Lady Griz open regular season this weekend
11/11/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
The University of Montana women???s basketball team opens its 2009-10 regular season this weekend with a pair of road games at Colorado State and Wyoming. The Lady Griz will face the Rams at 7 p.m. Friday in Fort Collins, Colo., then travel north to Laramie, Wyo., to face the Cowgirls Sunday at 2 p.m.
Friday will be the season opener for all three teams. Wyoming opens its season at Denver Friday night.
Media: Both of this weekend???s games will be broadcast in the Missoula area on KENR 107.5 FM, with Tom Stage and Dick Slater on the call. Fans outside of listening range can access the broadcast at www.energy1075.com through the site???s ???Listen Live??? link.
Live stats of both games will be available through the women???s basketball schedule pages of both schools: www.CSURams.com and www.WyomingAthletics.com.
At a glance: Montana returns two starters and six other letterwinners from last year???s 28-5 team that won the Big Sky Conference regular-season and tournament titles and advanced to the program???s 18th NCAA tournament.
The Lady Griz, a No. 13 seed, lost to No. 4 Pittsburgh, 64-35, in a first-round game in Seattle, Wash.
Colorado State returns one starter from last year???s team that went 9-20 overall and finished eighth in the Mountain West Conference at 4-12.
Wyoming returns a loaded team of three starters and 11 letterwinners from last year???s 16-14 team. The Cowgirls tied for fifth in the MWC at 8-8.
CSU and UW both ended their seasons in the Mountain West Conference tournament. The No. 5 Cowgirls lost to the No. 8 Rams, 64-56, in the first round. CSU lost to No. 4 New Mexico, 62-48, in the quarterfinals.
Preseason projections: For the first time since the 1999-2000 season Montana is not the outright choice or co-favorite to win the Big Sky Conference in voting by the league???s coaches. The conference coaches tabbed last year???s runner-up Portland State as this year???s favorite, with seven of nine first-place votes.
Montana came in second with two first-place votes.
In the Mountain West preseason poll, Wyoming came in at No. 5 behind near unanimous No. 1 San Diego State, TCU, Utah and New Mexico.
Colorado State was picked eighth in the nine-team league, one spot ahead of Air Force.
Openers: Montana won its lone exhibition game last Sunday at Dahlberg Arena, 77-57 over Idol Sports. Senior Lauren Beck filled her stat line with 22 points, five rebounds, three assists, two blocked shots and two steals. Freshman Katie Baker came in off the bench to hit 7-of-8 shots, including both of her 3-point attempts, for 19 points in just 20 minutes of action. Junior Sarah Ena scored 14 points and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds.
Idol Sports was led by three-time WNBA MVP Sheryl Swoopes, who scored 31 points and grabbed 15 rebounds. Montana limited Idol Sports to 26.6 percent shooting.
Colorado State and Wyoming both played CSU Pueblo and Adams State in exhibition games.
The Rams posted an 81-59 win over CSU Pueblo and an 84-67 victory over Adams State. Sophomore 5-10 forward Kim Mestdagh, CSU???s lone returning starter, averaged 27.5 points per game in the wins, going 14-for-23 from 3-point range.
The Cowgirls registered a 72-36 win over Adams State and a 76-53 victory over CSU Pueblo. Playing its usual stingy defense, Wyoming held its two opponents to 44.5 points per game on 31.3 percent shooting and forced 43 turnovers.
Five different players had a double-figure scoring game in UW???s two wins.
Familiar foes: Montana has played Colorado State and Wyoming a combined 18 times. The Lady Griz hold a 4-3 edge over the Rams in a series that dates back to 1979-80 and have an 8-3 advantage over the Cowgirls in a series that dates back to 1983-84.
Montana has a 1-1 record in games at Colorado State. CSU posted a 60-45 win in the teams??? last meeting at Fort Collins during the 2003-04 season.
In the teams??? matchup at Missoula last December, Montana limited Colorado State to 31.5 percent shooting in a 68-53 victory. Mestdagh scored 20 points on 6-of-8 3-point shooting as CSU???s only double-figure scorer.
