Lady Griz open three-game home stand

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The Montana women's basketball team will open a three-game home stand this week, the team's final games of the season at Dahlberg Arena, when it hosts Eastern Washington and Idaho.

The Lady Griz will face the Eagles at 7 p.m. on Thursday and the Vandals on Saturday at 2 p.m.

Of note: This month marks 125 years since the Montana Legislature chartered the University of Montana. In that birthday spirit, general-admission tickets to Thursday's game will cost just $1.25 and cake will be available to all fans. And the Red Wave will be on hand to perform at halftime.

Don't want to carry that loose change around after purchasing your $1.25 ticket? Montana's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) will be there to take those coins off your hands. Proceeds will go to the Student Advocacy Resource Center as part of the SAAC sexual assault awareness initiative.

Prior to Saturday's game, from noon to 1:30 p.m., there will be a Monte Kids Club party in the West Auxiliary Gym, an event open to all kids 12 and under. No membership is required. Those kids will get in free of charge to the game, which will be Senior Day for three Lady Griz.

Coverage: Thursday's game will air locally on KMPT AM 930, with Tom Stage and Dick Slater. Saturday's game will air on KGVO AM 1290, FM 98.3. The games can be seen on Pluto TV, channel 237, or at WatchBigSky.com.

Upcoming: Montana will host Montana State on Saturday, Feb. 24, then wrap up the regular season on the road at Weber State and Idaho State. The Big Sky Conference Tournament opens on Monday, March 5, in Reno.

Summary: Montana, flirting with first place in the Big Sky for much of the first six weeks of league, has lost three of its last four games, the first time that's happened since November. The result has left the Lady Griz (12-12, 8-5 BSC) in fourth place and trying to hold off four teams right on their heels.

To hang on to a top-four finish and earn a bye to the quarterfinals in Reno, Montana will have to earn it. The team's final five opponents all enter this week with a record above .500 in Big Sky play, starting this week with Eastern Washington (12-12, 7-5 BSC) and red-hot Idaho (13-10, 9-3 BSC).

Montana State (13-11, 7-6 BSC), Weber State (16-7, 8-4 BSC) and Idaho State (15-8, 7-5 BSC) are also on the list of eight teams with a legitimate shot at cracking the top four when the regular season ends on Friday night, March 2.

"At this point it's in our control and we don't have to rely on other people's help, but we've got some of the best teams in the league remaining, some of the hottest teams in the league," said coach Shannon Schweyen.

"We've talked about how important each and every one of these games is going to be. Everybody is going to the tournament, but you want to be playing your best basketball of the season when you get there."

Montana has played two games now without freshman guard (and emerging star) Sophia Stiles, who was lost the for the season to a knee injury in the Lady Griz' home win over North Dakota two weekends ago.

Without her, Montana struggled on the road last week, falling first at Portland State by 17 on Thursday, then losing by 15 on Saturday at Sacramento State, two teams the Lady Griz handled by a combined 25 points at home.

Montana was down three at the half at Portland State on Thursday before giving up a 12-0 run early in the third quarter that largely determined the outcome. On Saturday the Hornets scored the first 13 points of the third quarter to turn a 39-35 game at the half into a something on the verge of a blowout.

It's not all attributable to the absence of Stiles, but having to replace a starter who was leading or ranked second on the team in most statistical categories in league games in the heart of the season is never a good thing.

"Obviously we're not quite the same as we were 2-3 weeks ago, when we had Sophia and that depth on the perimeter and that defense from her," said Schweyen.

"Sacramento State and Portland State are so different than anyone else you play in league -- Portland State is all zone, and Sac State you know you're getting a little bit of chaos with their man -- that I really didn't feel like we got a chance to get in a grove last weekend with our lineups."

And now arrive Eastern Washington, winner of six of nine, and Idaho, winner of seven straight, for their first matchups of the season against Montana. Both teams went 2-0 against the Lady Griz last year.

"These are both great teams," said Schweyen. "We're excited to be back home after last weekend. Hopefully we can regroup.

"A lot of things didn't go well on the road last week, especially in the third quarter. In both games, we didn't come out ready to go out of the half. We've got to address that for sure and put together 40 minutes of intensity."

Avoiding a Monday game in Reno almost requires it. And not just this week, but for the rest of the games this season.

Montana quick hitters:

* Montana is 9-4 at home this season. The Lady Griz had won five straight games at Dahlberg Arena before losing 64-58 to Northern Colorado on Feb. 1. Montana bounced back with a 53-51 win over North Dakota two days later on a Taylor Goligoski 15-foot jumper with two seconds remaining.

* In Montana's 70-53 loss at Portland State on Thursday, the Lady Griz shot 37 percent and turned it over 20 times, one off their season high.

* No starter scored more than eight points in the loss, though McKenzie Johnston finished with eight points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. Caitlin Lonergan scored 19 points off the bench on 6-of-11 shooting.

