Montana closes regular season at Idaho

The Montana women's basketball team will conclude its regular-season schedule on Friday with a game at Idaho. The Lady Griz and Vandals will tip off at 7 p.m. (MT) in Memorial Gym in Moscow.

The teams were scheduled to close with a Wednesday-Friday series, but the opener was canceled last week due to COVID-19 protocols within Idaho's program.

The Vandals lost their games at Montana State last week and will enter Friday's game not having played since Saturday, Feb. 20, at Portland State.

The teams of the Big Sky Conference will then travel to Boise for the league tournament, which opens on Monday with three first-round games.

What's at stake: Montana and Idaho both have big things within reach but neither controls whether they achieve those things.

The Vandals (14-6, 13-3 BSC) sit alone in second place in the Big Sky standings, one game behind leader Idaho State (18-3, 14-2 BSC).

Idaho could claim a share of the regular-season title with a win on Friday and a loss by the Bengals, who host ninth-place Eastern Washington on Friday night. The latter is not likely to happen.

No matter the results of Friday's game, Idaho is assured of a top-three seed in Boise and a bye to Tuesday's quarterfinal round.

Montana (12-9, 9-7 BSC) enters Friday's game in sixth place but could end up in fifth and earn a first-round bye in Boise.

The only way that would happen is if Montana wins on Friday and Southern Utah loses at home to Portland State. The Thunderbirds defeated the Vikings 58-51 on Wednesday.

If Montana ends up with the No. 6 seed, the Lady Griz would play the No. 11 seed, which will be either Sacramento State or Weber State, on Monday at 8 p.m.

If Montana is the No. 5 seed, the Lady Griz would play No. 4 and red-hot Northern Colorado at 2 p.m. on Tuesday.

Most recently (Montana): The Lady Griz took a five-game winning streak into their home series against Idaho State last week but fell twice to the Bengals.

On Thursday, Montana trailed 50-40 entering the fourth quarter, then got outscored 29-9 over the final 10 minutes to lose 79-49. The Bengals went 10 for 11 in the final period to finish at 55.9 percent for the game.

It was the largest margin of defeat in a home game against a league opponent since a 78-40 setback against Washington State in 1977-78 in the days of the Northwest Women's Basketball League.

Idaho State completed the sweep with a 72-56 victory on Saturday. The Bengals, who matched a season high with 11 3-pointers, took the lead late in the first quarter and led the final 31 minutes.

Abby Anderson averaged 16 points on 61.1 percent shooting in the two games, Carmen Gfeller 17 points on 60 percent shooting.

Most recently (Idaho): The Vandals lost out on their highly anticipated series at Montana State last week, which would have given some additional clarity on the league standings.

As it is, Idaho has not played since sweeping a home-and-home against Portland State two weeks ago.

The Vandals opened that series with an 86-63 home win, a game they led 51-20 three minutes into the third quarter.

Two days later in Portland, the Vandals, behind 24 points and 15 rebounds from Beyonce Bea and 21 points from Gabi Harrington, won 75-64 in overtime.

After giving up an eight-point lead in the final four minutes of regulation and surviving a potential game-winner by Kylie Jimenez, Idaho outscored Portland State 13-2 in overtime.

The case for Idaho: The Vandals are 11-2 since the calendar turned to 2021, with those two losses coming by a combined seven points.

Idaho lost 63-61 at Northern Colorado in mid-January despite holding a six-point lead with four minutes to play.

In their 63-58 home loss to Idaho State, the Vandals led with 70 seconds left. Two days later Idaho outscored the Bengals 43-16 in the second half to win 73-56, ISU's most lopsided loss of the season.

Everything else since Jan. 1 has been a win, by an average of 14.5 points.

Nonconference losses came on the road at Texas, Washington State and Arizona, all of which are projected to make the NCAA tournament field. Arizona is projected to be a No. 3 seed, Texas a 7, Washington State an 11.

It's a strong, strong body of work put together this season by Idaho.

Big 3 vs. Big 3: Idaho is led in scoring by former Lady Griz Gabi Harrington, who missed some early-season games but is averaging 16.8 in league, the best mark in the Big Sky.

Beyonce Bea, at 6-foot-1, gives Idaho a dynamic inside presence. She averages 16.5 points and 7.8 rebounds.

