Lady Griz open Big Sky Conference play at Montana State
1/10/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
The University of Montana women's basketball team will open its 2006 Big Sky Conference schedule this Friday with a game at Montana State. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:05 at MSU's Worthington Arena in Bozeman.
The game will be the Lady Griz' (11-2) first in 11 days since defeating Portland, 68-65 in overtime, Jan. 2. Montana is riding an eight-game winning streak.
Montana State (1-11) will also be playing for the first time since Jan. 2, when the Bobcats won their only game of the season, 92-84 over Utah Valley State.
Big Sky play opens this Thursday when Weber State (6-7) travels to Northern Arizona (10-5) and Idaho State (6-8) plays at Sacramento State (5-7). Portland State (6-6) plays at Eastern Washington (6-7) on Saturday in those two schools' only game of the weekend.
Montana Streaking: Entering Friday's game at Montana State, the Lady Griz have won eight straight, dating back to their 58-57 home-court victory over Long Beach State Dec. 10. But such a in-season win streak has become commonplace for Montana under coach Robin Selvig, now in his 28th year. During those 28 seasons, the Lady Griz have run off win streaks of at least eight games during 20 of those seasons.
UM's longest in-season win streak came during the 1987-88 season, when Montana opened with 26 straight wins.
Lady Griz on the Radio: All of Montana's games during the 2005-06 season will be broadcast on KLCY radio (930 AM). Tom Stage calls the action, beginning with a pregame show that starts approximately 30 minutes prior to tipoff. Dick Slater provides the color commentary.
Lady Griz coach Robin Selvig makes an appearance during the postgame show.
A link to the internet feed of KLCY's coverage can be found at MontanaGrizzlies.com.
Television Coverage: Television coverage of Friday's game will air on KPAX-TV in the Missoula area and on the Montana Television Network (MTN) statewide.
Jeremy Jorgenson, sports director for KPAX, will provide the play-by-play. Will Southwood, sports director for KXLF-TV in Butte, will handle color duties.
About Montana State: The Bobcats will enter Friday's game with a 1-11 record. MSU opened the season with 11 straight losses before getting into the win column with its 92-84 victory over Utah Valley State on Jan. 2 in Bozeman.
In that game the Bobcats shot 56.5 percent, including 71.4 percent in the second half, and placed all five starters in double figures. Junior forward Scotta Morton, this week's co-Big Sky Conference Player of the Week, scored 28 points in the win, while adding six assists and six rebounds in 40 minutes of action.
Morton is the long MSU player averaging in double figures at 13.9 points per game, but four players average between 8.7 and 8.9 points per game.
Sophomore forward Amanda DeHaan averages a team-high 6.6 rebounds per game while junior guard Alyssa Nelson has dished out a team-high 50 assists.
Montana State is getting out-scored by its opponents by 14.7 points per game, out-rebounded by 8.0 boards per game and is shooting 38.2 percent from the floor to its opponents' 44.6 percent.
The Bobcats went 9-18 a year ago and placed seventh in the Big Sky with a 3-11 league mark. MSU was picked for seventh in this year's preseason coaches and media polls.
Montana State is coached by Tricia Binford, who is in her first season.
Coach Selvig's Scouting Report: "I think they are a team that's made a lot of progress while playing a very difficult schedule. They've played some tough teams close and they've lost a couple of close ones and could have more wins right now.
"They are a team that's grown. I think they have good players, and I think it's going to be a battle.
"One thing they've done this year is put a lot of points on the board, so they like to play at a fast pace, they have a lot of good shooters."
Series History: Montana leads the all-time series, 59-17, and has won the last four meetings over the last two seasons. Last year's 66-47 victory in Bozeman was UM's largest margin of victory at Montana State since a 26-point win during the 1988-89 season.
The Lady Griz have a 20-11 all-time advantage at Bozeman.
