Huard’s hot hand sparks Lady Griz to big win

Thursday, January 20

Missoula, Mont.

7 PM

Montana

11-4, 4-2BSC

Portland State

5-8, 0-5BSC

Portland State

Montana

Photo by: Tommy Martino/UM Athletics

1/20/2022 10:31:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Photo Gallery

By: Montana Sports Information

There was some early rust, which was to be expected after a two-week break between games, but once Montana shook that off it was all Lady Griz as they cruised to a 93-57 home win over Portland State on Thursday night at Dahlberg Arena in Missoula.

Montana (11-4, 4-2 BSC) used a 3-pointer by Carmen Gfeller right before the half to build a 43-30 lead at the break, then shot 51.4 percent in the second half to put up 50 points to surpass 90 for the second time in five games.

"Awesome job by our kids. We were a little rusty in the first half defensively. I thought we forgot the intensity with how we're supposed to defend. They can score if you let them do what they want," said Montana coach Brian Holsinger.

After allowing Portland State to shoot 41.4 percent in the first half, Montana locked down over the final 20 minutes.

"We got back to doing what we do in the second half and how we defend and rebound, so I'm really proud of them."

If it was Gfeller's shot that gave Montana a jolt of energy going into half, it was the shooting of freshman Haley Huard that electrified the crowd of 2,288 all night long.

She finished 6 for 9 from the arc and with a game- and career-high 18 points. It was the most 3-pointers made by a Lady Griz since Taylor Goligoski opened the 2019-20 season with half a dozen in a home win over MSU Northern.

Huard went 7 for 10 from the arc in Montana's two games before the Christmas break. She returned to Missoula a shell of herself and it showed in her shooting. She went 2 for 9 against Idaho State, Weber State and Eastern Washington.

If the two-week break had its advantages, it was that it allowed some players to return to full health.

"After the break, she didn't come back healthy. She's healthy now," said Holsinger. "It's good to see her back shooting like that. She's a threat for us. That was a big-time performance."

Huard hit one triple in the first quarter as Montana built a 21-16 lead. She went 2 for 2 in the second quarter to help the Lady Griz extend their halftime lead to 13.

She hit three more in the third before missing both of her tries in the fourth. She ended up playing a season-high 29 minutes.

"I left her in a little too long, but she was hot. I was thinking maybe we can get a couple more. Good for her," said Holsinger.

Sammy Fatkin added 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting and seven rebounds, Abby Anderson had her third double-double of the season, the seventh of her career, with 14 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks, and Gfeller finished with 12.

Montana shot 49.2 percent, its best performance since putting up 103 points on Utah State the game before Christmas, and had 17 assists with just nine turnovers, the second straight game the Lady Griz have turned it over fewer than 10 times.

"You practice and you prepare, and I thought we executed pretty well," said Holsinger.

That the game turned one-sided allowed Holsinger to go deep into his bench, and his reserves didn't show much of a drop-off. "Fantastic," Holsinger said.

Dani Bartsch had nine points and seven rebounds, and Nyah Morris-Nelson hit a pair of 3-pointers as Montana's bench outscored PSU's reserves 27-16.

The Lady Griz raced out to a 20-7 lead in the first quarter, but the Vikings (5-8, 0-5 BSC) would close to within 21-16 by the end of the period.

The lead was four, 28-24, before a Huard 3-pointer helped Montana build a lead that would become 10.

It was 40-30 late in the half when PSU turned the ball over with 12 seconds left. That allowed Holsinger to get Gfeller into the game, and Montana ran the half-ending play to perfection, with Gfeller's triple giving the home team a 43-30 lead at the break.

"We had set something up earlier today at shoot-around and knew we'd get it on how they defend," Holsinger said. Kyndall Keller initiated the action near the top of the key, then hit Gfeller.

"Credit to Kyndall, who threw a perfect pass. When you come off that set, you have to throw it really quickly for her to be open. She threw it perfectly on time and Carmen knocked it down. It was a fun play."

Then it was all Montana in the second half, as the Lady Griz outscored the Vikings 50-27. Add in Gfeller's 3-pointer and Montana nearly doubled up Portland State over the final 20 minutes, two seconds.

Montana overwhelmed Portland State on the boards, finishing +20, with a 46-26 advantage. The Vikings had just eight offensive rebounds, which they turned into only two second-chance points.

"That was a huge key for us and a point of emphasis," said Holsinger, whose team out-rebounded PSU 26-11 in the second half.

"All the things we talked about, the second half we really came to play and played like I felt we should have played the whole game."

Montana will host Northern Arizona (7-7, 4-2 BSC) on Saturday at 2 p.m., then play at Montana State (9-8, 4-2 BSC) at 7 p.m. on Monday.

The Bobcats defeated the Lumberjacks in Bozeman on Thursday 88-73.