guard Mandy Morales missed the potential game-winning shot as time expired in regulation, with the score tied at 65, but responded by scoring seven of Montana’s 12 points in overtime to pace the Lady Griz. Morales scored 17 points and had three assists for Montana.

Guard Claire Faucher scored 19 points to lead the Vikings. But Montana held the PSU’s other two leading scorers -- Kelsey Kahle and Delaney Conway -- to 13 points between them and forced 19 Vikings' turnovers in the win. The Portland State trio are ranked among the top 11 scorers in the Big Sky so far on the season.

Besides Morales’ 17 points, Montana got balanced scoring from four starters, 15 apiece from forwards Johanna Closson and Britney Lohman and 14 from shooting guard Sonja Rogers, who made 3-of-9 long-range treys.

Montana post Tamara Guardipee appeared to be battling a virus and scored only three points, but pulled down eight rebounds for the Lady Griz, who out-boarded the Vikings 49-44.

Though the statistics don’t show it, backup point guard Laura Cote played an inspired game. Cote scored only four points on 4-for-4 shooting from the free throw line, blocked two shots, had one steal, dished out one assist, and grabbed four rebounds -- including a crucial board late in overtime, which finally sealed Montana's win.

The victory puts Montana into sole possession of first place with a 6-1 conference record. Though the Lady Griz are by no means in the drivers' seat, a win Saturday against the visiting Eastern Washington Eagles means Montana will have finished the first half of conference play alone at the top of the Big Sky standings. The Vikings dropped to 5-2 and into a second place tie with Idaho State. Northern Colorado and Montana State are tied for fourth with 4-3 records.

Montana hosts Eastern Washington Saturday at 7:05 p.m., while the Vikings travel to Montana State for a match against Montana State.

PHOTOS: Dvera Tolbert (#31 top) is guarded by Coutney Cremer  and Claire Faucher. Tolbert missed both free throw shots. Middle, Laura Cote drives against Vikings center Erin Yankus. Cote made both free throws. Bottom, Johanna Closson battles Kelsey Kahle for a loose ball in first half action.

NOTE: Vikings center Erin Yankus is the daughter of Charlie Yankus, the former Montana center who played for the Grizzlies from 1975-80.

Lady Griz Edge Tough Northern Colorado Squad, 73-69

The Montana Lady Griz trailed through most of the first three-quarters of their four-point, 73-69 win over a tough Northern Colorado Bears squad Saturday.

But a late surge -- fueled by excellent defense from Laura Cote and several key drives into the key by Johanna Closson -- turned the tide for Montana's win.

Closson hit a jumper in the key with 6:01 remaining that gave the Lady Griz a one-point57-56 lead over the Bears. Seconds later reserve forward Dvera Tolbert nailed a nice post-up shot before Sonja Rogers drained a trey. The three-strait scores sprung the Lady Griz to a 62-56 lead.

PHOTO: Sonja Rogers drives the baseline past Northern Colorado defender Chelsie Luhring. Rogers scored 14 points and had 4 rebounds against the Bears.

Though the Bears kept within two possessions throughout, Montana's maintained the margin for their fifth conference victory against one loss. The Bears slipped to 5-2 with the loss, but remains in the hunt for the Big Sky Crown with Montana, Portland State and Idaho State.

Point guard Mandy Morales had a quiet 19  points for Montana, sinking 10-of-11 free throws, grabbing four rebounds and distributing four assists on the evening.

Closson's second half drives into the paint helped Montana keep pace with the Bears, who led through much of the game on 8-for-19 shooting from Jamie Schroeder and an evenly distributed long-range shooting game by the Bears, who converted 13 of 28 treys.

Rogers scored 14 points for the Lady Griz, nailing four of her eight treys while grabbing four rebounds.

PHOTO: Laura Cote goes up against Bears defenders Danielle Hagen and Lizzie Cooper. Cote scored eight points, grabbed five rebounds and had two assists for the Lady Griz.

The Lady Griz will host Portland State Thursday in a match between conference leaders. Each team has suffered only one loss, Montana on the road at Idaho State and Portland State at Northern Colorado.