* Montana averaged just 0.83 points per possession against the Vikings, its lowest output since averaging 0.80 in a 68-50 loss at Northern Colorado on Jan. 6.

* Montana's 79-64 loss at Sacramento State on Saturday was the Lady Griz' fifth consecutive loss at The Nest. The Lady Griz scored just 64 points on 37.3 percent shooting against a team allowing 82.2 points and 46.5 percent shooting this season.

* Caitlin Lonergan led Montana for the second straight game with 15 points and eight rebounds. Jace Henderson, held scoreless at Portland State, had 10 points and 11 rebounds, her fifth double-double of the season.

* Portland State (1.08) and Sacramento State (1.13) both averaged more than a point per possession last week against Montana's defense. It was the first time since Kentucky (1.13) and Gonzaga (1.01) did that in November that consecutive opponents have done so.

* After going 11-4 in December and January, Montana is 1-3 in February.

* Mekayla Isaak started the season's first 19 games. She was moved into a reserve role off the bench the next three as Sophia Stiles broke into the starting lineup. With Stiles out, Isaak was back to starting last week.

* One of three seniors who will be recognized before Saturday's game, along with Alycia Harris and Kayleigh Valley, Isaak is shooting 52.9 percent (9 for 17) the last seven games.

* Jace Henderson, who had 16 points on 8-of-11 shooting and 13 rebounds in Montana's home win over the Vikings, was held scoreless at Portland State on 0-of-6 shooting. She hadn't been held to fewer than five points prior to that this season.

* McKenzie Johnston has played all 40 minutes in each of Montana's last three games. Only four players in the Big Sky are averaging more than Johnston's 36.0 minutes per game.

* Johnston continues to lead the Big Sky in assists (4.9/g) while also ranking in the top 25 in scoring (11.0/g) and top 20 in rebounding (6.0/g).

* Since becoming eligible prior to Montana's home game against Southern Utah on Dec. 30, Caitlin Lonergan has five times scored in double figures. All five of those efforts have come on the road. She is averaging 12.1 points on 56.9 percent shooting in seven road games, 5.4 points on 34.3 percent shooting in five home games.

* Since being held scoreless in Montana's win at Southern Utah on Jan. 25, Madi Schoening is averaging 9.2 points on 48.6 percent shooting.

* Montana out-rebounded both Portland State (38-26) and Sacramento State (44-38) last week and has out-boarded five of its last six opponents to move up to third in the Big Sky statistics in rebounding margin (+4.2/g).

* Montana's eight third-quarter points in Saturday's loss at Sacramento State matched a low in 13 Big Sky games. Five times the Lady Griz have had an eight-point scoring quarter against a league opponent.

* Montana led for less than five minutes in its two road games last week and hasn't held a lead in nearly 69 game minutes going into Thursday. ... The Lady Griz never held a lead at Sacramento State, the first time that happened since the team's road loss at Northern Colorado.

Saturday is Senior Day: Montana will recognize Alycia Harris, Mekayla Isaak and Kayleigh Valley prior to its game against Idaho.

Valley had one of the best individual seasons in program history in 2015-16, when she set a Montana scoring record with 678 points (21.9/g). She lost the 2016-17 season with an October knee injury, then suffered the same injury last October. She was voted the preseason Big Sky MVP prior to both seasons.

In her final full year, the same 2015-16 season, Sims averaged 9.8 points and 9.3 rebounds, which included games of 29 points and 15 rebounds against Portland State and 21 points and 17 rebounds against Weber State.

Harris, then Sims, suffered a season-ending knee injury in the opening game of the season last year. A previous knee injury to her other leg, suffered as a freshman in high school, forced her into a medical retirement in October.

"It's been a tragic story for those two," said Schweyen. "They never got the opportunity to enjoy what every college athlete hopes to get, which is four healthy years of playing. I would have loved to see them finish their senior years the way they wanted."

Valley's career was on a meteoric trajectory. She averaged 4.4 points off the bench as a freshman. She upped that to 11.5 points and 4.8 rebounds as a sophomore, then 21.9 points on 50.2 percent shooting as a junior. She eight times that season scored 29 or more points.

"Kayleigh will go down as one of the best Lady Griz to ever suit up. Her junior year was as spectacular a season as any player who's ever played here," said Schweyen. "Everyone was keying on her that season, and she still put up those numbers night in and night out. It was incredibly impressive."

Harris was a key contributor off the bench as a freshman and sophomore before moving into the starting lineup as a junior. She ranked third on the team in scoring that season and had the seventh-best rebounding average (9.3/g) in program history.

"When I think of Alycia, I'll always think of the way she stepped away and was automatic from 15 (feet)," said Schweyen. "She had one of the most beautiful jumpers facing the basket. She was a great defender and always played hard. A great competitor."

Isaak has been a starter since her sophomore season. She has career averages of 2.3 points and 3.4 rebounds.