Montana State's last win in the series came at the 2002-03 Big Sky Conference tournament in Ogden, Utah, 70-64.
Rogers Delivers in Lady Griz Comeback Victory: Freshman Sonya Rogers had no points (going 0-for-1 from the field) at the half at Portland Jan. 2 and Montana found itself down by 16 points, 36-20. But in the second half and overtime, Rogers hit 4-of-5 3-point shots, scoring a team-high 15 points, to rally the Lady Griz to a 68-65 victory.
Rogers scored on a layup and free throw with 13:26 remaining to pull Montana within 10, 44-34, then hit her first of four 3-pointers with 6:58 remaining to bring the Lady Griz within one, 50-49.
Rogers' second and third 3-pointers of the second half extended UM's lead, the latter trey to a 61-56 lead with 1:21 to play.
The Lady Griz could not maintain the lead, however, but in overtime Rogers hit another three with 3:48 to play, spurring UM to the victory.
Montana 68, Portland 65 (ot): Montana rallied from an 18-point second-half deficit to defeat Portland, 68-65, in overtime Jan. 2 at Portland, Ore. The Lady Griz were down 36-20 at the half before outscoring the Pilots 48-29 in the second half and overtime to win their eighth straight, improving to 11-2 on the season.
Portland dropped to 3-10.
Montana dug itself a huge hole in the first half, shooting 22.6 percent and scoring just 20 points, its lowest scoring half of the season.
The Pilots shot 46.2 percent in the opening half and scored the final six points of the half to take a 36-20 lead to the locker room.
UP scored at the 17:28 mark of the second half to go up 38-20.
The Lady Griz still trailed by 12, 49-37, with 11:02 to play but went on a 12-1 run over the next 4:34 to pull within one, 50-49.
Portland's Rachel Warren scored inside to put the Pilots up by three, 52-49, with 6:46 to play, but Montana went on another run, 9-2, to take a 58-54 lead with 2:52 to play on a 3-pointer by freshman Sonya Rogers.
The Lady Griz still led by five, 61-56, with under a minute to play, but the Pilots got a 3-pointer from Whitney Grant with 52 seconds to play and two free throws by Rachel Warren with 21 seconds to play to tie the score at 61-61.
Montana's Dana Conway just missed a runner in the lane at the horn.
Rogers hit her fourth 3-pointer of the game early in the overtime period and freshman Mandy Morales hit four free throws in the final 1:22 to give the Lady Griz the win.
Grant missed two 3-pointers in the final five seconds of overtime that would have tied the score.
Rogers led Montana with a season-high 15 points. Freshman Tamara Guardipee added a season-high 14 points, nine rebounds, four assists and two blocks.
Sophomore Dana Conway and Morales also reached double figures with 10 points each. Conway added six rebounds, four assists and three steals, while Morales had nine rebounds and five assists.
Montana shot 32.9 percent for the game to Portland's 36.2 percent. The Lady Griz had a 53-42 rebounding advantage.
Morales's Return Sparks Win Streak: In her only action of the preseason schedule, freshman Mandy Morales showed a sign of things to come when she had nine points, 12 rebounds and five assists in Montana's 66-51 victory over Baden Sports on Nov. 2.
But after undergoing minor knee surgery, Morales was forced to miss the Lady Griz' exhibition game against Deja vu and their first five regular-season games.
Montana went 3-2 in those five games.
Since her return, a stretch of eight games in which UM is a perfect 8-0, Morales has averaged a team-high 14.1 points, 4.9 rebounds and a team-leading 4.4 assists per game.
Young Team Pulling Out Close Wins: Though this year's Lady Griz team is made up of just three upperclassmen and 12 underclassmen, Montana has shown the poise and ability to win close games down the stretch.
Of their 11 wins, the Lady Griz have won eight of those games by 12 points or less.
"I think it's good that we've gotten experience in playing some close games and been able to be successful, because confidence plays a big part going down the stretch in a close game," coach Robin Selvig said.
