Sycamores keep Lady Griz winless

Thursday, November 23

Cancun, Mexico

7PM (MT)

Montana

0-4

Indiana State

1-3

Montana

Indiana State

Photos courtesy Nathaniel Chu, Triple Crown Sports

11/23/2017 10:49:00 PM | Women's Basketball

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By: Montana Sports Information

Montana executed its defensive game plan mostly to perfection on Thursday night against Indiana State at the Cancun Challenge at the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya, holding the Sycamores' two leading scorers to a total of four points.

It was the Lady Griz' offense that let them down and kept them winless at 0-4 on the season.

Montana shot 30.5 percent and went 2 for 15 from 3-point range to fall to Indiana State 57-45 in a game the Lady Griz did not hold a lead the final 34 minutes.

"We kept trying some different people, but it was hard to find somebody with a hot hand tonight," said UM coach Shannon Schweyen.

"And we missed them bad. One footers, air balls. The shots just weren't looking good coming out of our hands."

Which was a shame, because Montana held Wendi Bibbins and Ashley Taia, who were combining to score 25 points for the Sycamores through their opening games of the season, to four points on 1-of-16 shooting.

It was a deal Schweyen would have taken 10 times out of 10, containing Indiana State's two six-footers while knowing the Sycamores entered the game shooting 30 percent from 3-point range.

Instead, in a game that Indiana State shot 30.8 percent and Montana 30.5 percent, it was the Sycamores' work from the arc that won it for them in the end.

Tierra Webb, 2 for 8 from three through her team's first three games, went 4 for 5, Ashli O'Neal went 3 for 7 on her way to 22 points, and Alexis Delgado hit a pair of triples off the bench.

The Sycamores actually shot better from outside the arc (.333) than they did from inside it (.280), which wasn't what Montana was banking on.

"They are quick, and we didn't think we could close them out. That's why we threw the zone at them," said Schweyen. "When you do that, you pick your poison a little bit. You just have to hope that doesn't happen on a given night."

It did, but even if it hadn't it would have been a tough game for Montana to win. The Lady Griz hit their first three shots of the game, then went 1 for 13 to close out the first quarter, going scoreless the final 5:04 of the period to fall behind 15-9 at the first break.

Jace Henderson, who matched her career high with 11 points, evened the score at 20-20 with a pair of free throws six minutes into the second quarter, but O'Neal hit a 3-pointer 20 seconds later to spark an 8-0 run, and Indiana State wouldn't trail again.

The Sycamores led 30-22 at the half.

"We kept their two leading scorers to four points. Unfortunately for us, other players stepped up for them, but I don't think it was the defense," said Schweyen. "That type of shooting just isn't going to cut it for us."

Montana twice pulled within seven in the third quarter but still trailed 50-39 going into the fourth, when both teams struggled to get anything going. The Lady Griz and Sycamore combined to miss their first 15 shots of the final period and ultimately finished 4 for 26.

"You watch film and try to figure out how you can get your best players the kind of shots they can make. Unfortunately right now, as a whole, we're not shooting well as a team," said Schweyen. "We've got to get some confidence and start knocking them down.

"Everybody played hard and competed. It was just frustrating trying to find someone with a hot hand."

Henderson led Montana with 11 points and added seven rebounds and a pair of blocks. McKenzie Johnston and Sierra Anderson both scored seven.

Taylor Goligoski, in her second game back, played 23 minutes but went 2 for 9 to score her four points off the bench. Last year's leading scorer is 3 for 13 through two games while returning from injury.

"We've got to get Taylor going again. For us to get scoring, we have to get her comfortable. She's been working her way back into practice, so she's getting there," said Schweyen.

Montana turned it over 16 times, some of which led to easy transition points for Indiana State, but after getting worked by Gonzaga on the boards on Saturday, the Lady Griz were +10 against the Sycamores, 46-36

Sixteen of those came on the offensive end, but when a team is shooting 30 percent, those extra opportunities to score only turned into 14 second-chance points.

Johnston, Mekayla Isaak and Hailey Nicholson all had eight rebounds.

"On a positive note, we did do well on the boards," said Schweyen. "We worked hard and really battled to get it done."

O'Neal, averaging just 7.0 points entering the game, scored a team-high 22 for Indiana State. Webb added 13, one more than she'd scored through her team's first three games. Delgado finished with 11.

It will only get tougher for Montana on Friday when it plays No. 20 Marquette. The Golden Eagles may be 1-2, but that includes an 88-87 loss at New Mexico and Thursday's 101-99 overtime loss to No. 12 Tennessee in the game before Montana's.

"We have a really tough ball club tomorrow. They looked really good today," said Schweyen. "But like I told the girls in the locker room, if that's me and I just shot like we did, I can't wait to get back out there tomorrow and hopefully do something better."

Montana and Marquette are scheduled to tip off at 7 p.m. (MT).