"Mekayla is someone who's had different roles for us over her four years," said Schweyen. "She's always been a good defender and passer, and at times has added some scoring. She still has some time left and some things she can accomplish."

Five things to know about Eastern Washington:

1. The Eagles were picked seventh in the preseason coaches' poll despite returning senior Delaney Hodgins, one of the Big Sky's most talented scorers. She is averaging 20.6 points this season and 7.5 rebounds and is a lock to earn first-team All-Big Sky honors for the second straight year.

2. Eastern Washington's surge since league began can be largely attributed to the emergence of junior guard Violet Kapri Morrow. She has led the team in scoring in three of the last five games to up her season scoring average to 14.9.

3. Sophomore guard Symone Starks is averaging 9.1 points and a team-high 3.3 assists per game. She leads the Big Sky in steals (3.2/g) for a team that ranks 17th nationally in that category at more than 11 per game.

4. Now in her 17th year at Eastern Washington, coach Wendy Schuller took over for Robin Selvig as the longest-tenured coach at a Big Sky school.

5. Eastern Washington swept the season series a year ago and has won three straight against Montana and five of the last seven. Hodgins had 17 in the Eagles' 60-46 win at Missoula last winter, 18 points and 10 rebounds in their 64-57 win at Cheney.

History: Montana leads the all-time series 71-20 and has a 42-5 advantage in Missoula. The Eagles snapped a 26-game losing streak at Missoula in 2010-11 and have gone 3-4 at Dahlberg Arena since.

Schweyen's take: "Hodges is always the one who people will focus on and attracts a lot of attention, but that's tougher to do now with the presence of Morrow and Starks. They are good guards who are threats from three and can put it down as well.

"Morrow is very impressive. She's a strong guard who gets to the hole a lot. We've got to get back and contain her. She's really good in early offense and putting her head down and going all the way. She's very fast with the ball in her hands."

Five things to know about Idaho:

1. The Vandals' seven-game winning streak is the longest by a Big Sky team this season. Sitting 2-3 after a road loss at Eastern Washington on Jan. 12, Idaho, at 9-3 in league, has moved to within half a game of 10-3 Northern Colorado for the top spot in the Big Sky standings.

2. Junior guard Mikayla Ferenz, the Big Sky's leading scorer at 22.5 points per game, and senior forward Geraldine McCorkell, who ranks in the top 10 in the league in both scoring (16.6/g) and rebounding (7.4/g), have both been named Big Sky Player of the Week twice this season.

3. Idaho ranks fourth nationally at 10.5 made 3-pointers per game. The Vandals have not connected on fewer than nine in a game since the calendar flipped to 2018. Taylor Pierce has made a Big Sky-leading 90 from the arc this season on 39.6 percent shooting. Ferenz has made 87 on 41.0 percent shooting.

4. Seven times this season Idaho's leading scorer has had 30 or more points, with Ferenz nearing the Big Sky single-game scoring record of 41 (which she shares with four other players) with 39 points in Idaho's 101-90 road win at Portland State. She went 8 of 13 from the arc in the win.

5. Idaho (and former Idaho State) coach Jon Newlee picked up his first win over Montana inside Dahlberg Arena when the Vandals won 86-59 over the Lady Griz last winter. Newlee had been 0-13 against Montana on its home floor.

History: Montana leads the series with Idaho 41-11, though Idaho has won three straight by a combined 69 points. The Vandals are 2-25 in Missoula, winning in 1984-85 and last winter.

Schweyen's take: "Everyone kind of knows what you're going to get out of Pierce and Ferenz. It's a job all day long chasing those guys around all their screens. But it's been McCorkell who has been huge as of late. She's been near perfect in a lot of categories.

"Any of those players are capable of going off. It's hard to contain them. They're going to get their threes. You just hope you can contest them a little bit and are one and done and don't get a lot of second and third chances. They are very balanced and have been on a big, big roll."

This week in the Big Sky Conference:

* Thursday's schedule: EWU at UM, UI at MSU, SAC at ISU, PSU at WSU, UND at SUU, UNC at NAU

* Keep an eye on: Portland State at Weber State. It's one of three games on Thursday night pitting a pair of teams in the top eight in the league standings. Tied entering the fourth quarter in their first meeting in Portland, the Vikings outscored the Wildcats 19-6 in the final period to win 77-64.

* Saturday's schedule: UI at UM, EWU at MSU, PSU at ISU, SAC at WSU, UNC at SUU, UND at NAU

* Keep an eye on: Portland State at Idaho State. The Bengals, after a 2-3 start to league, have quietly won five of seven to sneak up the standings. That stretch of games started with an 88-59 road win at Portland State, a game Idaho State shot 61.2 percent and had six players score nine or more points.

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Players Mentioned

Taylor Goligoski

Alycia Harris

Jace Henderson

Mekayla Isaak

McKenzie Johnston

Caitlin Lonergan

Madi Schoening

Sophia Stiles

Kayleigh Valley

University of Montana Athletics