Montana???s Mandy Morales approached a triple-double with 16 points, nine rebounds and eight assists.
The Lady Griz have a 2-3 record in games at Wyoming, with losses in their last three trips to Arena Auditorium.
Montana won the last meeting, 71-64, in Montana???s 2008-09 season opener at Dahlberg Arena. Six-two forward Emma Langford, playing her first game in a Wyoming uniform, had 20 points to lead the Cowgirls. Sarah Ena had a then-career-best 19 points to lead the Lady Griz on her way to Big Sky Conference Player of the Week honors.
More on Montana: The Lady Griz lost over 50 percent of their scoring from last season with the graduation of starters Mandy Morales, Britney Lohman and Sonya Rogers.
Morales, who averaged 16.9 points per game and led the team with 152 assists, was a four-time honorable mention all-American and a two-time Big Sky Conference MVP.
Lohman, who averaged 7.3 points and 6.1 rebounds per game, was a three-time second team All-Big Sky selection and the 2007-08 Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year.
Rogers, who averaged 13.6 points per game, was a first team All-Big Sky selection as a senior. She led the team with 71 3-pointers and was an 85.5 percent free throw shooter.
Montana???s returning starters are 6-0 senior guard/forward Lauren Beck and 5-11 junior forward Sarah Ena. Beck averaged 6.8 points and 4.7 rebounds per game while starting all 33 games at the three. Ena averaged 10.7 points and a team-leading 6.8 rebounds per game at the four, with 32 starts, to earn honorable mention All-Big Sky Conference honors.
None of Montana???s other six returning letterwinners averaged more than four points per game.
Montana coach Robin Selvig is 725-204 entering his 32nd season with the Lady Griz. At .780, his career winning percentage ranks fifth among active Division I coaches behind only Connecticut???s Geno Auriemma (.851), Tennessee???s Pat Summitt (.840), Stanford???s Tara VanDerveer (.797) and Baylor???s Kim Mulkey (.782).
Selvig???s 725 victories rank behind only Summitt (1,005), Rutgers??? Vivian Stringer (825), North Carolina???s Sylvia Hatchell (812) and VanDerveer (757).
More on Colorado State: The Rams are beginning their second year under coach Kristen Holt, who led the team to a 9-20 finish in her debut.
Though it averaged only 59.1 points per game last season (on 35.7 percent shooting), CSU featured a balanced offensive attack, with five players averaging between 7.0 and 7.5 points per game. Two of those five players return in Mastdagh (7.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg) and 5-8 junior guard Bonnie Barbee (7.1 ppg, 1.5 rpg).
Six-two sophomore forward Meghan Heimstra, who averaged 4.8 points and 3.5 rebounds per game last season, had an 18-point, 10-rebound effort against CSU Pueblo.
Barbee had 13 points and four assists against Adams State.
The Rams, who had a remarkable 64-36 rebounding advantage over CSU Pueblo, out-rebounded their opponents last year by nearly two boards per game.
More on Wyoming: After winning the 2007 WNIT title and advancing to their first NCAA tournament in 2008, the Cowgirls dropped back to the middle of the pack in the tough Mountain West Conference last year at 16-14 overall and 8-8 in league play. Expect Wyoming to be back in 2009-10.
The team lost Megan McGuffey (10.7 ppg, 6.8 rpg) to graduation, but four double-figure scorers return.
Six-three junior forward Hillary Carlson averaged 11.8 points and 5.2 rebounds per game, Langford averaged 10.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game and 5-11 sophomore guard Kristen Scheffler averaged 10.3 points and 2.4 rebounds per game.
Also back after redshirting the 2008-09 season is 5-11 junior guard Aubrey Vandiver, who averaged 10.6 points and 5.7 rebounds per game on Wyoming???s NCAA tournament team in 2007-08.
Coach Joe Legerski is entering his seventh year at Wyoming, where he has compiled a record of 115-69.
Next up: Montana opens its home schedule with games against Oregon and Denver. The Lady Griz will face the Ducks at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 22, and the Pioneers at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 24.
