Cold stretches prove costly as Lady Griz fall

Saturday, November 26

Los Angeles, Calif.

4:30 PM (MT)

Montana

2-4

California

5-1

Montana

California

11/26/2022 7:47:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

By: Montana Sports Information

The Montana women's basketball team wrapped up play at the Loyola Marymount Thanksgiving Classic on Saturday with a 65-44 loss to California at Gersten Pavilion in Los Angeles.

Sammy Fatkin and Libby Stump both scored 11 points to lead the Lady Griz.

Montana (2-4), facing its first Pac-12 opponent since 2019-20, was held to 23.3 percent shooting and couldn't overcome cold stretches at the start of both halves.

The Lady Griz opened the game going 2 for 16, then went 1 for 17 to start the second half as the Golden Bears (5-1) won their fourth straight.

It was Montana's lowest scoring output since the last time the Lady Griz met a team from the Pac-12, a 77-42 home loss to Arizona three seasons ago.

The Lady Griz trailed 20-9 after the opening quarter and missed their first two shots of the second before playing their best basketball of the day.

Sparked by five points from Stump, Montana shot 50 percent over the final eight minutes of the first half to pull within 40-27 at the break.

The Lady Griz held the Bears to two points through the first six minutes of the third quarter, but they couldn't take advantage of it on the offensive end.

Stump's 3-pointer at the 4:06 mark that made it 42-30 was the team's only basket of the period.

Cal expanded its lead to 53-30 through three quarters and led by 21 or more for the entirety of the fourth.

Fatkin went 4 for 9 and a perfect 2 for 2 from the arc for her 11 points. Stump went 3 for 4 from distance, 4 of 7 overall for her second game of the tournament in double figures.

Dani Bartsch grabbed a game-high nine rebounds, Lisa Kiefer added eight off the bench.

Montana will face Washington State on Friday at 7 p.m. (MT) in Pullman.