Late comeback in Bozeman comes up short

Saturday, February 18

Bozeman, Mont.

2 PM

Montana

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Montana State

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Montana

Montana St.

Photo by: Getty Images

2/18/2023 10:30:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Photo Gallery

By: Montana Sports Information

It took just one possession, the first of the game, for Montana State to reveal its game plan against Montana on Saturday afternoon at Worthington Arena in Bozeman.

The Bobcats went right to Kola Bad Bear inside, and the senior scored on a spin move 11 seconds in for the first two of what would be a game-high 23 points on 9-of-11 shooting.

Lexi Deden added 17 points, Darian White had 19 points, eight rebounds and six assists and Montana State held on to defeat the Lady Griz 75-73, spoiling a gutsy comeback attempt by Montana.

Trailing by 11 with three minutes left, the Lady Griz scored 14 points on five possessions, getting a pair of 3-pointers from Haley Huard and Mack Konig to cut its deficit to two, 70-68, with 24 seconds left.

After getting the ball back down three, 71-68, Montana, with the Bobcats defending the 3-point line, got an open look at a layup, but it rimmed out and Montana State hit the free throws it needed.

Sammy Fatkin hit a half-court shot at the buzzer for the game's final points.

If Montana owned the back half of the fourth quarter, it was Montana State's work inside that ultimately determined the game's outcome.

The Bobcats scored 44 points in the paint, just as they did in last month's win in Missoula.

Montana State led 35-33 at the half, then used a strong third quarter, also just like in Missoula, to pull away enough to withstand Montana's late comeback.

"I want to give credit to them. They are an experienced team, and they killed us inside," said coach Brian Holsinger. "That's the game. We took our chances by not doubling and not digging and they killed us.

"(Bad Bear) was awesome. She did what seniors do. Both games this year, she's been a huge difference-maker for them."

The win kept Montana State atop the Big Sky standings, up two games in the loss column over Northern Arizona with the start of the league tournament two weeks away.

"There is a reason they are No. 1. They are mentally tougher than us right now. Some of that is because they are experienced," said Holsinger.

"Their seniors are mentally pretty tough and play right. When you do that, you get to win and we're just not there yet."

Montana entered the game with five wins in its last six but it was Montana State that dictated the tone of the game from the start.

The Bobcats scored 16 points in the paint in the first quarter alone, a period that ended with White hitting a rare 3-pointer at the buzzer to give her team a 21-19 lead at the first break.

"We've worked hard at becoming better in the post defensively, but it was like we weren't even there in the first quarter, so that was super disappointing," said Holsinger.

"We knew they were throwing it inside. I just felt like we weren't locked in right off the bat, and then they got confident. They imposed their will, those seniors did."

Montana State led 35-33 at the half, then began pulling away late in the third quarter and early in the fourth.

The Lady Griz went 3 for 10 in the third period with seven turnovers.

"We came out in the third quarter and there is a lot of doubt," said Holsinger. "As the head coach, I'm wondering, why are we doubting who we are?

"Then the script gets flipped because a freshman comes in and says, forget this, I'm going to play right. I'm going to shoot the right shots and do what I do."

That freshman was Libby Stump, who had nine points, three assists and a steal in the fourth quarter. She was the catalyst for what was nearly an incredible comeback.

Stump, usually a shooting guard, took over at the point and started making things happen, either for herself or setting up her teammates.

"She got the ball and just started making plays," Holsinger said. "It's amazing how one kid can change the feel for a team.

"She got downhill, she made jumpers, she did what she's done all year but what it did was give confidence to everyone else.

"That just spread throughout the whole team and that's why you saw the comeback, because she gave confidence to everybody."

Stump would finish with 20 points off the bench. She had 21 in the teams' first meeting.

It's the first time since Shannon Cate in 1990-91 that a Lady Griz has had two 20-point scoring games against the Bobcats in the teams' regular-season matchups.

Montana State went up by 14 early in the fourth quarter and led by the same margin, 62-48 when Bad Bear scored – in the paint – with 4:39 to go.

After Gina Marxen hit a 3-pointer, Stump took over. She converted an and-one, then a jumper in the paint to make it a nine-point game, 65-56 with 2:50 to go.

Then she found Huard for a three, Konig for a three, Huard for another, with Stump getting the assist on all three.

Huard's second 3-pointer made it a one-possession game, 68-65, with 1:13 to go.

Deden hit a big shot, a short jumper, with 45 seconds left to extend the lead back to five. Konig answered with a 3-pointer with 24 seconds remaining to make it 70-68.

Montana needed a Montana State miss at the free throw line and got one, leaving the Lady Griz down 71-68 with the shot clock off.

With Montana State crowding the arc, Stump got to the basket for an open look, but her shot rolled off the rim. The Bobcats went 4 for 4 from the line in the final 11 seconds to hold on.

"I loved our fight at the end. I want it so bad for them, but sometimes you have to go through these hard things to come out the other side," said Holsinger.

"I hope we see these guys again. We're growing and learning hard lessons. We learned a hard one again today. I would love to play them again."

Konig finished with 15 points, her eighth time in double figures in the last nine games. Marxen added 10, her fourth consecutive game with 10 or more.

Montana, now in fourth place in the Big Sky, will play at Portland State on Thursday, at Sacramento State next Saturday before closing the regular season at home against Idaho on Monday, Feb. 27.

The Big Sky tournament will open on Saturday, March 4, in Boise.