Multi-talented Lady Griz Hit Road as Big Sky Stats Leader

I found it impossible to select just one, or two, or even three Lady Griz players as MVP choices for their play in the team’s first three home wins of the season. How about naming the starting five?

Over the first weekend of play,  three opponents found it impossible to do much against a deep and talented Lady Griz squad, which won the three games by a +22-point average margin.

PHOTO MONTAGE: Clockwise from upper left -- Sonja Rogers agaist MSU, Tamara Guardipee against Sac State, Johanna Closson against MSU, Mandy Morales against Sac State and, (center panel) Britney Lohman against MSU.

The Missoulian's Bill Speltz has an excellent story on Montana's early play.

More importantly, there are statistically telling signs that the Lady Griz -- with floor leader Mandy Morales on the mend from early season foot problems -- is becoming even more multi-dimensional.

There’s convincing proof of Montana’s early league dominance at the Big Sky Conference Statistics page (I wasn't able to make a direct link), where the Lady Griz are top-ranked in eight team cagegories, #2 in four team categories and #three in the remainig team categories. The Lady Griz are ranked no lower than third in any team category.

In some years, with some teams, the names of standout players pop up game after game. It’s easy then for opposing coaches to devise a defensive strategy to stop a single dominant player... or even two players. The first three games saw that strategy employed by coaches, from MSU, NAU and Sac State, with no success.

Take Montana’s 78-65 win over the Montana State Bobcats. MSU coach Tricia Binford said after the game that her objective was to stop Montana’s inside game. The Cats were sort of successful by managing to hold forwards Johanna Closson and Britney Lohman to 12  total points.

In doing so, the collapsing Cats’ defense also left the perimeter open, so guard Sonja Rogers torched the Cats for 32 points on 9-for-14 shooting, 5-for-6 from three point range.  Still, Montana post Tamara Guardipee stepped up in mid-key with a double-double, scoring 12 points and pulling down 10 rebounds.

Northern Arizona took the opposite defensive approach and focused on Montana’s guard tandem, reducing their output to a total of 18 points on the night. No problem. Forward Britney Lohman scored 18, Guardipee snared another 13 rebounds, and Closson responded with 13 points in Montana’s 77-55 runaway.

Sacramento State’s strategy failed as well. This time the point guard duo of Morales (23 points) and Laura Cote (12 points) were too much for the Hornets. And though the Hornets held Closson to only two of her patented baseline treys, the agile shooting forward responded by burning Sac State on 6-for-7 shooting with quick drives into the key, where she made several short-range jumpers.

PHOTO: Laura Cote drives against a Bobcat defender.

An overview of the three games reveals an evenly balanced Lady Griz attack capable of producing points all over the floor.

Here are some three-game averages:
Rogers: A high of 32 points, with a total of 46 points over three games.
Morales: A high of 23, with a total of 38 points.
Closson: Ten, 13 and 14 points for 37 total in three games
Lohman: A high of 18 points with 34 total.
Guardipee: An average of 10+ rebounds and 9 points per game.

That translates to four Lady Griz starters averaging at least 11 points per game, with one averaging 10 rebounds per game.

Not bad for a week’s work and a 3-0 jump start in league play.

Lady Griz Heat Up; Steamroll Sacramento State 82-52

The Montana Lady Griz steamrolled their second-straight Big Sky opponent Saturday, rumbling to a 30-point, 82-52 win over the Sacramento State Hornets before 3849 fans.

Junior point guard Mandy Morales took a huge step toward recovery from her foot problems, scoring a  game-high 23 points on 7-for-13 shooting, 4-for-8 from three point range, and making 5-5 from the free throw line.

Forward Johanna Closson scored 14 points and dished out four assists, while backup point guard, Laura Cote, added 12 points in 19 minutes of action.

PHOTO: Sac State players Jourdan Willard (left) and Charday Hunt converge on Montana's Dana Conway in the chase for a loose ball in Montana's 82-52 win over the Hornets Saturday. Montana's Laura Cote (background, looks on).

The Lady Griz shot 47.4 percent from the field while holding the Hornets to 28.3 percent.

