Lady Griz reach 20, post win over Vandals

Saturday, March 2

Missoula, Mont.

2 PM

Montana

20-8, 12-5BSC

Idaho

14-15, 7-10BSC

Idaho

Montana

Photo by: Tommy Martino/University of Montana

3/2/2024 5:37:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Photo Gallery

By: Montana Sports Information

With Plan A not working on Saturday at its usual nation-leading efficiency, the Montana women's basketball team had to find something else, Plan B, and it was enough to get a 64-48 win over Idaho on Senior Day at Dahlberg Arena.

Limited to 6-of-29 shooting from the 3-point line, the Lady Griz (20-8, 12-5 BSC) took their game inside and scored 36 points in the paint, their most since early January.

Montana outrebounded the Vandals (14-15, 7-10 BSC) by 20, not giving up a single offensive rebound while grabbing 17 itself. That gave the home team 18 more shot attempts than the visitors, and the Lady Griz held their opponent to fewer than 60 points for the fourth time in five games.

Plan B worked just fine on this day to get Montana from Point A to Point B, which was not only a victory but win No. 20 on the season, something not done by the Lady Griz since the 2015-16 season.

"Of course, you'd like to shoot 50 percent and 40 percent from the 3-point line, but you don't always get to do that," said coach Brian Holsinger, who won his 53rd game at Montana on Saturday to become the second-winningest coach in program history behind Robin Selvig, who won a mere 865 games.

"Our defense has been so tough as of late. Really proud of how we've come along on the defensive end. We made life really hard on them, made them miss a lot."

Montana's 20th win of the season was the first for the program since Selvig's last year in 2015-16. In the years between Selvig's retirement and the hiring of Holsinger, the Lady Griz averaged fewer than 13 wins per season. Now they're at 20 with more games to go.

"I like where we're going and where we're headed. We're not done yet by any means but it's obviously a good benchmark that you want to get to," Holsinger said.

Montana's 20.7 percent shooting from the 3-point line on Saturday was partly its own doing, partly Idaho's, which watched the Lady Griz go 14 for 22 from the 3-point line when Montana won 79-68 in Moscow last month.

Montana missed early and often from the arc, going 0 for 7 in the first quarter, 3 for 15 in the first half and 3 for 21 through three quarters.

That allowed Idaho to lead for most of the first quarter, with Montana holding a slim 12-11 advantage after 10 minutes.

The Lady Griz built their lead to 11, 32-21, late in the second quarter, but right when it felt like Montana was going to take control, Kennedy Johnson and Asha Phillips scored six straight points for the Vandals, and the halftime lead was just seven, 34-27.

Johnson and Phillips had 22 of Idaho's 27 points at the half and were keeping the Vandals close.

"I challenged our girls at half, listen, you have to guard those kids one on one. I think they ended up with 29. That was the goal," said Holsinger, who subbed late in the game for an exhausted MJ Bruno, who brings the tenacity on that end of the floor like no other. "MJ was fantastic."

With Johnson and Phillips, who combined to make three second-half baskets, in check, Montana steadily pulled away in the second half, even going 3 for 8 (!) from the 3-point line in the fourth quarter, proving that the Lady Griz still have it, even if it hasn't been seen for a while.

"We haven't shot great for a couple games now. We have to get our shots going again and get back on track," said Holsinger. "We have to get our offense back rolling, but when you're not shooting it well, you have to defend. We shot 35 and 20 (percent) today and won by 16."

On an afternoon that felt like a struggle on the offensive end, Montana still showed off its biggest strength, its balance, with five players in double figures.

Maggie Espenmiller-McGraw, one of three seniors honored before the game, scored 16 points, with five of her made field goals coming on strong drives to the basket, the day's exemplar.

"People switch us over and over to take away the three," said Holsinger. "You can take advantage of that mismatch in the post or by going one-on-one from the perimeter. Today I challenged them to go to the rim.

"Teams don't want to give up threes. Then if you drive it and they don't help, you have to go score. Today we did that."

Carmen Gfeller, also a senior, scored 12 points, Mack Konig finished with 11 and Gina Marxen, senior No. 3, and Macey Huard both added 10. Dani Bartsch grabbed 12 rebounds, her sixth time in the last eight games with 10 or more.

The outcome sent Gfeller, Marxen and Espenmiller-McGraw out winners in their final regular-season game at home.

"They're great kids and really good basketball players too," said Holsinger. "They've given a lot, but we've got more games to play."

Montana, locked into the No. 3 seed at the Big Sky Conference tournament, which opens next Saturday in Boise, will wrap up the regular season with a game at Idaho State on Monday night.

The Bengals (11-17, 7-10 BSC) will go into Monday's game with just one win in their last eight games. Montana won the first meeting in Missoula 66-55.