Lady Griz back on the road, face Wildcats, Bengals

The Montana women's basketball team will continue its Big Sky Conference schedule this week when it plays road games at Weber State and Idaho State.

The Lady Griz (6-9, 2-2 BSC) will face the Wildcats (4-11, 0-3 BSC) on Thursday at 6 p.m. at the Dee Events Center in Ogden, Utah, the Bengals (8-6, 3-0 BSC) at 2 p.m. on Saturday at Reed Gym in Pocatello, Idaho.

Montana will have a quick turnaround when it hosts Eastern Washington (8-6, 1-3 BSC) at 7 p.m. on Monday back in Missoula at Dahlberg Arena.

It's one of two Monday games for the Lady Griz, who end the regular season hosting Idaho on Monday, Feb. 27.

Monday's game also is the start of a four-game home stand for Montana, which has upcoming home games against Montana State (Jan. 21), Sacramento State (Jan. 26) and Portland State (Jan. 28).

The Lady Griz split at home last week, falling on Thursday 76-74 to Northern Arizona, then rebounding with a convincing 82-60 victory over Northern Colorado on Saturday.

Coverage: All three games can be watched on ESPN+ or heard on KMPT 930 AM/99.7 FM or 930kmpt.com, with Ace Sauerwein calling the action.

At a glance (Montana): For the second time in two weeks at the start of league play, Montana came away with a split.

The Lady Griz lost their second consecutive Big Sky game on Thursday, falling 76-74 to Northern Arizona, the Lumberjacks' first win over Montana in Missoula since 2007. NAU would go on to win a tight game at Montana State two days later to complete the road-trip sweep.

Montana lost despite shooting 45.2 percent and putting up 74 points. The Lady Griz allowed 14 offensive rebounds, the second most this season, turned the ball over 15 times and lost both Carmen Gfeller and Keeli Burton-Oliver to fouls in the fourth quarter.

Gfeller and Burton-Oliver led the team with 15 points, but neither was on the court for the final possession, when the Lady Griz had the ball down two.

Gina Marxen scored 13 points, Libby Stump added 12 off the bench.

On Saturday, Montana trailed 11-0 at the first-quarter media timeout against Northern Colorado but dominated the game through the end of the third quarter, when the Lady Griz led 61-37.

Montana went on to win 82-60, matching its second-highest scoring output of the season.

Gfeller had 24 points on just 12 shots. She hit three 3-pointers and went 5 for 6 from the line. Burton-Oliver had 15 points on 7-of-12 shooting and seven rebounds. The two players combined for just three fouls, which allowed them to play a combined 59 minutes.

Marxen was at her season best, finishing with 16 points, four rebounds and four assists while controlling play the 34 minutes she was on the court. She went 5 for 7, hit three 3-pointers and went 3 for 3 from the line.

Montana shot better than 50 percent in both halves to finish at 53.4 percent for the game, the team's best shooting performance of the season and best since shooting 53.6 percent in a road win at Portland State last February.

For the week, Montana averaged 78.0 points on 49.2 percent shooting and had 32 assists against 22 turnovers.

Five things with Montana coach Brian Holsinger:

1. Five days, three games: Playing three Big Sky games in five days was something Montana had to do three times last season because of COVID rescheduling. All three times the Lady Griz went 2-1.

This year it was just part of the plan, which allowed the league schedule to begin after Christmas and the Big Sky tournament to begin when it does, on Saturday, March 4.

None of those three-game stretches last season started with two on the road, followed by one at home.

"To me, that's a big deal, being at home for the third game," said Holsinger. "I'd rather be on the road twice, then be at home than be at home twice, then have to all of a sudden go on the road. I feel like having that last game at home will help."

On Monday his team will face Eastern Washington, which has just one game this week, at home against Idaho on Saturday afternoon.

"As a coach, you try to steal minutes here and there (to try to rest your players) this weekend. But the players are young. They would rather play games than practice anyway, so they'll probably love it. I don't think it will be a big deal other than the travel part," Holsinger said.