Sac State was led by Sami Field-Polisso, who scored 15 points on 4-for-13 shooting from the field, 3-for 12 from three point range.

The Lady Griz dominated every phase of the game, hauling down 42 rebounds to the Hornets’ 36, and turned the ball over only eight times.

All thirteen Lady Griz players saw action and all but three scored.

The win boosts Montana’s record to 13-3 overall and 3-0 in conference. Portland State, at 14-3, 4-0, is the only other team to remain undefeated in Big Sky Conference play.

Lady Griz Pummel Northern Arizona 77-55

Basketball is often a game of firsts for me. The Lady Griz' 22-point win over Northern Arizona provided a new one Thursday: the Lady Griz scored the first 24 points of the game before cruising into  halftime with a 42-14 lead in an eventual 22-point win over the Lumberjacks.

When Northern Arizona player Tiffany Amos scored the Jacks' first bucket with 7:42 remaining, she received one of the more robust cheers of the evening from the partisan Montana crowd... a cheer that almost sounded like an exclamation of mass relief.

Though the young NAU squad righted things somewhat with a respectable 41-point half of their own, they still couldn't contain Montana's Britney Lohman, who led the Lady Griz with 18. Johanna Closson added 13 points, and Montana got scoring from 10 other players in a win that saw all but three reserves log double digit playing time minutes.

Tamara Guardipee continues her development as a dominating defensive force, blocking two shots and pulling down a game-high 13 rebounds to go along with her 7 points.

The Lady Griz confirmed again why junior point guard Mandy Morales is so important to the team's overall play, dishing out 6 assists, many to Lohman, and scoring six points. Reserve point guard continues providing quality minutes, scoring 6 points and dishing four assists, though she committed a team-high 4 turnovers.

Guard Janelle Matthews turned a frigid first half into a shooting display for the Lumberjacks, scoring 18 points on 7-for-14 sooting (4-for-6 from three point range). Jacks center Ashley Ingle also scored 18,  shooting 5-for-8 from the field and sinking 8-of-9 freethrows. Ingle had an impessive game-high 6 blocked shots to go with 8 rebounds, but turned the ball over 9 times.

The Lady Griz shot 47 percent from the field on the night and forged an impressive 47-24 rebounding margin over the Jacks.

The win puts the Lady Griz at 12-3 for the season, while the Jacks fell to 5-11.

PHOTOS: Reserve center Shadra Robison battles for ball possession (top) while center Tamara Guardipee (bottom) has her shot tipped. Guardipee regained control of the ball and made the field goal.

Game Notes: Playing With Pain

PLAYING WITH PAIN -- It's one thing to play through pain. In any sport every athlete will experience periods of injury and pain. At some point in every athlete's career they'll have to play through pain.

It's another thing to play with constant pain... the chronic, nagging or even debilitating affliction that doesn 't stop, but gradually and then eventually wears an athlete down.

I have experienced both. I was reminded of my injuries (four sprains and a foot bone fracture in a two-year span) on Friday as I watched Montana guard Mandy Morales play through, and with, her chronic foot pain. At one point late in the game, when she was at the free throw line, she alternated lifting each foot gingerly off the floor to ease the pressure.

PHOTO: Mandy Morales drives the lane during second half action of the Lady Griz' 78-65 win over the Bobcats. Krislyn Wallace guards Morales.

I confess I don't know much about her injury, though I've read about it. I've also read it will, or may heal, but will probably be with her throughout the season.

I -- as I'm sure is the case for all Montana fans -- wish the best for her eventual recovery. The sooner, the better for Mandy, of course.

I know this much: she's one tough kid. Any time you see an athlete battle an entire game through physical agony, you hope they're not going too far and actually delaying complete recovery.

TOUGH IN THERE -- The Lady Griz scored 75 points against Montana Stae, but nothing came easily. As with several Montana opponents this year, the Cat game plan against the Griz was "shut down the middle," and hope for the best. Well, not with Sonja cruising the perimeter.

PHOTO: Britney Lohman takes the pivot for a shot against Krislyn Wallace.

