Lady Griz open league at home

The Montana women's basketball team, on a four-game winning streak and off to its best start since the 2013-14 season, will open its Big Sky Conference schedule this week when it hosts Sacramento State and Northern Colorado at Dahlberg Arena.

The Lady Griz (5-1) will host the Hornets (3-4) at 7 p.m. on Thursday, the Bears (2-3) at 2 p.m. on Saturday. All three teams are under first-year head coaches.

After playing its first two league games this week, Montana will close out its pre-Christmas schedule with nonconference home games against Utah Valley (4-2), Seattle (3-3) and Utah State (3-3).

The Lady Griz will resume their league schedule when they play at Idaho State and Weber State on Dec. 30 and Jan. 1.

Coverage: Montana's games this week will stream on ESPN+, with Paul Yarbrough calling the action. They can be heard in the Missoula area on KMPT (99.7 FM/930 AM) or anywhere you happen to be at 930kmpt.com.

At a glance (Montana): After sweeping the North Dakota-North Dakota State road trip, the Lady Griz made it 4-0 away from Missoula this season when they defeated Houston Baptist and Nicholls State last week at the Grand Canyon Women's Basketball Classic in Phoenix.

Montana has won its first four games away from home for the first time since the 2001-02 season.

The Lady Griz shot a season-low 37.7 percent against Houston Baptist and needed overtime to escape with a 59-56 victory. Sammy Fatkin and Carmen Gfeller both had 14 points, Sophia Stiles added eight points, 10 rebounds and four assists.

Any struggles Montana had against the Huskies were shelved the next day. The Lady Griz shot a season-best 51.7 percent and got a big 19-point, 10-rebound, seven-assist game from Stiles to win easily, 80-45. Montana led 29-4 after the first quarter, 46-16 at the half.

At a glance (Sacramento State): The Hornets, under first-year coach Mark Campbell, are 3-4 as they enter December, which matches the team's win total from 2020-21. That team went 3-22 under former coach Bunky Harkleroad.

Sacramento State has home wins over San Jose State and NCAA Division II Sonoma State, and on Saturday defeated Illinois State 65-63 at UC Irvine's tournament.

Two of the team's three double-digit scorers are first-year transfers. Senior point guard Lianna Tillman, who leads the Big Sky in scoring at 19.7 points per game, played four years at Pacific.

Sophomore 6-foot-5 center Isnelle Natabou, who played one year at Iowa Western, the same program that sent Nyah Morris-Nelson to the Lady Griz, averages 10.6 points and a Big Sky-leading 9.4 rebounds while shooting 52.6 percent.

Senior guard Summer Menke, who had an 18-point, 14-rebound double-double in March in Boise as the No. 11 Hornets ended the season for the No. 6 Lady Griz in the first round of the Big Sky tournament, averages 14.1 points and 7.0 rebounds per game.

Sacramento State was picked eighth in the Big Sky preseason coaches' poll.

At a glance (Northern Colorado): The Bears, under first-year coach Kristen Mattio, are 2-3, with home wins over Texas-Rio Grande Valley and Samford. UNC is 0-3 on the road, with double-digit losses at Arizona State, Colorado State and San Francisco.

Mattio was hired after former UNC coach Jenny Huth decamped for Oregon State and an assistant position on Scott Rueck's staff, an opening made possible when Brian Holsinger was hired at Montana.

While Mattio may be new to facing Montana, she has plenty of experience on her staff. Assistant coach Geoff Golden was an assistant at Montana State last season. Another assistant, Marquelle Dent, went 4-0 against the Lady Griz as a player at Wyoming from 2012-13 to 2015-16.

Northern Colorado, which is averaging 54.8 points on 38.1 percent shooting, has just one player averaging more than eight points per game. Sophomore guard Hannah Simental leads the way at 13.0 points.

Northern Colorado, picked seventh in the Big Sky preseason coaches' poll, has scored more than 60 points just once in five games. The Bears have nearly twice as many turnovers (104) this season as they have assists (56).

Series history (Montana-Sacramento State):

* Montana leads the series with Sacramento State 44-8 and has gone 26-1 against the Hornets in Missoula.

* Sacramento State snapped a seven-game losing streak against Montana in March in the first round of the Big Sky tournament. The Lady Griz, the No. 6 seed, led 30-27 at the half but shot just 25.7 percent in the second half to lose 65-58.

* Montana has won five straight over Sacramento State at Dahlberg Arena since the Hornets picked up their lone win in Missoula during the 2016-17 season.