Oregon hosts Eastern Washington Monday in the Ducks??? only game before facing the Lady Griz.
Denver hosts both Wyoming (Friday) and Colorado State (next Wednesday) before traveling to Missoula.
Friday will be the season opener for all three teams. Wyoming opens its season at Denver Friday night.
Media: Both of this weekend???s games will be broadcast in the Missoula area on KENR 107.5 FM, with Tom Stage and Dick Slater on the call. Fans outside of listening range can access the broadcast at www.energy1075.com through the site???s ???Listen Live??? link.
Live stats of both games will be available through the women???s basketball schedule pages of both schools: www.CSURams.com and www.WyomingAthletics.com.
At a glance: Montana returns two starters and six other letterwinners from last year???s 28-5 team that won the Big Sky Conference regular-season and tournament titles and advanced to the program???s 18th NCAA tournament.
The Lady Griz, a No. 13 seed, lost to No. 4 Pittsburgh, 64-35, in a first-round game in Seattle, Wash.
Colorado State returns one starter from last year???s team that went 9-20 overall and finished eighth in the Mountain West Conference at 4-12.
Wyoming returns a loaded team of three starters and 11 letterwinners from last year???s 16-14 team. The Cowgirls tied for fifth in the MWC at 8-8.
CSU and UW both ended their seasons in the Mountain West Conference tournament. The No. 5 Cowgirls lost to the No. 8 Rams, 64-56, in the first round. CSU lost to No. 4 New Mexico, 62-48, in the quarterfinals.
Preseason projections: For the first time since the 1999-2000 season Montana is not the outright choice or co-favorite to win the Big Sky Conference in voting by the league???s coaches. The conference coaches tabbed last year???s runner-up Portland State as this year???s favorite, with seven of nine first-place votes.
Montana came in second with two first-place votes.
In the Mountain West preseason poll, Wyoming came in at No. 5 behind near unanimous No. 1 San Diego State, TCU, Utah and New Mexico.
Colorado State was picked eighth in the nine-team league, one spot ahead of Air Force.
Openers: Montana won its lone exhibition game last Sunday at Dahlberg Arena, 77-57 over Idol Sports. Senior Lauren Beck filled her stat line with 22 points, five rebounds, three assists, two blocked shots and two steals. Freshman Katie Baker came in off the bench to hit 7-of-8 shots, including both of her 3-point attempts, for 19 points in just 20 minutes of action. Junior Sarah Ena scored 14 points and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds.
Idol Sports was led by three-time WNBA MVP Sheryl Swoopes, who scored 31 points and grabbed 15 rebounds. Montana limited Idol Sports to 26.6 percent shooting.
Colorado State and Wyoming both played CSU Pueblo and Adams State in exhibition games.
The Rams posted an 81-59 win over CSU Pueblo and an 84-67 victory over Adams State. Sophomore 5-10 forward Kim Mestdagh, CSU???s lone returning starter, averaged 27.5 points per game in the wins, going 14-for-23 from 3-point range.
The Cowgirls registered a 72-36 win over Adams State and a 76-53 victory over CSU Pueblo. Playing its usual stingy defense, Wyoming held its two opponents to 44.5 points per game on 31.3 percent shooting and forced 43 turnovers.
Five different players had a double-figure scoring game in UW???s two wins.
Familiar foes: Montana has played Colorado State and Wyoming a combined 18 times. The Lady Griz hold a 4-3 edge over the Rams in a series that dates back to 1979-80 and have an 8-3 advantage over the Cowgirls in a series that dates back to 1983-84.
Montana has a 1-1 record in games at Colorado State. CSU posted a 60-45 win in the teams??? last meeting at Fort Collins during the 2003-04 season.
In the teams??? matchup at Missoula last December, Montana limited Colorado State to 31.5 percent shooting in a 68-53 victory. Mestdagh scored 20 points on 6-of-8 3-point shooting as CSU???s only double-figure scorer.
Montana???s Mandy Morales approached a triple-double with 16 points, nine rebounds and eight assists.
The Lady Griz have a 2-3 record in games at Wyoming, with losses in their last three trips to Arena Auditorium.