The Cats played a doubling, trapping and always physical low block defense. Eight of Montana's 12 turnovers were by front court players in the thick of the fray. If Britney or Tamara or Sarah didn't shoot the ball quickly, it was gone... slapped away by an MSU defender.

I confess that I respect Tricia Binford's Bobcats. Not much visible "attitude," they just play hard. No whining. Good sportsmanship. And they come at you every minute of the game. I expect this Bobcat squad to steadily improve over conference play. Their 5-8 record seems quite misleading to me, and I'd be surprised if they didn't end up in the top tier of what this year will b a very tough Big Sky conference.

PHOTO: Morales is fouled on a drive by reserve Bobcat point guard Erica Perry.

That's good for both the Cats and the Griz. It's always to Montana's benefit if visiting Big Sky teams have a tough matchup in Bozeman before stopping by in Missoula for a second game.

LIGHTS OUT -- Sonja Rogers is one of those classic long-range shooters who can release an accurate three-point shot from a variety of physical alignments. Oftentimes good shooters have to make one and only one set-and-spring for their shot. Some have to be in the same spot on the floor. Some need a specific amount of space before they can shoot. Not Rogers. Nope. Nope. Nope.

Not only does #10 have one of the quickest releases I've seen in women's basketball (she can catch & release her shot in one continuous movement), but she can shoot off of the dribble, when moving right or when moving left. She's never off balance. Her jump is very consistent; but she doesn't seem to require any specific balance before shooting. And she's not hesitant to shoot it up in traffic. Furthermore, it seems she can shoot from anywhere on the arc (though she seems to prefer a right side set at about 45 degrees).

Sonja's 5-for-6 shooting from beyond the arc Friday sends a clear message to conference opponents. They can pack the inside... but if Rogers is on the floor they'll pay for it.

Montana Lady Griz Outpace Montana State 78-65

Montana junior guard Sonja Rogers scored 32 points to lead the Montana Lady Griz past the Montana State Bobcats 78-65 before 4537 fans in the opening game of Big Sky play for both schools Friday night.

As has been the norm for the Lady Griz in recent games, Rogers sparked Montana with two quick treys and the Lady Griz jumped to a quick 10 point lead, which they maintained more or less a few points until a late second half surge expanded the margin above 15. The largest Lady Griz lead was 17, midway through the second half.

Rogers nailed 5-of-6 shots from three point range, shot a blistering 64 percent from the field overall (9-for-14), and made all nine of her free throw shots in leading the Lady Griz past a resilient Bobcat squad that got double figures scoring from three players.

PHOTOS: Sonja Rogers (10) scored 32 points on 5-of-6 shots from three point range to lead Montana. Above, Rogers drives past guard Sarah Strand (20) in second half action. Below: Rogers drives to the bucket over Bobcat forward Krislyn Wallace (22). Wallace scored 13 points and had 10 rebounds for the Bobcats.

The game outcome seemed assured for the Lady Griz from the early going, though, the Bobcats played a gritty game once their offense got untracked. 

Montana guard Mandy Morales -- still painfully bothered by a foot condition -- scored nine points and dished out 9 assists in 29 minutes of play. Lady Griz center Tamara Guardipee was the recipient of several Morales’ assists and scored 12 points, though she made only 5-of-14 against the swarming Bobcat interior defense.

Guardipee was a force under the basket, pulling down 10 rebounds and blocking one shot on the night. Forward Johanna Closson -- though she scored only four points, also pulled down 10 rebounds.

Montana forward Britney Lohman, returning after sitting out for two games, scored eight points on 4-of-8 shooting from the field.

The Bobcats were led by guard Rebecca Mercer’s 19 points on 3-for-7 shooting from long range. Forwards Krislyn Wallace, with 14 points, and Nubia Garcia, with 10 points, effectively penetrated the Lady Griz defense with an assortment of step-through pivots to help the Cats keep pace with the Griz, though they were unable to get any closer than five points after the early Lady Griz surge.

The Bobcats turned the ball over 19 times to Montana’s 12 and the Lady Griz claimed a five-rebound edge with 40 boards. Montana shot a somewhat sub-par 44.3 percent from the field but held the Bobcats to 38.6 percent.

