Lady Griz open four-game home stand

The Montana women's basketball team will open a four-game home stand this week when it hosts Idaho State and Weber State at Dahlberg Arena.

The Lady Griz (9-7, 4-3 BSC) will face the Bengals (7-9, 3-4 BSC) on Thursday at 7 p.m., the Wildcats (3-13, 1-6 BSC) at 2 p.m. on Saturday.

The home stand will conclude next week with games against Portland State (11-7, 5-3 BSC) and Montana State (10-6, 6-1 BSC) on Thursday and Saturday.

The Lady Griz will play six of their final nine regular-season games on the road before the Big Sky Conference tournament opens on Monday, March 9, in Boise.

Where they stand (Montana): The Lady Griz have dropped three of four since opening league 3-0 and now find themselves alone in fifth place in the Big Sky standings behind Montana State (6-1 BSC) and Idaho (5-1), and two teams that are surging: Northern Arizona (5-2) and Portland State (5-3).

Where they stand (Idaho State): Like Montana, the Bengals have lost three of four to fall into the bottom half of the league standings. ISU's last two losses have come at home, at Reed Gym, where Idaho State has traditionally been nearly unbeatable under 12th-year coach Seton Sobolewski.

Where they stand (Weber State): The Wildcats sit alone at the bottom of the Big Sky standings, their lone Big Sky win, surprisingly, coming on the road at Northern Colorado. WSU's other two wins this season: at UC Riverside and at home against Utah Valley.

Most recently (Montana): The Lady Griz went 0-2 on the road last week, losing at both Portland State, 78-65, on Monday and at Idaho, 52-51, on Saturday. Montana shot 29.2 percent in the two losses, which followed its best offensive game of the season, a 92-54 home win over Eastern Washington.

Most recently (Idaho State): The Bengals split last week, winning 65-54 at Weber State on Thursday, a game ISU trailed by three in the fourth quarter, then falling at home on Saturday to Portland State, 69-64, which snapped the Vikings' 16-game losing streak against Idaho State.

Most recently (Weber State): The Wildcats followed up their win at Northern Colorado by going 0-3 on a three-game home stand. WSU lost 91-67 to Sacramento State, 65-54 to Idaho State and 76-57 to Portland State on Monday night.

Montana-Idaho State notes:

* The Lady Griz lead the all-time series 72-12 and have gone 41-2 against the Bengals in Missoula, though ISU has won four of the last six meetings between the two teams (three times in Pocatello, once in Reno).

* Montana has won the teams' last seven matchups inside Dahlberg Arena.

* Montana and Idaho State have played 84 times and have yet to go to overtime. ... The only other time they've played on Jan. 23 came in 2013-14, when the Lady Griz made 11 3-pointers, committed just five turnovers and led 35-15 at the half on their way to a 67-48 win in Missoula.

* Half of Idaho State's wins in the series have come since the 2011-12 season, under coach Seton Sobolewski.

* ISU's lone wins in Missoula came in the 2000-01 season, 67-62, and 2011-12, 58-51. Both years the Bengals would go on to win the regular-season championship, going 30-2 in league.

* Sobolewski is 6-18 against Montana. ... Fourth-year Montana coach Shannon Schweyen is 2-4 against Idaho State and Sobolewski.

* Sobolewski enters the week with 198 wins at Idaho State. ... Idaho State won its 600th game in program history on Jan. 4 when it defeated Sacramento State in Pocatello. ... Montana's next win will be its 500th conference victory, spanning the Northwest Women's Basketball League (1978-79 to 1981-82), the Mountain West Conference (1982-83 to 1987-88) and the Big Sky Conference (1988-89 to present).

* The teams split their matchups last season, each team winning on its home court.

* Idaho State won in Pocatello, 50-34. Grace Kenyon and Saylair Grandon both had double-doubles and the Bengals forced the Lady Griz into 21 turnovers while limiting Montana to 25.9 percent shooting.

* Montana won the rematch in Missoula, 60-59. The Lady Griz got to the free throw line 30 times, which helped offset 34.5-percent shooting, and won when Madison Hinrichs opted for a layup at the buzzer with her team trailing by three.

* With Estefania Ors in the lineup, Idaho State opened the season 4-2. She was lost to injury when the Bengals fell in overtime at Arizona State, which recently made history when it swept Oregon and Oregon State in Tempe. Counting that loss, ISU is 3-7 without her.

* In Ors' absence, sophomore guard Callie Bourne is averaging 12.4 points and 7.4 rebounds, the top marks on the team.

* Idaho State went 20-11 last season and tied for second in the Big Sky at 15-5, one game behind 16-4 Idaho. The No. 3 Bengals dropped their first Big Sky tournament game, 67-65 in overtime to No. 6 Eastern Washington in the quarterfinals.