Montana won the last meeting, 71-64, in Montana???s 2008-09 season opener at Dahlberg Arena. Six-two forward Emma Langford, playing her first game in a Wyoming uniform, had 20 points to lead the Cowgirls. Sarah Ena had a then-career-best 19 points to lead the Lady Griz on her way to Big Sky Conference Player of the Week honors.
More on Montana: The Lady Griz lost over 50 percent of their scoring from last season with the graduation of starters Mandy Morales, Britney Lohman and Sonya Rogers.
Morales, who averaged 16.9 points per game and led the team with 152 assists, was a four-time honorable mention all-American and a two-time Big Sky Conference MVP.
Lohman, who averaged 7.3 points and 6.1 rebounds per game, was a three-time second team All-Big Sky selection and the 2007-08 Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year.
Rogers, who averaged 13.6 points per game, was a first team All-Big Sky selection as a senior. She led the team with 71 3-pointers and was an 85.5 percent free throw shooter.
Montana???s returning starters are 6-0 senior guard/forward Lauren Beck and 5-11 junior forward Sarah Ena. Beck averaged 6.8 points and 4.7 rebounds per game while starting all 33 games at the three. Ena averaged 10.7 points and a team-leading 6.8 rebounds per game at the four, with 32 starts, to earn honorable mention All-Big Sky Conference honors.
None of Montana???s other six returning letterwinners averaged more than four points per game.
Montana coach Robin Selvig is 725-204 entering his 32nd season with the Lady Griz. At .780, his career winning percentage ranks fifth among active Division I coaches behind only Connecticut???s Geno Auriemma (.851), Tennessee???s Pat Summitt (.840), Stanford???s Tara VanDerveer (.797) and Baylor???s Kim Mulkey (.782).
Selvig???s 725 victories rank behind only Summitt (1,005), Rutgers??? Vivian Stringer (825), North Carolina???s Sylvia Hatchell (812) and VanDerveer (757).
More on Colorado State: The Rams are beginning their second year under coach Kristen Holt, who led the team to a 9-20 finish in her debut.
Though it averaged only 59.1 points per game last season (on 35.7 percent shooting), CSU featured a balanced offensive attack, with five players averaging between 7.0 and 7.5 points per game. Two of those five players return in Mastdagh (7.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg) and 5-8 junior guard Bonnie Barbee (7.1 ppg, 1.5 rpg).
Six-two sophomore forward Meghan Heimstra, who averaged 4.8 points and 3.5 rebounds per game last season, had an 18-point, 10-rebound effort against CSU Pueblo.
Barbee had 13 points and four assists against Adams State.
The Rams, who had a remarkable 64-36 rebounding advantage over CSU Pueblo, out-rebounded their opponents last year by nearly two boards per game.
More on Wyoming: After winning the 2007 WNIT title and advancing to their first NCAA tournament in 2008, the Cowgirls dropped back to the middle of the pack in the tough Mountain West Conference last year at 16-14 overall and 8-8 in league play. Expect Wyoming to be back in 2009-10.
The team lost Megan McGuffey (10.7 ppg, 6.8 rpg) to graduation, but four double-figure scorers return.
Six-three junior forward Hillary Carlson averaged 11.8 points and 5.2 rebounds per game, Langford averaged 10.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game and 5-11 sophomore guard Kristen Scheffler averaged 10.3 points and 2.4 rebounds per game.
Also back after redshirting the 2008-09 season is 5-11 junior guard Aubrey Vandiver, who averaged 10.6 points and 5.7 rebounds per game on Wyoming???s NCAA tournament team in 2007-08.
Coach Joe Legerski is entering his seventh year at Wyoming, where he has compiled a record of 115-69.
Next up: Montana opens its home schedule with games against Oregon and Denver. The Lady Griz will face the Ducks at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 22, and the Pioneers at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 24.
Oregon hosts Eastern Washington Monday in the Ducks??? only game before facing the Lady Griz.
Denver hosts both Wyoming (Friday) and Colorado State (next Wednesday) before traveling to Missoula.
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