Lady Griz put up 107, top Geoducks

Tuesday, November 26

Missoula, Mont.

7 PM

Montana

4-3

107

Evergreen State

Evergreen St.

Montana

107

Photo by: Tommy Martino/University of Montana

11/26/2024 10:27:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Photo Gallery

By: Montana Sports Information

The fireworks more associated with New Year's Eve looked plenty good the week of Thanksgiving this year.

Montana, needing to shrug off the frustrations of Sunday's setback at Minnesota, exploded for 107 points, one off the program record, and rolled to a 107-56 victory over Evergreen State on Tuesday night at Dahlberg Arena in Missoula.

The Lady Griz (4-3) shot 50 percent or better across all four quarters and never trailed, building a 28-5 lead after the first quarter and coming within one more made basket of topping the 108 points Montana scored last season against Dickinson State.

Tyler McCliment-Call matched her previous collegiate high of 19, set last year against North Texas-Dallas when she was at Stephen F. Austin, by halftime and finished with 27 points on 9-of-11 shooting.

It was the most points scored by a Lady Griz since Sammy Fatkin put up 28 in Pocatello in a road win over Idaho State two seasons ago.

McCliment-Call's production was part of a 70-point night for Montana's reserves, with freshmen Kavanah Lene and Chloe Larsen making their collegiate debuts off the bench.

"I'm really proud of our kids. We had a lot of kids in there who haven't played a lot, and we're trying to hold the standard no matter what. That can be hard against a team that is not as talented as you are," said coach Brian Holsinger.

"The goal, whether it's Minnesota or this team or any team, is to continue to play really good Lady Griz basketball. You heard us over there coaching like crazy because we're just trying to get our kids to do the right thing. Overall, I thought we did most of the time."

The game got off to a slower-than-expected start as Evergreen State's Jalyn Sackrider blocked four Lady Griz shots near the basket within the game's opening three minutes.

Still, Montana led 8-2 when McCliment-Call entered the game for the first time four minutes in. It was no contest once she put her imprint – focused, determined, no nonsense – upon the proceedings.

She hit a 3-pointer less than a minute into her shift, then a pull-up jumper in the lane. Later in the opening period, she hit back-to-back 3-pointers to make it 24-5.

She scored 11 points in 5:42 of game time in the first period, then hit all three of her shots in the second including two more 3-pointers, giving her 19 at the break on just eight shot attempts.

"I was so proud of how she came out," said Holsinger. "Sometimes against a team that is not as talented, you can have some hesitation and over-pass. She said, nope, we're going to have the right mindset. I was really proud of that."

Montana led 59-25 at the half, allowing Holsinger to sub liberally throughout the final 20 minutes.

Aby Shubert, who went 1 for 8 from the 3-point line on the North Dakota-Minnesota road trip, went 4 for 8 from the arc on Tuesday and finished with 12 points. Izabella Zingaro hit six of her seven shots and also scored 12, making her 19 for 24 (.792) from the field this season.

With Macy Donarski sidelined, Draya Wacker, who you best not take your eyes off lest you miss something highlight-worthy, played 20 minutes at the point and had five points, four assists and two blocks.

Lene scored six points in 10 minutes, going 3 for 4 while adding two assists. Larsen had an assist of her own and two rebounds.

"You can practice all you want, but you get out here in front of fans and things are moving fast," said Holsinger. "It was great to see them in there for significant minutes and see them play."

Adria Lincoln led Montana's starters, none of whom played more than 20 minutes, with 12 points. Mack Konig had four assists, Alex Pirog grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds, helping Montana to a 59-33 advantage on the boards.

Montana shot 51.9 percent while limiting Evergreen State to 31.5 percent. The team's seven turnovers were a season low, its 24 assists a season high.

The Lady Griz, the first team in program history to play seven games before December, will take a few days off for Thanksgiving, then begin preparations for a tough double next week in the Big Sky Conference-Summit League Challenge.

The Lady Griz will play at North Dakota State (3-2), the team that ended Montana's season in the WNIT last year, on Wednesday in Fargo, then return home to face Summit League-favorite South Dakota State (4-2) on Saturday, Dec. 7.

"We'll take a few days off. We played seven games in November. It's been a lot," said Holsinger. "Then we'll get back to it this weekend and prepare for the Summit League Challenge."