Bengals pull away, top Lady Griz

Saturday, February 5

Missoula, Mont.

2 PM

Montana

13-6, 6-4BSC

Idaho State

14-8, 10-3BSC

Team	1	2	3	4	F
Idaho State	18	12	19	16	65
Montana	11	19	13	15	58

Photo by: Derek Johnson

2/5/2022 5:45:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Photo Gallery

By: Montana Sports Information

When Saturday's game was hanging in the balance, waiting for someone to take ownership, Idaho State's been-there, done-that veterans looked the part and led the Bengals to a 65-58 victory over Montana at Dahlberg Arena in Missoula.

With the game tied 43-43 in the final minute of the third quarter, Diaba Konate, second-team All-Big Sky Conference last season, converted an and-one. Estefania Ors, MVP of last year's Big Sky tournament, followed with a 3-pointer in the closing seconds, and just like that Idaho State led by six.

Ors opened the fourth quarter with a jumper to make it 51-43, and the Bengals (14-8, 10-3 BSC), last year's regular-season and tournament champions and this year's heavy preseason favorites, led by at least six the rest of the way to win inside Dahlberg Arena for the fourth straight time.

Holding the lead, Idaho State held Montana (13-6, 6-4 BSC) to 4-of-13 shooting in the fourth quarter to keep any comeback attempt under wraps, and all of it was done in front of the second-largest crowd of the season.

Idaho State defeated Montana for the sixth straight time and for the ninth time in the teams' last 10 matchups.

"That's a team that's won the conference and we're just not there yet. We're not good enough yet to beat that team. They are more veteran and overall they are a deeper team than we are," said Montana coach Brian Holsinger.

"We're not there yet, but I'm proud of our kids. We battled."

After trailing by nine in the first quarter, Montana went 9 for 17 in the second to pull even by halftime, 30-30.

Montana had a golden chance to take at least some control of the game midway through the third quarter. The game remained tied 35-35 for more than two and a half minutes. The crowd was ready. Idaho State was struggling. But the Lady Griz couldn't take advantage.

Over that stretch Montana missed its lone shot and turned the ball over three times.

"We have some stuff on our team that doesn't allow us to win against good, veteran teams. Some of it's mental, some of it's physical," said Holsinger. "We have really good stretches and then we have stretches when we lose our minds. We're not consistent.

"That's why I'm here. I'm here to change those things. They're not changed yet, so we're not going to be able to beat good teams until we do some of those things. We're not good enough yet, but that doesn't mean we can't be good enough in another month."

Idaho State had lost two of its last three entering Saturday's game. The Bengals lost at home to Sacramento State because they couldn't handle the Hornets inside. In Thursday's loss they couldn't keep Montana State off the free throw line, where the Bobcats ended up 32 times.

On Saturday, Montana wasn't able to establish much an inside game, shooting just 38 percent in the paint. Abby Anderson and Carmen Gfeller combined to make six baskets, with one of Gfeller's a 3-pointer.

Montana's guards scored 42 of the team's 58 points and took 12 of the team's 14 free throws.

"They did a good job of not allowing us to throw it inside. We have to be able to post up better and we have to be able to throw better passes," said Holsinger.

"Our timing is off. We work on it every day, but it's not there yet. It's a work in progress and we'll continue to get better. We'll get better from this."

Sophia Stiles, hero of Thursday's win over Weber State, led the Lady Griz with 14 points on 18 shots, the second-highest total of her career. No one else was in double figures.

Gfeller grabbed 11 rebounds, her second straight game in double figures and her third time in four games. Anderson matched a season high with five blocks, Nyah Morris-Nelson hit a pair of 3-pointers.

Ors, the best player on the court on Saturday, had 18 points on 8-of-14 shooting, eight rebounds and three assists. Konate added 14 points, Tomekia Whitman 11.

Montana will leave on Sunday for a road trip that have the Lady Griz playing four games in eight days in four states.

Montana will play at Southern Utah on Monday, Northern Arizona on Thursday, Portland State next Saturday and Eastern Washington a week from Monday.

Montana's next home game will be against Idaho on Thursday, Feb. 17.