Check back soon for additional photos and a brief post-game analysis.

Montana Lady Griz 84, Ole Miss Lady Rebels 77

The Ole Miss Lady Rebels took away Montana’s dominant inside  game. But the Lady Griz responded by shooting 11-for-28 from three point range for a convincing 84-77 victory in the final game of the Lady Griz 28th Holiday Classic Sunday.

Four Montana players reached double figures, led by 20 from guard Mandy Morales, who nailed 5-for-9 from long range to pace the Lady Griz. Sonja Rogers had 15 points with two conversions from outside the arc while reserve guard Laura Cote added two treys for 10 points.

PHOTO: Johanna Closson drives past Lady Rebel Kayla Melson on early offense. Closson scored 14 points and -- with 20 points on Friday -- was named the MVP of the 28th Lady Griz Holiday Classic.

Forward Johanna Closson -- who was named the tourney MVP -- scored 14 points on a variety of jumpers off of Montana’s press-breaker early offense.

The final 7-point margin was as close as the Lady Rebels could get to Montana, who jumped to a 10-2 lead on three straight treys and maintained a comfortable lead throughout the game, including a 12-point 40-28 halftime lead.

PHOTO: Though Ole Miss outrebounded Montana, Lady Griz post Tamara Guardipee was a force in the paint, pulling down a game-high 10 boards and snaring two steals. Here she passes over   Melson. Guardipee was named to the all-tourney team.

Montana led by as many as 18 points with 8 minutes remaining  before Ole Miss forward Carla Bartee and reserve guard Lindsay Roy led a brief rally that was too little too late. Bartee led the Lady Rebels with 18 points, while post Shawn Goff added 16 and guard Elizabeth Robertson scored 12.

The pace of the game was set early as Ole Miss put the paint  into lockdown with a tight inside and baseline defense. But that left the wings open  and the Lady Griz were able to get good looks with a simple reverse of the passing flow. Five perimeter Lady Griz players converted treys, moving Montana to a comfortable early lead and forcing the Lady Rebels to scramble from behind.

PHOTO: Sonja Rogers drives the baseline past Lady Rebel Elizabeth Robertson. Rogers scored 15 points, dished out four assists and committed only one turnover.

Employing a variety of full court pressure and trapping zone defenses, the Lady Rebels disrupted the flow of the game throughout. But -- with only a few exceptions -- Montana was able to easily break down the pressure for early offense looks by Closson and post Tamara Guardipee, who scored 7 points, and reserve forward Dvera Tolbert, who turned three early offense looks into nifty post moves from the left baseline.

It didn’t help that the Lady Rebels turned the ball over 28 times, many of them on unforced traveling calls.

For the second straight game, Montana shot nearly 50 percent from the field, finishing at 49.2 percent, 39.3 percent from three point range.

Morales, still showing the signs of her foot injury, nonetheless handled the Ole Miss pressure with aplomb, and notched five assists, several on seeing-eye early offense passes over the Ole Miss full court pressure. Rogers was also instrumental in breaking the Lady Rebels pressure and added four assists to Montana’s 17 assist total.

Joining Closson on the all-tourney team were Morales and Guardipee. Gott of Ole Miss and Kat Suderman and Meghan Williams of UC Santa Barbara also made the all-tourney team.

With the win, the Lady Griz close out an impressive pre-season at 10-3. Ole Miss dropped to 5-7.

Lady Griz Corral U C. Santa Barbara Gauchos 88-70

The Montana Lady Griz pounced quickly on the U C Santa Barbara Gauchos, grabbed an early 10-2 lead, and surged to an 88-70 win behind 20 points from forward Johanna Closson in the first game of the 28th Annual Lady Griz Holiday Classic Friday.

Montana post Tamara Guardipee added 15 points and took command of the paint over the shorter Gauchos, scoring most of her points on short jumpers after lobbed assists from guards Mandy Morales and Laura Cote.

Morales -- who returned to action after a several-game absence to recuperate an injured foot -- had five assists and scored 10 points in 18 minutes of action, but re-aggravated her foot midway through the second half and did not return to the floor.