2. Montana to face physical Weber State on Thursday …: The Wildcats have lost seven straight games and haven't won since defeating Seattle back on Dec. 3. Weber State has lost by an average of more than 19 points per game during its losing streak.

It was a team that gave Montana fits last season. In their game in Ogden, the Wildcats led 16-4 after the first quarter and won 66-56.

In the rematch in Missoula, Weber State outscored Montana 37-17 over the second and third quarters and built a 15-point second-half lead. It was 52-41 entering the fourth quarter before the Lady Griz staged a comeback to win 61-59 on a jump shot at the buzzer by Sophia Stiles.

"I think their physical play bothered us last year. We didn't score easily during those games," Holsinger said. "They are going to be physical. You have to understand they are going to be super physical and be ready to handle that physicality. They are a scrappy bunch. Last year we didn't handle that well.

"Our team is much different than it was last year. I think we'll be able to handle some of the things they do defensively better."

3. … And then face always-tough Idaho State on Saturday: Montana is 72-18 all-time against Idaho State, but it's been the Bengals who have had the upper hand in the series the last number of years.

Idaho State has won the teams' last six meetings and nine of the last 10. Montana hasn't scored more than 61 points in any of those 10 games.

Idaho State won the Big Sky regular-season title last season but was picked sixth in this year's preseason media poll, eighth in the coaches' poll after losing a bulk of its roster.

No matter. Three-time Big Sky Coach of the Year Seton Sobolewski is still in Pocatello, which means the Bengals always will be a factor in the Big Sky race.

ISU is 3-0 in league after winning at Northern Arizona and Northern Colorado, and defeating Weber State at home. Through three league games, Idaho State is holding its opponents to 52.7 points on 31.8 percent shooting. Those opponents have gone 10 for 67 (.149) from 3-point range.

"They are really physical and really good. They are gritty and they scout hard, so they are hard to score against," said Holsinger. "And they execute on offense. When you put that together with a ton of talent, that's why they've won conference titles.

"Now they are pretty young and have some different pieces, but you can find ways to win when you play defense like they do, and Seton knows how to coach it. Credit to him, he has this entirely new team buying into it."

4. Montana seeking road sweep: In just their third and fourth games last season under then first-year coach Brian Holsinger, the Lady Griz went on the road and swept North Dakota and North Dakota State.

Montana was not able to duplicate that success in league, going 0-2 at Idaho State and Weber State, and splitting Portland State-Idaho and Northern Colorado-Sacramento State.

"The next step for this program is to win two and get a sweep. We haven't done that since we've been here," Holsinger said. "You have to have a grittiness, a toughness and a consistency to do that.

"To get two games would be awesome for our program, just for our confidence level and to know we're preparing the right way. Can we put together 80 minutes of intensity, urgency, toughness, especially on the defensive side of the ball?"

5. More tight-game drama: When Montana lost to Northern Arizona on Thursday by two points, it was the sixth game for the Lady Griz that has been decided by 10 points or fewer this season. Montana dropped to 1-5 in those games.

Four times this season Montana has held a fourth-quarter lead, only to end up on the losing end, against North Dakota State, Wichita State, Grand Canyon and Northern Arizona. Three of those losses have come at home.

"I actually blame myself," said Holsinger. "I always feel if it's a close game, with a lead in the fourth quarter, coaching matters more, so for me, that's frustrating.

"More than anything, it was about getting stops. There were crucial possessions in all those games where if we got one or two stops here or there, we would have won. It was a defensive rebound or a gritty defensive stop which prevented us from winning.

"I've done this for a long time now. You don't learn how important those defensive possessions are until you go through that and lose. We're beginning to understand how important those possessions are."

Montana notes:

* The Lady Griz are 2-4 in true road games this season, with wins at South Dakota and Eastern Washington, 2-6 away from home when counting two losses at Loyola Marymount's Thanksgiving tournament.

* In two home games last week, Carmen Gfeller averaged 19.5 points on 56.5 percent shooting. She went 4 for 9 from the 3-point line, 9 for 10 from the free throw line.

