Edwards reaches milestone, leads Lady Griz to season-opening win
11/18/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Senior Katie Edwards scored 21 points to lead the Montana women's basketball team to a 71-70 victory at Utah State Friday night in the season opener for both teams. The Lady Griz led for nearly the entire game but needed two free throws by sophomore Laura Cote with eight seconds remaining and a miss on a potential game-tying 3-point attempt by the Aggies with the clock running down to secure the victory.
Edwards not only led Montana in scoring but reached the 1,000-point career mark in the victory when she hit a jumper early in the second half. She becomes just the 23rd Lady Griz player to reach the 1,000-point mark.
Montana will host Rocky Mountain next Tuesday in its home opener. Game time is 7:05 p.m. at Dahlberg Arena.
The Lady Griz got the season off to a hot start Friday night, hitting seven of their first eight shots to start the game and race out to an 18-8 lead less then seven minutes into the game. Edwards knocked down her first three 3-point attempts of the season during the game-opening run, with freshman Tamara Guardipee scoring an early six points.
Utah State shot 48.4 percent in the first half and briefly grabbed the lead late in the opening half, but a layup by freshman Sonya Rogers with six seconds to play put Montana up 35-34 at the half.
The Lady Griz matched USU's torrid first-half shooting, hitting 15 of their 29 shots for the half (.517), including 5-of-7 from 3-point range.
Edwards led all scorers with 13 first-half points.
Montana never trailed in the second half but was never able to stretch the lead to more than seven points.
Utah State twice managed to tie the score late in the game, pulling even at 60-60 with 4:27 to play and 62-62 with 3:06 to play, but both times the Lady Griz had an answer.
Junior Sara Gale broke the final tie when she hit one of two free throws with 2:51 to play. After an Aggie turnover, Edwards knocked down two more free throws to push the lead to 65-62 with 2:09 to play.
Utah State's best chance to take the lead came after a Rogers miss with just under two minutes to play. But the Aggies could not convert on consecutive possessions, and two free throws by senior Jody McLeod increased the lead back to three, 67-64, with 1:20 to play.
A Brittany Tressler jumper cut the lead to 67-66 with 53 seconds to play, but Edwards answered with her final points of the game with 30 seconds remaining.
Taylor Richards brought USU within one once again, 69-68, with a layup inside with under 10 seconds to play, but Cote was perfect at the line and Utah State missed a 3-point shot with three seconds to play that would have pulled the Aggies even.
Ali Marchant scored at the buzzer to make the final score 71-70.
Edwards was the lone Montana player to reach double figures, but six players scored between six and nine points. Guardipee and Cote both had nine, Rogers and sophomore Johanna Closson both had eight, sophomore Dana Conway had seven and McLeod six. Gale was the only other player to score with three points.
Montana, which was out-rebounded 39-33, finished the game shooting 43.5 percent. Utah State shot 48.3 percent, but was just 1-of-9 from 3-point range (.111).
McLeod led the Lady Griz with seven rebounds, while Guardipee had three blocks and two steals. Gale added two blocks and two steals, and Rogers led the team with six assists.
Utah State had four players in double figures, led by Marchant's 22-point, 12-rebound double-double performance. Richards added 16 points, four assists, two boards and two steals.
Edwards not only led Montana in scoring but reached the 1,000-point career mark in the victory when she hit a jumper early in the second half. She becomes just the 23rd Lady Griz player to reach the 1,000-point mark.
Montana will host Rocky Mountain next Tuesday in its home opener. Game time is 7:05 p.m. at Dahlberg Arena.
The Lady Griz got the season off to a hot start Friday night, hitting seven of their first eight shots to start the game and race out to an 18-8 lead less then seven minutes into the game. Edwards knocked down her first three 3-point attempts of the season during the game-opening run, with freshman Tamara Guardipee scoring an early six points.
Utah State shot 48.4 percent in the first half and briefly grabbed the lead late in the opening half, but a layup by freshman Sonya Rogers with six seconds to play put Montana up 35-34 at the half.
The Lady Griz matched USU's torrid first-half shooting, hitting 15 of their 29 shots for the half (.517), including 5-of-7 from 3-point range.
Edwards led all scorers with 13 first-half points.
Montana never trailed in the second half but was never able to stretch the lead to more than seven points.
Utah State twice managed to tie the score late in the game, pulling even at 60-60 with 4:27 to play and 62-62 with 3:06 to play, but both times the Lady Griz had an answer.
Junior Sara Gale broke the final tie when she hit one of two free throws with 2:51 to play. After an Aggie turnover, Edwards knocked down two more free throws to push the lead to 65-62 with 2:09 to play.
Utah State's best chance to take the lead came after a Rogers miss with just under two minutes to play. But the Aggies could not convert on consecutive possessions, and two free throws by senior Jody McLeod increased the lead back to three, 67-64, with 1:20 to play.
A Brittany Tressler jumper cut the lead to 67-66 with 53 seconds to play, but Edwards answered with her final points of the game with 30 seconds remaining.
Taylor Richards brought USU within one once again, 69-68, with a layup inside with under 10 seconds to play, but Cote was perfect at the line and Utah State missed a 3-point shot with three seconds to play that would have pulled the Aggies even.
Ali Marchant scored at the buzzer to make the final score 71-70.
Edwards was the lone Montana player to reach double figures, but six players scored between six and nine points. Guardipee and Cote both had nine, Rogers and sophomore Johanna Closson both had eight, sophomore Dana Conway had seven and McLeod six. Gale was the only other player to score with three points.
Montana, which was out-rebounded 39-33, finished the game shooting 43.5 percent. Utah State shot 48.3 percent, but was just 1-of-9 from 3-point range (.111).
McLeod led the Lady Griz with seven rebounds, while Guardipee had three blocks and two steals. Gale added two blocks and two steals, and Rogers led the team with six assists.
Utah State had four players in double figures, led by Marchant's 22-point, 12-rebound double-double performance. Richards added 16 points, four assists, two boards and two steals.
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