Gina Marxen averages 12.5 points and leads the team with 45 3-pointers made. What gets overlooked because of her shooting and scoring is her point-guard play. She has 93 assists this season against just 29 turnovers, a delightful 3.2 assist-to-turnover ratio that ranks seventh in the nation.

Marxen and Bea were two of the six players named preseason All-Big Sky back in November.

If Idaho's Big 3 is tilted toward the perimeter, Montana's Big 3 strength comes in the paint.

Carmen Gfeller averages 14.5 points on 52.7 percent shooting, Abby Anderson 12.6 points on 48.4 percent shooting and a team-leading 7.0 rebounds per game.

Gfeller leads the Big Sky in field goal percentage and ranks second in free throw percentage (.868). Anderson leads the league in blocked shots (2.4/g) and ranks 26th nationally.

The third of Montana's Big 3 is point guard Sophia Stiles, who averages 10.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.1 steals, which ranks fourth in the Big Sky.

Stiles, who loves to finish around the basket, is shooting 43.1 percent inside the arc this season, 20.0 percent outside the arc.

What hurt Montana against Idaho State was the lack of scoring threat from anybody not named Anderson, Gfeller and Stiles.

Their teammates added just 16 points in the two games on 5-of-35 shooting.

"At times we've shown consistency by having more balanced scoring, then at times we haven't," said coach Mike Petrino. "We've shown we can do it. We just have to get more consistent at it.

"We have confidence in all our players they can make those plays. But at this time of year it's about producing. That's what separates teams from advancing or not advancing. Our job is to put our kids in the best position to produce."

Game notes:

* Montana owns a 43-14 lead in its series against Idaho but the Vandals have won six of the last eight meetings.

* The Lady Griz are 16-10 against the Vandals in Moscow but have lost four straight on Idaho's home floor.

* In the latest NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) rankings, Idaho is 146th, third among Big Sky teams behind Idaho State (97) and Montana State (103). Montana is 242nd, seventh in the Big Sky behind the top three plus Northern Arizona, Southern Utah and Northern Colorado.

* In the teams' meeting last year in Moscow, Idaho won 52-51 despite getting shut out, 9-0, in the third quarter, a 10-minute stretch when the Vandals went 0 for 15. It was an aberration.

Montana trailed 37-31 at the half but led 47-39 three minutes into the fourth quarter before Idaho began its winning comeback. The Lady Griz went scoreless over the game's final three minutes, missing their final four shots.

* In the rematch in Missoula, Montana won 69-60, behind McKenzie Johnston's 16 points and nine assists and Gabi Harrington's 14 points off the bench.

The Lady Griz outscored the Vandals 17-4 in the second quarter to build a 10-point halftime lead and led by double figures for most of the second half.

* Idaho coach Jon Newlee, in his 13th year at Idaho after spending the previous six as head coach at Idaho State, is 9-22 in his career against Montana. He went 2-12 against the Lady Griz at Idaho State and is 7-10 as coach of the Vandals. He opened 3-20 against Montana. He is 6-2 since.

Summary:

It was always going to be a difficult way to finish the regular season, at home against Idaho State and on the road at Idaho, against the teams picked first (Idaho) and second (Idaho State) in the preseason polls.

What remains to be seen is how Friday plays out and what kind of momentum Montana is able to take with it to Boise, this just one week after holding a five-game winning streak.

If you subscribe to the idea that there are three top teams in the Big Sky and then everyone else, and we do (though Northern Colorado is winning us over as well), Montana will get its final chance at that triumvirate on Friday, at least until Boise.

The team's first four games against that group, against Montana State and Idaho State, did not go well. Even with three of them at home, Montana went 0-4 against the Bobcats and Bengals, losing by an average of 20 points per game.

The Lady Griz shot 35 percent in those games, went 12 for 66 (.182) from the arc and had 70 turnovers while allowing MSU and ISU to shoot 44.9 percent and hit 33 3-pointers.

Now comes Idaho, which is just as good.

The Vandals are leading the league in scoring during Big Sky play at more than 74 points per game and are 8-1 at home this season, the tight loss to Idaho State the only blemish on the record.

Idaho shoots the 3-pointer well -- and often -- but does not rely on it. What the Vandals do really well is take care of the ball. They have 17 more assists this season than turnovers, compared to Montana, which has 65 more turnovers than assists.