Gfeller, who missed five of the season's first six games as she returned from injury, has scored in double figures in five straight games. In four Big Sky games she is averaging 17.3 points on 56.8 percent shooting.

* Keeli Burton-Oliver averaged 15 points on 58.3 percent shooting against Northern Arizona and Northern Colorado. She is shooting 24 for 35 (.686) through four league games.

* Gina Marxen, who sat out last season, is looking more and more comfortable and confident in a Montana uniform.

She averaged 14.5 points at home last week, with eight assists and only two turnovers while playing more than 36 minutes per game. She shot 10 for 15 (.667) overall. She went 4 for 7 from the 3-point line and hit all five of her free throws.

* Carmen Gfeller, Sammy Fatkin and Libby Stump all have led Montana in scoring this season five times. Stump's have all come off the bench.

* Thursday's loss to Northern Arizona was the first time this season in seven games that Montana has lost when outshooting its opponent.

* Carmen Gfeller enters this week's road trip with 968 career points. With 32 more, she'll become the 35th player in program history to reach 1,000 points.

* Dani Bartsch, who leads Montana in rebounding (5.6/g), has averaged 6.8 boards through four Big Sky games.

* In four league games, Montana is averaging 77 points on 47.0 percent shooting.

* Montana led Northern Arizona 26-11 early in the second quarter on Thursday. The 15-point lead given up in a loss is the largest for Montana under Holsinger.

At a glance (Weber State): The Wildcats are the lowest-ranked team in the Big Sky in the NCAA's NET rankings, coming in at 300 out of 361.

Weber State has wins this season over Utah Valley, Bryant, Hartford and Seattle, teams that are currently a collective 10-52.

The Wildcats opened the season 4-4 before going on its current seven-game winning streak. They opened league with a 67-39 loss at Northern Colorado and 82-68 setback at Northern Arizona.

On Saturday, Weber lost 65-52 at Idaho State in what was a three-point game with two minutes to go.

Through three Big Sky games, all coming on the road, the Wildcats are averaging 53 points on 29.5 percent shooting. They are 9 for 43 (.209) from the 3-point line.

Weber State's three Big Sky games have had 143 fouls called, or more than 47 per game. There have been 176 free throws shot in those three games, an average of more than 58 each game.

Senior forward Daryn Hickok leads the team in scoring at 17.4 per game. Senior forward Jadyn Matthews averages 13.3 points and a team-leading 8.3 rebounds.

Hickok has gotten to the line 38 times in three Big Sky games, 118 times on the season.

Weber State has finished in the bottom two in the Big Sky standings the last four seasons, all under fifth-year coach Velaida Harris, who got a three-year extension in the offseason.

Series history: Montana has a 74-15 all-time record against Weber State in a series that dates back to the 1977-78 season. The Lady Griz are 32-10 against the Wildcats in Ogden.

Weber State's last six wins in the series all have come inside the Dee Events Center.

The teams split the season series last year. Weber State's win in Ogden snapped what had been a six-game winning streak for Montana over the Wildcats.

At a glance (Idaho State): Idaho State won the Big Sky regular-season title last year, its second straight. Then an exodus of players began.

First-team All-Big Sky selection Tomekia Whitman ended up at Southern Utah. Third-team All-Big Sky selection Diaba Konate is at UC Irvine, the leader in assists for an 11-3 team. Montana Oltrogge is now the leading scorer at Northern Arizona.

Estefania Ors graduated, as did Dora Goles, from player to coaching staff.

They were Idaho State's top five scorers last season. So, it's not surprising people expected a steep drop-off for the Bengals this season. See: preseason polls everywhere.

Now Idaho State is 8-6 and tied atop the Big Sky standings with Sacramento State, the Bengals doing their usual Bengal things. ISU is allowing its opponents to score 54.4 points per game on 34.0 percent shooting.

The mastermind behind it all is longtime coach Seton Sobolewski, who annually takes what he has and makes it better than most people think it will be.

