Lady Griz get to play, which is the biggest win of all

Sunday, January 10

Missoula, Mont.

2 PM

Montana

4-3

College of Idaho

1-7

College of Idaho

Montana

Lady Griz get to play, which is the biggest win of all

1/10/2021 6:08:00 PM | Women's Basketball

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By: Montana Sports Information

It was a check-the-box kind of day on Sunday for Lady Griz coach Mike Petrino, whose team defeated College of Idaho 61-33 at Dahlberg Arena in Missoula.

The win was nice, but the accompaniments that came along with it may have been even more valuable.

In an unsettled season, it was a game. And one that allowed all 13 available players to spend 11 or more minutes on the court. A dozen of them scored.

In other words, it was just what Montana, which had played just six times this season prior to Sunday, matching Portland State for the lowest number of games played in the Big Sky Conference, needed and at just the right time.

You see the blowout victory that was expected against an overmatched team. Petrino sees value.

"Getting this game was critical for our development. This gave us 40 more minutes of experience and we got 40 minutes better because of it," he said.

It didn't have to happen, not after Montana lost Saturday's game against Whitworth and not after College of Idaho played at Lewis-Clark State on Saturday afternoon.

The Yotes didn't need to make a stopover in Missoula on their way home to Caldwell.

"First, I want to acknowledge all the people who made this game possible," added Petrino. "Thursday night we find out Whitworth can't come, so the effort started that night. Then a lot of things had to happen on Friday.

"I have a huge appreciation for coach (Janis) Beal and College of Idaho for making the effort they did to be here. They made it all possible."

That said, it wasn't a perfect game. Montana shot just 31.7 percent against a team that was allowing its opponents to shoot 43.5 percent, and the Lady Griz had 19 turnovers.

But playing, just being on the court, trumps all this season.

"Just playing a game this season is a blessing," said junior Sophia Stiles, who had six points, five rebounds, four steals and three assists in 20 minutes. "Any game that we get is a blessing."

Montana led 17-9 after the first quarter, 33-12 at the half after holding the Yotes to 1-of-12 shooting in the second period.

College of Idaho would shoot 22.2 percent for the game, the lowest by a Lady Griz opponent since Sacramento State shot 17.3 percent in a loss in Missoula last February.

Montana also forced 24 turnovers and had 18 steals, the most since the 2010-11 season and tied for the 15th most thefts in a game in program history.

"I liked that we, at times, flew around on defense. We did a good job of contesting some shooters," said Petrino.

"We did a great job keeping the ball in front and scrambling. There were breakdowns but we didn't have consecutive breakdowns."

Carmen Gfeller, who was 5 for 9, led both teams with 10 points. Joelnell Momberg followed with nine, six coming in the span of 22 seconds late in the game when she hit a pair of 3-pointers, one from the left wing, one from the right, directly in front of the Lady Griz bench.

The latter provided the day's loudest cheer. You'd have thought she had just hit the game-winner in a Big Sky tournament game.

"Joelnell is a special kid who comes to practice every day with a great attitude, great work ethic," said Petrino, whose team had 14 assists on 20 made baskets.

Willa Albrecht assisted on Momberg's first 3-pointer, Bria Dixson the second. All are freshmen. It's why Sunday's game was so important to get scheduled, for opportunities and moments like that.

"We got a lot of experience and got to play a lot of different lineups," said Petrino. "It was fun to get that many kids in.

"I like that all of our players are cheering for each other. They are happy for each other. I think that's really important."

Momberg, Lauren Mills, Kyndall Keller and Karsen Murphy all had multiple baskets off the bench, with none of them playing more than 16 minutes.

The Lady Griz reserves, with 32, scored more than half of the team's points.

Madi Schoening grabbed a game-high seven rebounds, the fourth time in seven games she has led Montana. Stiles had four of the team's 18 steals, Abby Anderson had three.

Montana out-rebounded College of Idaho by 15, which led to a 20-1 advantage in second-chance points, and the Lady Griz went 15 for 18 (.833) from the line to up their season percentage to .794, one of the best percentages in the nation.

But at the end of the day, those are just numbers. In a season when games are no guarantee, on Sunday the Lady Griz got to play.

"These kids work hard and deserve a lot of credit," said Petrino. "They have continued to show up every week in practice, without knowing if we're going to have a game or not.

"It's fun to reward them and give them every opportunity we can."

Montana (4-3, 1-1 BSC) now turns its attention back to its Big Sky schedule, which will resume on Thursday at Northern Arizona (5-5, 3-3 BSC).