* Idaho State would be invited to the WNIT, where ISU lost 66-56 at Arizona in the opening round. The Wildcats would go on to win five more games and the WNIT title.

What to watch for on Thursday, part I: How the game is officiated?

Idaho State is being whistled for an average of more than 20 fouls per game, and the resulting march to the free throw line for its opponents has been costly.

ISU's opponents have taken 139 more free throws than the Bengals, making 38 more than Idaho State has attempted.

Next up is Montana, which takes more free throws per game (20.3) than any other team in the Big Sky. The Lady Griz are shooting 77.9 percent from the line through seven league games.

What to watch for on Thursday, part II: What happens at the 3-point line?

Idaho State, at least within the Big Sky, does not attempt a lot of 3-pointers, but the Bengals lead the league in percentage at 37.0 percent.

On Thursday they will face a Montana team that ranks 335th nationally, out of 348 teams, in defending that line, at 36.6 percent.

Six teams have made 10 or more triples against Montana this season, but it's trending in the right direction. Portland State (4 for 17) and Idaho (4 for 30) both struggled from the arc, shooting 17.0 percent.

What to watch for on Thursday, part III: What is the fate of the losing team?

A lot was expected of both Montana and Idaho State this season. The Bengals were picked fourth, behind Montana State, Idaho and Portland State in both the coaches' and media preseason polls.

The Lady Griz collected first-place votes in both.

A lot could change in the next month, but the way things are trending, one of the two teams is probably not going to finish in the top five in the final regular-season standings and earn a first-round bye in Boise in March.

And it is worth mentioning: since the Big Sky went to an all-in format for its tournament, beginning in 2015-16 in Reno, no team that has played in the first round has won the title.

Thursday is one league game of 20 for both teams, but it's a big one for both at a critical time, with the loser having dropped four of its last five.

Montana-Weber State notes:

* Montana leads the series with Weber State 69-14 and has gone 39-4 against the Wildcats in Missoula.

* The Lady Griz have won 12 straight over the Wildcats at Dahlberg Arena since losing 50-49 in February 2006.

* Montana swept the series last year, winning 72-60 in Ogden, 64-56 in Missoula.

* In the first meeting last winter, which came two days after the offensive struggles at Idaho State, Montana went 9 for 20 from 3-point range and shot 46.4 percent overall and led for more than 36 minutes.

* In the rematch in Missoula, neither team led by more than eight points in a game that was made tight by Montana's 10-for-25 effort from the free throw line. When they weren't at the line, the Lady Griz were shooting 48.1 percent and had four players in double figures.

* Second-year Weber State coach Valaida Harris, who played at Portland State from 1989-93, is 0-2 against Montana.

* Montana coach Shannon Schweyen is 3-2 against Weber State, 2-0 against Harris.

* Junior guard Liz Graves leads Weber State in scoring at 12.0 per game.

* Weber State is shooting 37.2 percent as a team and averaging just 56.6 points. The Wildcats are allowing 72.8 points per game on 43.0 percent shooting.

* Weber State went 6-25 last season, 3-17 in league to finish last. The No. 11-seeded Wildcats lost to No. 6 Eastern Washington in the first round of the Big Sky tournament, 81-74.

Montana notes:

* Montana is 5-2 this season coming off a loss. The Lady Griz' current two-game losing streak matches its longest of the season.

* After trailing at the half and losing at Idaho on Saturday, Montana is 8-0 this season when leading at the break, 1-7 when behind.

* Saturday's loss was the first time in nine games this season when the Lady Griz lost after holding a lead with five minutes left in regulation.

* Dating back to last season, Montana is 21-7 when shooting 40 percent or better, 2-16 when shooting below 40 percent.

* In losing three of four, the Lady Griz have shot .305 (vs. Northern Colorado), .280 (vs. Portland State) and .306 (vs. Idaho).

* Sandwiched in between those games, a 92-point outburst in a 38-point home win over Eastern Washington, when Montana went 12 for 22 from the arc, 22 for 25 from the line and shot 49.2 percent overall.

* Montana lost at Idaho on Saturday despite holding the Vandals to 4-of-30 shooting from 3-point range, 31.7 percent shooting overall and no points in the third quarter.

* It was the first time since the NCAA made the switch to quarters prior to the 2015-16 season that Montana held an opponent scoreless for a period.

* Montana held MSU Northern to two points in the fourth quarter in an 80-32 win in 2015-16, Cal State Fullerton to two points in the first quarter in a 68-47 win in 2017-18.

