Lumberjacks knock Lady Griz from Big Sky tournament

Tuesday, March 8

Boise, Idaho

2:30 PM

Montana

19-11

Northern Arizona

16-13

Montana

Northern Arizona

Lumberjacks knock Lady Griz from Big Sky tournament

3/8/2022 6:15:00 PM | Women's Basketball

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By: Montana Sports Information

No. 4 Northern Arizona knocked No. 5 Montana out of the Big Sky Conference women's basketball tournament with a 75-57 victory on quarterfinal Tuesday at Idaho Central Arena in Boise.

The Lady Griz (19-11) shot 32.7 percent, their third-lowest percentage of the season, and matched a season high with 22 turnovers.

"Obviously a really frustrating one," said assistant coach Nate Harris. "We've had some games this season when it felt like we were playing against more than the opponent. Today kind of felt like that.

"It kind of felt like we were swimming upstream the entire game. I think we just wanted it so bad that we lost sense how to get there."

The Lumberjacks (16-13) advance to face No. 8 Northern Colorado in a semifinal game on Wednesday evening. The Bears knocked off No. 1 seed Idaho State 72-54 earlier on Tuesday.

Montana played two tight games with Northern Arizona (16-13) during the regular season, winning 66-60 in Missoula and falling 60-59 at Flagstaff.

The Lady Griz held the Lumberjacks, the Big Sky's highest-scoring team during the regular season, to 32.1 percent shooting in those two games.

Tuesday looked like it would be more of the same, as Montana limited Northern Arizona to 13 points in the first period on 31.3 percent shooting.

That would have been the time for Montana to take advantage, but the Lady Griz shot 3 for 17 in the first 10 minutes and turned the ball over seven times and trailed at the first break 13-12.

The Lady Griz scored the game's first five points, then went more than eight minutes before their next basket. That allowed Northern Arizona to overcome its slow start.

"We had a chance to jump on them early, and I didn't feel like we took advantage of that situation," said Harris. "They got some confidence coming back and having the lead after one."

Montana had turnovers on three straight possessions early in the second quarter, and Northern Arizona scored at the other end on each of them, all of it coming within a minute.

The Lumberjacks would score 26 points in the game off Montana turnovers, a zero-to-points formula that did in the Lady Griz.

"We just never found a rhythm," said Harris. "We turned it over a bunch, which put us in transition defense and made our lives really, really tough.

"They are a team that wants to play fast. When you turn it over and they get to go play really fast, it makes them harder and harder to stop."

Montana shot 29.0 percent in the first half and had 14 turnovers, and yet the Lady Griz trailed by only eight at the break, 36-28.

The Lady Griz made it a six-point game on three occasions early in the third quarter, but back-to-back 3-pointers by Emily Rodabaugh and Lauren Orndoff turned a 42-35 lead into a 48-35 advantage.

The Lumberjacks led comfortably the rest of the way.

"Just chip away and stay in it," Harris said about coach Brian Holsinger's message to the team at halftime. "We thought we had a chance. We thought there were things we could take advantage of."

The 3-pointers crippled any hopes of a second-half comeback.

"We went zone middle of the third quarter and they hit back-to-back threes, which got it over 10 to stay," said Harris.

"Obviously we want to give Northern Arizona credit. They went out and won the game."

Montana lost its opening game in Boise for the fourth consecutive year.

Sophia Stiles had 21 points and 10 rebounds, her fifth career double-double. Carmen Gfeller added 14 points, Abby Anderson nine points, 11 rebounds, four blocks and three steals.

"We're really, really proud of the work the team did this year," said Harris. "There were some accomplishments, there was some growth. We need to build on what this group did.

"We feel like we came up a little bit short, so we have to look at it and figure out why and how to get better, because the expectation is to continue to grow and be at higher level soon."