"Friday will be a challenge for us. It's a team that's been playing very well," said Petrino. "They are a very good team. They have great scoring from the perimeter and they have great scoring inside."

The challenge will be twofold: slowing Idaho down and scoring enough to keep pace. Montana has averaged better than one point per possession just once the last 11 games and has shot better than 40 percent just twice in those 11 games.

Montana averaged more than a point per possession five times in the season's first 10 games and six times shot better than 40 percent.

"They play up-tempo, so you not only have to defend them, you have to keep up with them offensively. That's a major challenge," said Petrino.

Montana notes:

* Montana has lost consecutive games for just the second time this season, which highlights the continued use of the word "resilient" by Lady Griz coach Mike Petrino to describe this team.

* At 6-5, Montana is assured of having at least a .500 record in road games this season. That's happened just once in the last five seasons.

* Montana has committed fewer turnovers than its opponent just six times this season. The Lady Griz are 6-0 in those games.

* Madi Schoening grabbed her 500th career rebound on Thursday. She became just the 36th Lady Griz player since 1980-81 to reach that milestone.

* Abby Anderson has scored in double figures in seven consecutive games, the longest streak of her career. She is shooting 54.0 percent in those seven games.

* Anderson has a blocked shot in all but two games this season.

* Sophia Stiles grabbed 11 rebounds on Saturday. It was her third double-figure rebounding game of the season, the fourth of her career.

* Nyah Morris-Nelson is 8 for 15 from the arc the last 10 games. She scored a season-high six points on Saturday.

* After being held to fewer than 10 points in five of seven games, Carmen Gfeller has gone for 14, 15 and 19 the last three on 53.1 percent shooting.

* Gfeller was 9 for 9 from the line against Idaho State and has made her last 16 free throw attempts.

* Montana has outshot its opponents on the road this season, 39.0 percent to 37.0 percent.

* The Lady Griz are 22 for 94 (.234) from the 3-point line the last six games and have dropped to 29.2 percent on the season. If that holds, it will be the fourth time in five seasons they have finished below 30 percent.

* Montana went 25 for 28 from the line against Idaho State and is up to 78.4 percent for the year, which ranks 12th nationally. The program record is 77.6, set by the 2007-08 team.

* Montana got out-rebounded by Idaho State by 10 on Thursday. It was the largest rebounding margin of the season by a Lady Griz opponent.

* Montana was held to 25 or fewer points in three of four halves against Idaho State. That had only happened in six of 38 halves prior to facing the Bengals.

* Idaho State scored 48 points off Montana turnovers in two games last week. ... The Lady Griz led in the two games for less than six minutes.

* Montana leads the Big Sky in blocked shots (4.9/g) and ranks 30th nationally. The Lady Griz had just four in two games against Idaho State.

* Based on the NCAA's minimum of 2.5 makes per game, Carmen Gfeller (.868) and Sophia Stiles (.864) rank first and second in the Big Sky in free throw percentage. They rank 27th and 31st nationally.

Around the Big Sky Conference:

* Idaho State can win its first regular-season title since 2011-12 with a win on Friday night -- at home, where ISU is 10-0 this season -- against an Eastern Washington team that hasn't played since Feb. 20.

* Idaho State (14-2 BSC), Idaho (13-3), Montana State (12-3) and Northern Colorado (11-7) are locked into top-five seeds next week in Boise.

* Northern Colorado made it five straight wins and eight of 10 with an 83-60 home victory over Weber State on Wednesday night.

* Northern Arizona (10-10), Portland State (6-11), Eastern Washington (5-11), Weber State (2-15) and Sacramento State (2-17) will all be playing on Monday in Boise.

* Three first-round games in Boise will take place on Monday, four quarterfinals on Tuesday, two semifinals on Wednesday. The championship game is scheduled for Friday, March 12, at noon.

* The NCAA tournament will take place in Texas. There will also be a 32-team WNIT this season, with four eight-team regionals held in Charlotte, Fort Worth, Memphis and Rockford, Ill. The four region winners will meet at a site to be determined for the WNIT semifinals and championship.

Upcoming: The Big Sky Conference tournament in Boise.

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Players Mentioned

Abby Anderson

Carmen Gfeller

Gabi Harrington

McKenzie Johnston

Nyah Morris-Nelson

Madi Schoening

Sophia Stiles

University of Montana Athletics