* The best previous defensive total this season was limiting Southern Utah to five first-quarter points in an 81-74 win in early January.

* Idaho went 0 for 15 in the third quarter on Saturday, but Montana could only turn a 37-31 halftime deficit into a 40-37 lead going into the fourth because the Lady Griz went 3 for 17 in the third.

* Montana built an eight-point lead, 47-39, three minutes into the fourth quarter. Over the final seven minutes, the Lady Griz shot 1 for 10 and went 2 for 4 from the line. Neither team scored in the final 2:18.

* Montana shot 7 for 33 (.212) in the second half, Idaho went 5 for 26 (.192).

* Montana held Gina Marxen, last year's Big Sky Freshman of the Year, to eight points on 3-of-18 shooting. The Klinker sisters, from Fairfield, Mont., both had double-doubles on 10-of-18 shooting.

* Emma Stockholm led Montana with 16 points. It was her sixth time leading the team in scoring this season. She was the only player in double figures.

* Idaho aided itself by committing only eight turnovers. Montana came up with a season-low three steals.

* The Lady Griz out-rebounded the Vandals 49-40 and have now out-boarded its seven Big Sky opponents by 62.

* Idaho limited Montana's preseason All-Big Sky guard McKenzie Johnston to five points on 2-of-13 shooting and no assists.

* Johnston had recorded at least one assist in 74 straight games before Saturday.

* Johnston's five points moved her into a tie for 17th with Cheri Bratt (1980-84) on the Montana career scoring list. She goes into the week four points from cracking 1,200 and 10 from catching Kayleigh Valley (2013-16).

* Johnston ranks seventh in program history in assists with 444. She is 31 behind Kelly Pilcher (1990-94), 44 behind Bratt and a spot in the top five.

* Montana has made 381 baskets this season, its opponents one more, 382.

* Since going 12 for 22 (.545) from 3-point range against Eastern Washington, Montana has gone 12 for 47, 8 for 28 (.286) against Portland State, 4 for 19 (.211) against Idaho.

* Montana had shot 70 percent or better from the line in nine straight games before going 9 for 13 (.692) at Idaho.

* Montana leads the Big Sky in assists (15.9/g), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.22) and personal fouls (14.6/g), and second in free throw percentage (.759), rebound margin (+3.5) and turnovers (13.0/g).

* The Lady Griz rank 24th nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio, 25th in turnovers.

* Despite an off game on Saturday, McKenzie Johnston ranks 30th nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.32), 48th in assists (4.9/g).

* Johnston, at 36.2, ranks second in the Big Sky to Idaho's Gina Marxen (37.7/g) in minutes played.

* Jamie Pickens is 32 for 36 (.889) from the line this season, Taylor Goligoski is 22 for 26 (.846), Emma Stockholm is 29 for 35 (.829). The best mark * in program history: Lauren Cooper, 69 for 77 (.896) in 2000-01. (* minimum 50 attempts)

* Junior Madi Schoening made her first start of the season on Saturday at Idaho. It was her first start since the season opener at Gonzaga last year, which was her only game played in 2018-19.

* Montana is shooting 46.5 percent this season in its nine wins, 33.5 percent in its seven losses.

* Montana led for 16:08 in Saturday's loss. It their previous six losses this season, the Lady Griz held a lead for 182 seconds.

* Nonconference opponent Fresno State leads the Mountain West at 7-0, Utah Valley leads the WAC at 5-0 and South Dakota leads the Summit at 6-0.

Around the Big Sky Conference:

* Preseason favorite Montana State leads the way at 6-1 but barely. The Bobcats needed double overtime to escape Eastern Washington with an 89-85 win on Saturday. MSU trailed by nine with six minutes left in the fourth quarter.

* Idaho, which owns a pair of one-point wins over the Montana schools, improved to 5-1 in league with its win on Saturday.

* Northern Arizona dropped its league openers to Montana and Montana State but has bounced back with five straight wins, including Saturday's 72-45 home win over Northern Colorado, a game NAU led by 35 points.

* Portland State also opened league 0-2 but has won five of six to move into the top four.

* Thursday's schedule: ISU at UM, WSU at MSU, SAC at PSU

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

* Non-Montana game to monitor: Northern Arizona at Portland State, Saturday, 3 p.m. (MT). -- The Lumberjacks will go in fresh, off a six-day break. The Vikings will be playing their fourth game in eight days.

Upcoming: Montana hosts Portland State and Montana State next week, two more games that feel like they will determine the direction of the rest of the season.

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Players Mentioned

Taylor Goligoski

McKenzie Johnston

Jamie Pickens

Madi Schoening

Emma Stockholm

Kayleigh Valley

University of Montana Athletics