Lady Griz take down Big Sky leaders

Thursday, January 26

Missoula, Mont.

7 PM

Montana

9-11, 5-4BSC

Sacramento State

15-4, 6-2BSC

Sacramento St.

Montana

Photo by: UM Photo/Tommy Martino

1/26/2023 11:07:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Photo Gallery

By: Montana Sports Information

The new-look Hornets of Sacramento State, the surprising Big Sky Conference leaders going into Thursday night, were no match for some old-time Dahlberg Arena magic.

Trailing by 11 early in the fourth quarter, Montana, sparked by a home crowd that had the same never-say-die attitude the Lady Griz possessed, stormed back to win 81-77 and snap a two-game losing streak.

After trailing for nearly 19 straight minutes, from late in the second quarter to late in the fourth, Montana tied it at 72-72 on a wild sequence created by Sammy Fatkin, and Gina Marxen gave the Lady Griz the lead for good with 45 seconds left when she completed an and-one drive to the basket.

"I'm so proud of these kids and these fans. It's Dahlberg magic, man," said Lady Griz coach Brian Holsinger, who picked up career win No. 50 as a head coach with the victory.

"They got going, they were loud, they were amazing. They were part of the fight, and our kids never gave up. That one is pure heart and Dahlberg magic. We weren't going to be denied. Somehow, someway."

Using a new starting lineup of Fatkin, Marxen, Carmen Gfeller, Dani Bartsch and Mack Konig, Montana came out blazing hot, hitting 10 of its first 13 shots to build a 28-19 lead after the first quarter.

It was Montana's highest-scoring first quarter of the season.

But the Hornets, who entered the game with an overall record of 15-3, showed off its weapons through the opening 20 minutes.

Sacramento State went 10 for 18 from the 3-point line in the first half and shot 54.8 percent overall to take a 47-38 lead to the locker room.

Montana did the job on Kahlaijah Dean and Isnelle Natabou in the first half, holding the two stars to 12 combined points, but watched Solape Amusan go 5 for 7 from the 3-point line.

She entered the game 7 for 30 from the 3-point line and averaging 2.2 points. She had 15 at the break on open looks as Montana played the percentages and let her get her shots.

"I wouldn't say it backfired, because you don't know what the other kids would have done. It was a calculated risk, and she definitely stepped up to the plate," said Holsinger.

Dean is averaging 21.4 points, second in the Big Sky, and she got rolling in the third quarter, putting up 11 in the period and giving her team a 63-54 lead after 30 minutes.

When Carmen Gfeller, who had three first-half fouls, picked up her fifth with 9:19 to go in the fourth quarter and went to the bench for good with her team trailing 65-54, Montana's prospects looked bleak.

But that's when Dahlberg Arena is at its best, when it just doesn't seem possible, when all hope appears to be lost.

Not willing to sit back and watch Sacramento State play at the walk-it-up speed it wanted, Montana started pressing the Hornets, and the change of pace changed everything.

The Hornets had seven of their 13 turnovers for the game in the fourth quarter, and Montana turned those into 10 momentum-changing points.

If the third quarter belonged to Dean, who would finish with 24 points on 23 shots, the final period belonged to Fatkin.

After a Libby Stump free throw cut the lead to seven, 72-65, with 5:35 left, Fatkin got a steal and an assist on a quick basket by Bartsch, who scored seven points in the fourth quarter on 3-of-3 shooting.

In the middle of holding Sacramento State without a point for more than three minutes, Fatkin turned an electrified crowd up to a 10 with the sequence of the game.

She hit a 3-pointer to bring Montana within two, 72-70, then stole the ensuing inbounds pass and fed Bartsch under the basket, who tied it at 72-72. In eight seconds, it went from down five to tied.

Sacramento State answered with a 3-pointer to go up 75-72. Bartsch answered with a three of her own right in front of the Montana bench.

Natabou, who finished with seven points and 10 rebounds, both below her season averages, scored inside with one minute left to make it 77-75. They would be the Hornets' final points of the game.

After Marxen's and-one with 45 seconds left made it 78-77, Dean turned the ball over in the backcourt.

After a Montana miss, Sacramento State had an inbounds in front of its own bench with 21 seconds left. The pass to the rim was on target. Too on target. It hit the rim and bounced out of bounds. Montana ball.

Two Marxen free throws with 18 seconds left put Montana up 80-77. The Hornets had a look with less than 10 seconds to go to tie it. It missed and Keeli Burton-Oliver out-fought Natabou for the rebound.

Marxen hit one of two free throws with two seconds left for the game's final margin.

"The resiliency today was just fantastic," said Holsinger. "We weren't going to let them just sit back, so we started pressing a little bit. It really took them out of their rhythm of what they wanted to do. Then our kids made big plays."

Gfeller picked up two fouls in the game's first 12 minutes and had to sit. Holsinger went against his usual script and sent his senior back into the game late in the second quarter. Thirty-five seconds later Gfeller had No. 3.

She picked up No. 4 late in the third, No. 5 early in the fourth going for a miss of her own 3-point shot, reaching over the back of the Sacramento State rebounder.

"Carmen has to learn to not foul in those moments, but I want to give Carmen credit. She could have had a head-down approach, but she got over in the huddle after she fouled out, and she was like, we're doing this," said Holsinger.

"That speaks a lot to who she is when it was a frustrating night for her."

But from that point on, it was all Montana, with Fatkin leading the way. She played every minute of the fourth quarter, when the Lady Griz outscored the Hornets 27-14.

For the 36:09 Fatkin played in the game, Montana outscored Sacramento State by a remarkable 16 points. The Lady Griz were outscored by 12 the four minutes she was on the bench.

She took just four shots in the game and scored seven points, but she had four rebounds, four steals and three assists.

"She led the defensive charge. She was unbelievable without scoring the ball," said Holsinger. "That's something that's huge."

Bartsch, making her first start since November, had a career-high 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting and grabbed six rebounds while playing a career-high 32 minutes.

Her presence in Montana's press unleashed her inner volleyball player.

"Dani was a monster in the press. She is so aggressive. That's one of the reasons I inserted her in there. She rebounds the heck out of the ball. She's long and she makes it really hard to see," said Holsinger.

"We don't win without (Fatkin and Bartsch's) defense. We're just trying to find the right buttons and play better basketball in general. And our kids fought like crazy."

Montana was led by Konig's 21 points, which came on the heels of Saturday's 20-point outing against Montana State. She scored from arc to basket, a big presence from minute one to 40.

She went 8 for 15, hit three of her six 3-pointers and dished out six assists while playing 36 minutes.

"She's a good player. She knows how to attack. Twenty-one points and six assists as a freshman in a game like that? I'm so proud of her," said Holsinger.

Gfeller had 12 points in her 17 minutes on the floor, Marxen had 11 and Libby Stump added 10 off the bench as Montana hit 10 3-pointers for the second consecutive game and 10 or more for the fifth time this season.

Montana had 18 assists on 28 made baskets and turned the ball over just eight times while shooting 50 percent for the game.

Montana (9-11, 5-4 BSC) will host Portland State (9-9, 4-4 BSC) on Saturday at 2 p.m. The Vikings had their two-game winning streak snapped with a 64-52 loss at Montana State on Thursday.