Cote, showing steadily improved play, added four assists and  scored 9 points in 25 minutes. But it was Cote’s defense, along with the defense of guard Sonja Rogers, that thwarted UC Santa Barbara’s passing game in the early stages of the game.

PHOTOS: Laura Cote (top photo) drives for two of her 9 points against Ariana Gnekow on a second-half fast break. Middle: Johanna Closson scores over Gaucho defenders Lauren Pedersen and Gnekow. Closson led the Lady Griz with 20 points, 4 rebounds and 3 steals. Bottom: Tamara Guardipee scores two in the paint against Gaucho Kat Suderman.

The Lady Griz grabbed an 11-point lead early in the game, and maintained it through much of the first half before the Gauchos mounted a short rally to climb within six three minutes before halftime.

But Montana, which built the lead back to nine by halftime, jumped the Gauchos again -- at the start of the second half -- and quickly built a 20-point lead they maintained from there.

Though the Gauchos blunted Montana’s outside game somewhat -- holding the Lady Griz to only 4-for-12 from three-point range -- they couldn’t stop Montana’s dominant inside play. The Lady Griz made 27 points in the paint, and had success on driving-penetration-and-assist plays by Morales and Cote.

Closson and Guardipee were the main beneficiaries, supported by freshman reserve forward Sarah Ena, who scored 13 points, notched three assists and grabbed four rebounds in only 10 minutes of action.

The Gauchos -- shut-out most of the night by a swarming Lady Griz defense that forced them into 21 turnovers -- were boosted by 21 points from reserve Meagan Williams, who made 4-of-6 from three point range and made several points off of drives to the bucket from the tip of the key.

No other UC Santa Barbara player scored more than nine points.

The Lady Griz -- although they only out-rebounded the Gaucos 32-31 -- collected 12 steals from their zone and chalked up an efficient 20 assists compared to only 16 turnovers against a swarming, trapping Gaucho defense.

Santa Barbara’s full-court pressure exacted a toll, but not on Montana. The Lady Griz went to the line early and often in both halves, scoring 22-of-30 shots from the line, compared to only 5-of-7 for the Gauchos. The Lady Griz shot 57.4 percent from the field for the game.

Closson burned the Gauchos on a variety of post-ups, quick pivot bankers and baseline jumpers in the game’s early stages on several nice assists from Morales, who returned to action after a several-game absence to recuperate an injured toe.

Rogers had a quiet game, but made two treys at critical junctures in the game and finished with 8 points. Lauren Beck added 9 points and frosh Dvera Tolbert scored 4 points on two nice second-half post moves.  Dana Conway -- who started in the absence of forward Britney Lohman -- didn’t score, but grabbed six rebounds and three steals in 20 minutes of action.

The Lady Griz move to 9-3 while the Gauchos  are now 4-6 on the season.

U C Santa Barbara plays Mississippi (5-5) in the second game of the classic at 7 p.m. Saturday. The Lady Griz will match up against Mississippi at 7 p.m.

Lohman scores 18; Lady Griz Rip Montana Western, 70-37

I couldn't make it to the Lady Griz-Montana Western game, an obvious tuneup for the upcoming 28th annual Lady Griz Holiday Classic.

Montana forward, Britney Lohman showed solid signs of moving past early season shooting woes, with 18 points on 6-for-7 shooting from the field, seven rebounds, an assist and two steals.

PHOTO: Britney Lohman, putting up a shot against Washington State on Dec. 18.

Point guard Sonja Rogers shot 50 percent from the field, scoring 14.

With the exception of Lauren Beck, every Lady Griz player who played scored. I've noticed that Dvera Tolbert hasn't played the last three games (didn't suit up for one). Illness?

This was certainly not a contest to show too much. However, there are signs that this Lady Griz squad is solid offensively from all areas of the court and the bench. They'll only get better from here, particularly when Mandy Morales returns.

Lady Griz Ease Past Washington State 74-54

Sonja Rogers scored 21 points and shot 4-of-8 three pointers to lead the Montana Lady Griz past the Washington State Cougars 74-54 Tuesday.

The heady point guard engineered a Montana charge midway through the first half for a 13 point Montana lead, which the Lady Griz maintained for a 36-25 halftime lead.

