Bears rally, end Montana’s winning streak

Thursday, January 11

Greeley, Colo.

6 PM

Montana

10-4, 2-1BSC

Northern Colorado

6-7, 1-1BSC

Montana

Northern Colo.

Photos: Northern Colorado Athletics

1/11/2024 9:07:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

By: Montana Sports Information

It was a tale of two halves on Thursday night as the Montana women's basketball team lost 67-57 at Northern Colorado at Bank of Colorado Arena in Greeley.

Up 36-24 at the break, the Lady Griz got outscored 43-21 over the game's final 20 minutes, the Bears shooting 15 for 24 (.625) in the second half to end Montana's winning streak at seven.

It was Montana's first loss away from home this season, its first loss in more than a month.

"Success, if you let it get to you, it eats you alive. We let success get to us," said coach Brian Holsinger. "This has kind of been coming.

"We came out in the second half and didn't do the right things, didn't play right. They were the aggressors in the second half and wanted it more than we did, which is super discouraging."

Carmen Gfeller scored 19 points but nobody else scored more than eight for the normally balanced Lady Griz, who turned the ball over 16 times and shot 37.7 percent.

Montana, the Big Sky's top shooting team, shot below 41 percent for just the third time this season, that number largely a reflection of the second half, when the Lady Griz went just 7 for 27 (.259).

Montana went 1 for 10 from the 3-point line in the second half and hit a season-low three for the game. The Bears were a confident 7 for 9 from the arc in the second half, 11 for 21 for the game.

This all coming after Montana shot 47.1 percent in the first half on its way to a 12-point cushion at the break.

"It looked like there was a lot of doubt. Nobody really wanted to step up and be that person," said Holsinger. "We didn't deserve to win. They were the better team in the second half and took it to us."

A Big Sky Conference road game couldn't have started much better for Montana, which scored the game's opening four points and built its lead to 32-18 late in the second quarter.

Northern Colorado opened the game missing its first nine shots and was fortunate to be down only a dozen at the half.

But the Bears looked like a different team in the second half. After putting up 24 points in the first half, they outscored the Lady Griz 26-10 in the third quarter to build a lead they would never give back.

Seneca Hackley went 3 for 3 from the 3-point line in the third quarter and the Bears shot 9 for 14 (.643) overall in the period that changed the tone of the game.

"They played really hard in the second half, harder than us," said Holsinger. "Anytime you don't execute with tempo and aggression and you get tentative, you have halves like that.

"We escaped at Cal Poly, we escaped against UCSD and tonight we couldn't escape. We gave up 63 percent in the second half. That's a lack of focus and not doing things the right way."

Down 50-46 entering the fourth quarter, Montana had four turnovers in less than three minutes and Hannah Simental and Gabi Fields both hit 3-pointers that extended Northern Colorado's lead.

The Lady Griz, who began the second half 3 for 18, could get no closer than seven down the stretch.

"We relaxed, then we gave up threes in transition, then they got momentum and it's hard to get it back. We'll learn from it and respond the right way," said Holsinger.

Simental led four Bears in double figures with 17 points. She and Hackley combined to go 9 for 11 from the 3-point line as Northern Colorado shot 47.1 percent overall, 52.4 percent from the arc.

Only Grand Canyon (.500) and Gonzaga (.477) shot better against Montana this season. UNC's 11 3-pointers were a season high allowed by the Lady Griz.

Montana (10-4, 2-1 BSC) will play at Northern Arizona (10-5, 2-0 BSC) on Saturday at 2 p.m. in Flagstaff. The Lumberjacks defeated Montana State on Thursday 88-73.