* The Lady Griz swept the teams' two-game series in Missoula last winter, winning 90-77 and 66-63.

Series history (Montana-Northern Colorado):

* Montana leads the series with Northern Colorado 19-14 and owns a 9-6 advantage over the Bears in games played in Missoula.

* Northern Colorado has won eight of the teams' last 10 meetings and has won three straight over Montana on its home floor.

* The teams split their two-game series last January in Greeley. In the opener, Montana rallied from a 52-33 deficit late in the third quarter to win 60-56, a 27-4 finish. The Bears went 1 for 18 with seven turnovers in the final 11 minutes of the game.

* In the rematch two days later, Montana nearly came back from a 24-point deficit late in the second quarter before falling 77-76 in overtime.

Summary:

This week marks the start of Montana's Big Sky Conference schedule, and first-year coach Brian Holsinger is not afraid to say it: These games carry more weight.

"Every game is important, but conference games mean more," he says. "You're fighting for standings, you're fighting for conference tournament position, you're fighting for a conference championship, so I treat conference differently."

In a rare twist this week, the head coach of all three schools are new. Holsinger is in his first season at Montana, Mark Campbell is in his first season at Sacramento State and Kristen Mattio is in her first season at Northern Colorado.

Holsinger's and Campbell's paths have crossed often over the past decade. Campbell was on Scott Rueck's very first staff at Oregon State in 2010-11 and spent four seasons at OSU before moving down the road to Oregon, where he worked the next seven until being hired by Sacramento State last spring.

Holsinger was at Washington State from 2007-08 through the 2014-15 season. He spent the last five years on Rueck's staff at Oregon State.

"I've competed against Mark quite a few times and know him pretty well," said Holsinger.

Mattio arrived in Greeley after going 154-35 in six seasons at NCAA Division II West Texas A&M. One of her team's Lone Star Conference opponents was Angelo State, where Lady Griz assistant coach Nate Harris was the head coach the previous two years.

Prior to his time at Angelo State, Harris was an assistant coach at Montana State.

"We're just excited to get going and figure out ways to win in conference," said Holsinger. "Nate has been through the battles. (Assistant coach Jordan Sullivan) has been through the battles. (Assistant coach Joslyn Tinkle) and I are coming into something different."

Montana has the best record in the Big Sky going into league and while that's encouraging, everyone's record this early in the season is mostly dependent upon its particular schedule.

"This early in the season, records are really about who you've played more so than record, and both teams have played good schedules," said Holsinger. "It's two good teams coming here."

Montana will be playing its first home game since falling 67-60 to now 6-1 Gonzaga back on Nov. 14. This week marks the start of five straight at home, going all the way through the team's short Christmas break.

"I'm glad we're at home for five straight games. We're excited to be home in front of our fans," said Holsinger.

Montana extended its winning streak to four last week, winning twice at the Grand Canyon Women's Basketball Classic over Houston Baptist and Nicholls State.

In its opener against the Huskies, Montana overcame an off night on the offensive end to win 59-56 in overtime. The Lady Griz out-rebounded the Huskies by 15 and held Houston Baptist to 28.9 percent shooting.

"We came out and played really uninspired in our first game," said Holsinger. "Anytime you play uninspired and are able to execute down the stretch and win while learning a great lesson, it's a good thing.

"Staying in a game defensively lets you have a chance to win. If you don't play good defense, if you don't rebound, if you don't grind out those games when you're not making shots and you're turning the ball over, then you don't get to win those close games."

Montana turned it around just a day later and ran past Nicholls State. The Lady Griz led 29-4 after the first quarter, 46-16 at the half on their way to shooting a season-best 51.7 percent.

"We learned from our first game and then came out the second game and played much better, especially at the beginning. How you start is so important," said Holsinger.

"There is nothing better than games to really show the good things that happen but also show the weaknesses that occur too. These girls have been resilient. They are really good at making adjustments and listening and going out and doing what we ask."

After going 1 for 9 from 3-point range against Houston Baptist, Montana was 16 for 73 on the season from distance, shooting less than 22 percent and averaging a little more than three makes per game.

Against Nicholls State, Montana went 14 for 22 (.636) from the arc, its most makes in a game since the 2008 Big Sky championship game and just two off the program record, set during the 2005-06 season.

"We've shot the ball really well in practice, but we haven't quite shown it in our games," said Sophia Stiles, who had seven assists against Nicholls State, one off her career high. "Hopefully that was our breakout moment.