Montana Wraps Up Successful Non-League Schedule: The Lady Griz went 11-2 in its pre-Big Sky Conference schedule, finishing with eight straight wins. The two losses came at the hands of Florida State and Wyoming, two teams with a current combined record of 21-7.
"I think roles are pretty well defined now, and we've developed some depth," coach Robin Selvig said. "I feel good about our record and the progress we made, but I still think we need to improve a lot if we are going to win the league.
"We've played games against a bunch of different types of teams, which I think was good. We played some athletic, pressuring teams and some good experienced slower- paced teams."
Lady Griz Notes: Freshman Sonya Rogers has gone 6-for-8 (.750) from 3-point range over Montana's last two games.
Perhaps no Lady Griz player is looking forward to league play more than senior Katie Edwards, who has shot 21.9 percent (16-for-73) from the field and 12.5 percent (4-for-32) from 3-point range over UM's last six games.
On the flip side, Edwards has gone 33-for-35 (.943) from the line on the season to rank among the nation's leaders.
Sophomore Dana Conway has gone 13-for-25 (.520) from 3-point range over Montana's last six games, scoring in double figures in five of those games.
Senior Jody McLeod has found her shooting touch. After going a combined 2-for-9 (.222) from the field in the Lady Griz' losses at Florida State and Wyoming, McLeod has gone 21-for-38 (.553) in the last eight games, all UM victories.
When Montana rallied from a 16-point halftime deficit to defeat Portland on Jan. 2, it marked the second time this season the Lady Griz have been down at the half and come back for a victory. The other was against Santa Clara, when Montana rallied from a 38-36 halftime deficit to win 82-77.
Lady Griz Among Nation's Leaders in Home Attendance: Montana currently ranks 29th in the nation in home attendance, averaging 3,464 fans per game over its seven home games. A season-best crowd of 4,349 saw the Lady Griz capture its own Holiday Classic title with a 70-52 win over UNC Asheville Dec. 29.
Tennessee is one of three teams averaging over 10,000 fans per game, posting a nation-high 14,228 average.
The game will be the Lady Griz' (11-2) first in 11 days since defeating Portland, 68-65 in overtime, Jan. 2. Montana is riding an eight-game winning streak.
Montana State (1-11) will also be playing for the first time since Jan. 2, when the Bobcats won their only game of the season, 92-84 over Utah Valley State.
Big Sky play opens this Thursday when Weber State (6-7) travels to Northern Arizona (10-5) and Idaho State (6-8) plays at Sacramento State (5-7). Portland State (6-6) plays at Eastern Washington (6-7) on Saturday in those two schools' only game of the weekend.
Montana Streaking: Entering Friday's game at Montana State, the Lady Griz have won eight straight, dating back to their 58-57 home-court victory over Long Beach State Dec. 10. But such a in-season win streak has become commonplace for Montana under coach Robin Selvig, now in his 28th year. During those 28 seasons, the Lady Griz have run off win streaks of at least eight games during 20 of those seasons.
UM's longest in-season win streak came during the 1987-88 season, when Montana opened with 26 straight wins.
Lady Griz on the Radio: All of Montana's games during the 2005-06 season will be broadcast on KLCY radio (930 AM). Tom Stage calls the action, beginning with a pregame show that starts approximately 30 minutes prior to tipoff. Dick Slater provides the color commentary.
Lady Griz coach Robin Selvig makes an appearance during the postgame show.
A link to the internet feed of KLCY's coverage can be found at MontanaGrizzlies.com.
Television Coverage: Television coverage of Friday's game will air on KPAX-TV in the Missoula area and on the Montana Television Network (MTN) statewide.
Jeremy Jorgenson, sports director for KPAX, will provide the play-by-play. Will Southwood, sports director for KXLF-TV in Butte, will handle color duties.