PHOTO: Sonja Rogers scores on a fast-break drive to the bucket. Rogers shot 50 percent from three point range on 4-for-8 shooting.

Lady Griz center Tamara Guardipee added 11 points, six rebounds and three blocks, dominating the paint at both ends of the floor.

Forward Britney Lohman had a sub-par shooting night, but -- with 12 rebounds -- dominated the boards at both ends for the lady Griz, who outrebounded the Cougars 42-37. Lohman made 3-for-11 shots from the field, finishing with eight points.

The Cougars netted three early three-point field  goals to keep pace with Montana in the early going, but then the Lady Griz zone defense took charge. Even though the Cougars had some success stretching the Montana zone, the Lady Griz held WSU to only 6-for-26 shooting from long range. The Cougars were held to 31.8 percent for the game.

PHOTO: Tamara Guardipee controlled the paint at both ends of the floor, scoring 11 points, grabbing six rebounds and blocking three shots.

The Lady Griz had seven blocked shots in the game, several on perimeter shots, including a decisive block of an attempted Cougar three-point shot by guard Lauren Beck.

Behind Rogers’ steady floor game, the Lady Griz methodically picked apart the Cougar defense with a potent inside-outside shooting game. The Lady Griz shsot a deadly 7-for-=13 from three point range (53.8%), but were even more effective in the low blocks as Guardipee, Lohman and freshman reserve forward Sarah Ena repeatedly found seams in the paint for point-blank buckets.

The Lady Griz scored 22 points in the paint compared to 8 for the Cougars. Guardipee, who drew double-team coverage by the Cougars front court defenders, dished out five assists.

PHOTO: Britney Lohman pulled down 12 rebounds and had two assists, one blocked shot and two steals in 28 minutes of play.

The Lady Griz made 15-for-22 of their shots from the free throw line compared to 6-for-10 for the Cougars, who lost front-court players Heather Molzen and Ebonee Coates to fouls with several minutes remaining in the second half. Reserve Katie Calderwood led the Cougars with 10 points. No other WSU player broke into double figures.

The Lady Griz led by as much as 27 points late in the game.

BOTTOM PHOTOS: Guard Laura Cote and forward Sarah Ena drive to the bucket in second half action against the Cougars.

Montana hosts Montana Western Wednesday (Dec. 19th) and then takes a nine-day break before hosting the Lady Griz Holiday Classic Dec. 29th and 30th. The classic is in its 28th year.

Lady Griz Pull Away from Winless Vandals, 77-52

After surviving a pugnacious  first-half aggressive zone from the Idaho Vandals, the Montana Lady Griz broke-open a tight game with 13 minutes left and -- behind the 16 points and on-court leadership of Sonja Rogers -- pulled away for a 77-52 win over the Vandals.

Rogers, who made 3-of-4 three point shots, was joined in double figures by center Tamara Gardipee, with 12, guard Laura Cote with 10 and reserve forward Sarah Ena, with 10.

Idaho guard and Missoula native, Lindsey Koppen, scored nine points for the Vandals. Missoulian writer Bill Speltz has a nice profile on Koppen here.

The Lady Griz shot 46.2 percent from the field, 53.8 percent from three point range. Montana outrebounded the Vandals by three, 36-33.

Montana had 14 assists, led by Laura Cote’s five, but turned the ball over 16 times. The Vandals committd 25 turnovers and were held to 34.8 percent from the field.

Montana is now 5-3 on the season, the Vandals are winless at 0-10.

PHOTOS: Above, Rogers gets Vandal zone pressure in first-half action. Rogers did not turn the ball over, and had one assist and two steals, one which led to a fast-break bucket.

Below: Britney Lohman drives for two points in first half action. Lohman  had seven points and six rebounds in 24 minutes of action. Tamra Gardipee scores two of her 12 points in first half action. Gardipee pulled down six rebounds in 18 minutes of play.

Lady Griz Lead Vandals by 4 at Half

The Montana Lady Griz took a 29-25 lead over the Idaho Vandals at halftime. More photos and game summary soon.