Leading the team in scoring is senior Callie Bourne (12.9/g), whose freshman season was Grace Kenyon's final year, and Kenyon's first year was 2013-14. Never has a fifth-year senior felt so experienced.

Finley Garnett, who originally played the College of Southern Idaho, is averaging 11.4 points per game in her third season as a Bengal. She averaged 3.2 points last season. She had a monster game, scoring 27 points, in Idaho State's upset win at Northern Arizona.

Six-foot-three forward Laura Bello, a first-year sophomore who spent last season at Newman (Kan.) University, is averaging 10.4 points and 9.0 rebounds.

Idaho State is averaging just 56.4 points, last in the Big Sky and 310th in the nation. But the Bengals rank 10th nationally in field goal percentage defense, 16th in scoring defense.

In its first three Big Sky games, Idaho State, which hosts Montana State on Thursday night, has allowed 52.7 points on 31.8 percent shooting. Opponents have gone 10 for 67 (.149) from the arc, and the Bengals have a three-game +13.3 rebounding advantage.

New-look Bengals. Same-old Bengals.

Series history: Montana leads the all-time series 72-18 and has gone 29-11 in Pocatello, but those numbers are historically misleading.

Idaho State has won the last six meetings, nine of the last 10, and Sobolewski has gone 10-2 against Montana since the retirement of Robin Selvig after the 2015-16 season.

In those 12 games, Montana has averaged 54.5 points against Sobolewski's defense.

Montana has lost five straight games at Reed Gym while averaging just 51.4 points on 33.5 percent shooting.

Montana's last win at Reed Gym came way back on Feb. 19, 2015, when Kellie Cole, Maggie Rickman and Kayleigh Valley led the Lady Griz to a 69-52 victory as the Bengals were held to 32.1 percent shooting.

Around the Big Sky Conference:

* Sacramento State continues to be the story of the Big Sky through the first half of the season. The Hornets have won six straight to improve to 12-2 overall, 3-0 in league.

Last week Sacramento State defeated Idaho and Eastern Washington at home, holding Vandals standout Beyonce Bea to 10 points on 4-of-19 shooting in Thursday's 71-56 win.

The only teams to defeat the Hornets this season are UC Irvine and San Diego State by a combined 13 points. Those team teams are now a combined 23-7.

Sacramento State has a NET national ranking of 99, best in the Big Sky and just in front of Kentucky, Vanderbilt and Washington.

* Idaho State is tied with Sacramento State in league at 3-0.

* Northern Arizona followed its historic win at Montana on Thursday with a win at Montana State on Saturday, giving the Lumberjacks their first road sweep of the Montana schools since 2005.

The Lumberjacks are 3-1 in league, their only loss a 69-64 home setback to Idaho State.

* Montana, Montana State and Idaho, the teams picked in the top three in the preseason coaches' poll, are all trailing at 2-2 in league. The Vandals had a rough week on the road, falling first at Sacramento State, then two days later at Portland State.

* Portland State's home win over Idaho on Saturday, when the Vikings held the Vandals to 43 points on 28.6 percent shooting and three 3-pointers made, snapped PSU's losing streak against Big Sky opponents at 24.

* Eastern Washington (1-3), Northern Colorado (1-3) and Weber State (0-3) are a combined 2-9 in league after two weeks of games.

Thursday schedule: UM at WSU, MSU at ISU, SAC at UNC, PSU at NAU … Montana State, the overwhelming preseason favorite, meets the surging Bengals in Pocatello.

Saturday schedule: UM at ISU, MSU at WSU, PSU at UNC, SAC at NAU, UI at EWU … If the Hornets and Lumberjacks both win on Thursday, it will be big mid-January showdown in Flagstaff.

Upcoming: After hosting Eastern Washington on Monday night, the Lady Griz will host Montana State on Saturday, Jan. 21.

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Players Mentioned

Dani Bartsch

Keeli Burton-Oliver

Sammy Fatkin

Carmen Gfeller

Gina Marxen

Sophia Stiles

Libby Stump

University of Montana Athletics