"Our spacing helped, and I'm surrounded by great teammates. If I can get them the ball when they're open, I have full faith that they're going to knock them down."

At 5-1, Montana is off to its best start since the 2013-14 season. Prior to that, you have to go back to 2006-07 for a Lady Griz team that started 5-1.

"It's showing all the hard work we've put in since the summer," Stiles said. "The team is gelling really well pretty early. Hopefully we can keep getting better throughout the season."

Montana notes:

* Sophia Stiles was named the Big Sky Player of the Week on Tuesday after averaging 13.5 points, 10 rebounds and 5.5 assists against Houston Baptist and Nicholls State.

It was the first of her career for Stiles and the second in two weeks for Montana, which had Carmen Gfeller honored last week. It marks the first time since the 2015-16 season that Montana has had multiple Players of the Week.

* Montana continues to lead the Big Sky in both field goal percentage (.460) and field goal percentage defense (.309). The latter ranks ninth nationally, the former 44th. Montana also ranks ninth nationally in 3-point field percentage defense (.193).

The Lady Griz lead the Big Sky in scoring defense (54.7/g) while ranking third in scoring (70.0/g).

* While it's all relative to strength of schedule and players inherited, six-game records for first-year Montana head coaches since 1978-79: Brian Holsinger (5-1), Robin Selvig (3-3), Mike Petrino (3-3), Shannon Schweyen (2-4).

* Most 3-point field goals made in a game in program history:

16 (of 24) -- 105-55 home win over Idaho State, 2.4.06
15 (of 24) -- 101-65 home win over Montana State, 3.15.08 (Big Sky championship game)
14 (of 22) – 80-45 neutral-site win over Nicholls State, 11.27.21

Montana had never before made more than 12 3-point field goals in a game away from home before Saturday. Eight players hit a 3-pointer against the Colonels. Just five players hit 3-pointers in the other two entries on the list above.

* Carmen Gfeller ranks 12th nationally in field-goal percentage at .640. She has taken 50 shots, made 32.

* Montana had 20 assists, 15 turnovers in its win over Nicholls State, the first time this season the Lady Griz have had more assists than turnovers in a game.

* Montana has shot a better percentage than all six of its opponents this season. … The Lady Griz have been +11 or better on the boards against their opponent four times this season in six games.

* Abby Anderson had four blocks against Nicholls State after blocking just two through Montana's first five games. She has an even 150 for her career, a total that ranks seventh in program history.

* Sophia Stiles had back-to-back 10-rebound games in Phoenix. Six times in her career she has grabbed 10 or more boards. … Her 19 points and 10 rebounds against Nicholls State was her third career double-double.

* Nyah Morris-Nelson was 0 for 12 from 3-point range this season before making her first three against Nicholls State on her way to a career-high 11 points. She also finished with a career-high three assists.

* Freshman Lamprini Polymeni scored her first points as a Lady Griz when she hit a second-quarter 3-pointer against Nicholls State.

* Montana's 46 first-half points against Nicholls State was its highest-scoring half of the season, its 29 first-quarter points was its highest-scoring period of the season.

Around the Big Sky Conference:

* Montana takes a league-best 5-1 record into the start of Big Sky games this week. The Lady Griz have four Division I wins. No other team in the league has more than two.

* Preseason favorites Idaho State (1-5), Idaho (1-5) and Montana State (2-5) are a combined 4-15 with one Division I win, MSU's 67-55 win at Cal Poly on Saturday.

* Idaho lost 61-60 at Nevada on Saturday despite leading by seven with two minutes remaining.

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

* Non-Montana game to monitor: Idaho State at Portland State. ISU, the heavy preseason favorite, has been struggling this season without Diaba Konate. Its one win came over Park University. Its five losses have come by an average of more than 30 points. PSU, now 3-2, opened 3-0 under new coach Chelsey Gregg.

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

* Non-Montana game to monitor: Idaho at Southern Utah. The Vandals opened the season with a splash, hitting 21 3-pointers in a 95-46 win over Lewis-Clark State but have been winless since. Southern Utah enters league on a two-game winning streak, having totaled 200 points in its last two games.

Upcoming: Montana will host Utah Valley on Thursday, Dec. 9, Seattle on Thursday, Dec. 16, and Utah State on Monday, Dec. 20, before breaking for Christmas.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Abby Anderson

Sammy Fatkin

Carmen Gfeller

Nyah Morris-Nelson

Lamprini Polymeni

Sophia Stiles

University of Montana Athletics