About Montana State: The Bobcats will enter Friday's game with a 1-11 record. MSU opened the season with 11 straight losses before getting into the win column with its 92-84 victory over Utah Valley State on Jan. 2 in Bozeman.
In that game the Bobcats shot 56.5 percent, including 71.4 percent in the second half, and placed all five starters in double figures. Junior forward Scotta Morton, this week's co-Big Sky Conference Player of the Week, scored 28 points in the win, while adding six assists and six rebounds in 40 minutes of action.
Morton is the long MSU player averaging in double figures at 13.9 points per game, but four players average between 8.7 and 8.9 points per game.
Sophomore forward Amanda DeHaan averages a team-high 6.6 rebounds per game while junior guard Alyssa Nelson has dished out a team-high 50 assists.
Montana State is getting out-scored by its opponents by 14.7 points per game, out-rebounded by 8.0 boards per game and is shooting 38.2 percent from the floor to its opponents' 44.6 percent.
The Bobcats went 9-18 a year ago and placed seventh in the Big Sky with a 3-11 league mark. MSU was picked for seventh in this year's preseason coaches and media polls.
Montana State is coached by Tricia Binford, who is in her first season.
Coach Selvig's Scouting Report: "I think they are a team that's made a lot of progress while playing a very difficult schedule. They've played some tough teams close and they've lost a couple of close ones and could have more wins right now.
"They are a team that's grown. I think they have good players, and I think it's going to be a battle.
"One thing they've done this year is put a lot of points on the board, so they like to play at a fast pace, they have a lot of good shooters."
Series History: Montana leads the all-time series, 59-17, and has won the last four meetings over the last two seasons. Last year's 66-47 victory in Bozeman was UM's largest margin of victory at Montana State since a 26-point win during the 1988-89 season.
The Lady Griz have a 20-11 all-time advantage at Bozeman.
Montana State's last win in the series came at the 2002-03 Big Sky Conference tournament in Ogden, Utah, 70-64.
Rogers Delivers in Lady Griz Comeback Victory: Freshman Sonya Rogers had no points (going 0-for-1 from the field) at the half at Portland Jan. 2 and Montana found itself down by 16 points, 36-20. But in the second half and overtime, Rogers hit 4-of-5 3-point shots, scoring a team-high 15 points, to rally the Lady Griz to a 68-65 victory.
Rogers scored on a layup and free throw with 13:26 remaining to pull Montana within 10, 44-34, then hit her first of four 3-pointers with 6:58 remaining to bring the Lady Griz within one, 50-49.
Rogers' second and third 3-pointers of the second half extended UM's lead, the latter trey to a 61-56 lead with 1:21 to play.
The Lady Griz could not maintain the lead, however, but in overtime Rogers hit another three with 3:48 to play, spurring UM to the victory.
Montana 68, Portland 65 (ot): Montana rallied from an 18-point second-half deficit to defeat Portland, 68-65, in overtime Jan. 2 at Portland, Ore. The Lady Griz were down 36-20 at the half before outscoring the Pilots 48-29 in the second half and overtime to win their eighth straight, improving to 11-2 on the season.
Portland dropped to 3-10.
Montana dug itself a huge hole in the first half, shooting 22.6 percent and scoring just 20 points, its lowest scoring half of the season.
The Pilots shot 46.2 percent in the opening half and scored the final six points of the half to take a 36-20 lead to the locker room.
UP scored at the 17:28 mark of the second half to go up 38-20.
The Lady Griz still trailed by 12, 49-37, with 11:02 to play but went on a 12-1 run over the next 4:34 to pull within one, 50-49.
Portland's Rachel Warren scored inside to put the Pilots up by three, 52-49, with 6:46 to play, but Montana went on another run, 9-2, to take a 58-54 lead with 2:52 to play on a 3-pointer by freshman Sonya Rogers.
The Lady Griz still led by five, 61-56, with under a minute to play, but the Pilots got a 3-pointer from Whitney Grant with 52 seconds to play and two free throws by Rachel Warren with 21 seconds to play to tie the score at 61-61.