PHOTO: Lady Griz Dana Conway looks for a pass in first half action against Idaho.

Cote is Montana Lady Griz MVP for first week in December

Senior guard Laura Cote, starting in place of the injured Mandy Morales, has been selected as the Montana Lady Griz MVP by the Grizzly Journal for her play in two games during the week of December 3rd through
the 8th. Cote scored 26 points in two games and the Lady Griz upped their record to 5-3 on the young season.

The senior led the Lady Griz to a comeback win over the Portland Pilots in Portland, scoring 17 points on six-of-9 shots from the field and 4-for-4  from the free throw line.

Cote was also a catalyst in the Grizzlies’ runaway victory over Cal State Northridge on Dec 8th. Cote scored nine points on 3-for-7 shooting from the field and was again perfect from the free throw line, shooting 3-for-3. Cote had a team-high 5 assists in the win over the Matadors

The Lady Griz next game is Dec. 15th, when they host the Idaho Vandals at Dahlberg arena.

Lady Griz -- Cal Northridge Game Photos

PHOTO LEFT: Lady Griz senior guard Laura Cote looks for a shot against Cal Northridge defenders. Cote scored nine points and had five assists in the Lady Griz win over the Matadors.

PHOTO 2, BELOW LEFT: Senior forward Johanna Closson scores on a fast break bucket in the Lady Griz' 87-52 win over Cal State Northridge. She scored 12 points and pulled down 7 rebounds in the Lady Griz victory.

PHOTO 3, BELOW LEFT: Freshman forward Dvera Tolbert scores two on this post up move against a Cal Northridge defender. Tolbert played nine minutes, scored two points, pulled down two rebounds and had one steal.

PHOTO 4, BELOW LEFT: Forward Dana Conway drives the baseline against the Matadors. Conway went 3-for-4 from the field, scored eight points, snagged two rebounds and had two assist in the Lady Griz win.

PHOTO 5, BELOW LEFT: Sophomore reserve post Shadra Robinson scores two of her 8 points in the Lady Griz win over Cal State Northridge. Robinson scored four points, grabbed four rebounds and had a steal in the Lady Griz win.

Montana Mauls Cal Northridge, 87-52

The Montana Lady Griz, behind the hot shooting of Johanna Closson and Sonja Rogers, engineered an early offensive charge for a 15-5 lead over the Cal State Northridge and coasted to an 87-52 win over the Matadors in front of 3508 Dahlberg Arena fans Friday.

The Lady Griz made 21-for-35 of their first-half shots for a blistering 60 percent from the field, and 100 percent from three-point range (3-3) Montana had a comfortable 30-point, 51-31 lead by the half.

PHOTO: Freshman forward Sarah Ena battles for possession of the ball with two Cal State Northridge defenders.

Playing limited minutes, the Montana duo tied for game-scoring honors at 12 in a
game where every Lady Griz player saw action, and every player scored. Freshman reserve forward Sarah Ena contributed 11 points, snared 6 rebounds and had a blocked shot in only 13 minutes of action.

Forwards Whitney Ligon and Bianca Davies led the Matadors with 12 and 10 respectively for the outmanned and overmatched Matadors, who at one point in the second half trailed the Lady Griz by 40 points. Cal Northridge is winless so far, and has been outscored by an average of 21.6 points per game before tonight’s contest.

Lady Griz senior Laura Cote, starting in place of the injured Mandy Morales, added nine points and had five assists and a steal for Montana, which upped its record to 5-3 on the young season.

Four other Lady Griz scored 8 points apiece. Montana recorded a 44-33 rebounding margin over the shorter Matadors, who shot 27.6 percent from the field

While the outcome of the game was never in doubt, the Matadors applied a variety of full-court and zone-trap pressure defensive schemes, forcing the Lady Griz into an uncharacteristic 21 turnovers.

Although the Lady Griz cooled off in the second half -- played primarily by Montana reserves -- the team still ended with a 52.2 percent field goal average and made 87.5 percent of their shots from the  free throw line (14-16).

Montana’s next game is a December 15th home contest against the visiting Idaho Vandals.

ADDITIONAL PHOTOS will be posted later tonight.