Montana's Dana Conway just missed a runner in the lane at the horn.
Rogers hit her fourth 3-pointer of the game early in the overtime period and freshman Mandy Morales hit four free throws in the final 1:22 to give the Lady Griz the win.
Grant missed two 3-pointers in the final five seconds of overtime that would have tied the score.
Rogers led Montana with a season-high 15 points. Freshman Tamara Guardipee added a season-high 14 points, nine rebounds, four assists and two blocks.
Sophomore Dana Conway and Morales also reached double figures with 10 points each. Conway added six rebounds, four assists and three steals, while Morales had nine rebounds and five assists.
Montana shot 32.9 percent for the game to Portland's 36.2 percent. The Lady Griz had a 53-42 rebounding advantage.
Morales's Return Sparks Win Streak: In her only action of the preseason schedule, freshman Mandy Morales showed a sign of things to come when she had nine points, 12 rebounds and five assists in Montana's 66-51 victory over Baden Sports on Nov. 2.
But after undergoing minor knee surgery, Morales was forced to miss the Lady Griz' exhibition game against Deja vu and their first five regular-season games.
Montana went 3-2 in those five games.
Since her return, a stretch of eight games in which UM is a perfect 8-0, Morales has averaged a team-high 14.1 points, 4.9 rebounds and a team-leading 4.4 assists per game.
Young Team Pulling Out Close Wins: Though this year's Lady Griz team is made up of just three upperclassmen and 12 underclassmen, Montana has shown the poise and ability to win close games down the stretch.
Of their 11 wins, the Lady Griz have won eight of those games by 12 points or less.
"I think it's good that we've gotten experience in playing some close games and been able to be successful, because confidence plays a big part going down the stretch in a close game," coach Robin Selvig said.
Montana Wraps Up Successful Non-League Schedule: The Lady Griz went 11-2 in its pre-Big Sky Conference schedule, finishing with eight straight wins. The two losses came at the hands of Florida State and Wyoming, two teams with a current combined record of 21-7.
"I think roles are pretty well defined now, and we've developed some depth," coach Robin Selvig said. "I feel good about our record and the progress we made, but I still think we need to improve a lot if we are going to win the league.
"We've played games against a bunch of different types of teams, which I think was good. We played some athletic, pressuring teams and some good experienced slower- paced teams."
Lady Griz Notes: Freshman Sonya Rogers has gone 6-for-8 (.750) from 3-point range over Montana's last two games.
Perhaps no Lady Griz player is looking forward to league play more than senior Katie Edwards, who has shot 21.9 percent (16-for-73) from the field and 12.5 percent (4-for-32) from 3-point range over UM's last six games.
On the flip side, Edwards has gone 33-for-35 (.943) from the line on the season to rank among the nation's leaders.
Sophomore Dana Conway has gone 13-for-25 (.520) from 3-point range over Montana's last six games, scoring in double figures in five of those games.
Senior Jody McLeod has found her shooting touch. After going a combined 2-for-9 (.222) from the field in the Lady Griz' losses at Florida State and Wyoming, McLeod has gone 21-for-38 (.553) in the last eight games, all UM victories.
When Montana rallied from a 16-point halftime deficit to defeat Portland on Jan. 2, it marked the second time this season the Lady Griz have been down at the half and come back for a victory. The other was against Santa Clara, when Montana rallied from a 38-36 halftime deficit to win 82-77.
Lady Griz Among Nation's Leaders in Home Attendance: Montana currently ranks 29th in the nation in home attendance, averaging 3,464 fans per game over its seven home games. A season-best crowd of 4,349 saw the Lady Griz capture its own Holiday Classic title with a 70-52 win over UNC Asheville Dec. 29.
Tennessee is one of three teams averaging over 10,000 fans per game, posting a nation-high 14,228 average.
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