Thursday, February 6
Missoula, Mont.
7 PM
Montana
10-12, 6-5BSC
70
vs
64
Northern Colorado
10-12, 3-8BSC
1
2
3
4
F
Northern Colo.
13
13
12
26
64
Montana
11
17
14
28
70
Photo by: Taylor Decker/University of Montana
Lady Griz pull out six-point win
2/6/2025 10:31:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Northern Colorado got the game it wanted on Thursday night at Dahlberg Arena: low-scoring until a frantic fourth quarter, physical, possession after possession that went deep into the shot clock.
But, in the end, Montana got what mattered most, a victory, using a scoring run in the third quarter and another in the fourth to pull away for a 70-64 victory over the Bears.
The Lady Griz (10-12, 6-5 BSC) have now won a season-high three consecutive games and have five wins in their last seven games.
Izabella Zingaro dominated the inside, going for 21 points on 9-of-12 shooting, and Tyler McCliment-Call continued her red-hot shooting from the 3-point line, going 5 for 6 from the arc and scoring 19 points.
And then there was the beyond-a-freshman game by Avery Waddington, who didn't shoot it well but still grabbed 13 rebounds and dished out five assists, both season highs. Her 11 points gave Waddington her second collegiate double-double.
It all added up to just enough on a night when Aby Shubert missed her third consecutive game and Dani Bartsch sat the final 36 minutes after getting the start against the Bears (10-12, 3-8 BSC).
It was an all-hands-on-deck kind of game, and the Lady Griz came through.
"Proud of the overall effort," said acting head coach Nate Harris. "We had to find a way to get it done, and we did that today."
The teams played to a 57-49 Northern Colorado win when they met up in Greeley last month, and Thursday's game had the same type of feel to it, Montana leading 28-26 at the half after 20 minutes of rock fighting.
"Northern Colorado never makes it easy," said Harris. "They hang around and find ways to hang in games. I'm always so impressed by their ability to keep things close and make it a grind. They understand their style and play to it. They are a hard team to play."
Considering Northern Colorado had only reached 60 points just once in its last 12 games, it felt like Montana had gained some winning separation early in the third quarter when McCliment-Call, Zingaro and Waddington all hit 3-pointers as part of a 9-0 run that turned a 28-28 tie into a 37-28 lead.
But the Bears would dig in and answer it with a scoring run of their own, pulling to within one, 39-38, late in the third quarter.
The second half belonged to Zingaro, who was a perfect 5 for 5 over the back half of the game, a stretch that included a no-hesitation 3-pointer, her second make of the season on three attempts from the arc.
The bulk of her points came where she is at her best, spinning and pinning defenders under the basket. She has now totaled 45 points over the last three games on 64 percent shooting after going 10 straight games without reaching double digits.
"We've simplified things and have tried to get her touches in certain spots," said Harris. "Proud of her ability to stay the course and trust the process. I credit her teammates as well for getting her the ball in great spots. If you're going to try to guard her one-on-one, you're going to have a problem."
After Northern Colorado pulled within one late in the third quarter, McCliment-Call hit a 3-pointer to make it a 42-38 game going into the fourth. McCliment-Call is now 22 for 40 (.550) from the arc the last seven games.
Waddington opened the final period with a basket, and Zingaro finished an and-one to rebuild the lead back to nine, 47-38.
The lead three times reached 12 down the stretch, and it was still a dozen, 68-56, with less than a minute to go before Neenah George hit back-to-back 3-pointers in 16 seconds. A Gabi Fields basket with 10 seconds left made it 68-64, but the Bears ran out of time.
Montana outscored Northern Colorado 28-26 in the final period, the Lady Griz going 9 for 12 overall, the Bears 5 for 7 from the 3-point line.
"I thought our defense was great until that last three minutes," said Harris. "They got desperate and we didn't answer their desperation down the stretch. They started playing really fast. Credit to them for how aggressive they got."
Montana shot 63.6 percent in the second half, 50 percent for the game, only its second time since November shooting 50 percent or better. The Lady Griz went an efficient 9 of 16 (.563) from the 3-point line.
Montana will now turn its attention to Northern Arizona (18-6, 9-2 BSC), which lost 73-66 at Montana State on Thursday. The Lumberjacks have won nine of their last 11 games, their only losses being six-point and seven-point setbacks against the Big Sky-leading Bobcats.
Northern Arizona defeated Montana 65-46 when the teams met in Flagstaff last month.
"They are one of the class teams in our league, one of the most offensively talented teams in our league," said Harris. "It's going to be a huge challenge but we're going to show up, get after them and give it our best shot. They are a good team but we're going to compete like crazy."
Saturday's game tips off at 2 p.m. inside Dahlberg Arena.
But, in the end, Montana got what mattered most, a victory, using a scoring run in the third quarter and another in the fourth to pull away for a 70-64 victory over the Bears.
The Lady Griz (10-12, 6-5 BSC) have now won a season-high three consecutive games and have five wins in their last seven games.
Izabella Zingaro dominated the inside, going for 21 points on 9-of-12 shooting, and Tyler McCliment-Call continued her red-hot shooting from the 3-point line, going 5 for 6 from the arc and scoring 19 points.
And then there was the beyond-a-freshman game by Avery Waddington, who didn't shoot it well but still grabbed 13 rebounds and dished out five assists, both season highs. Her 11 points gave Waddington her second collegiate double-double.
It all added up to just enough on a night when Aby Shubert missed her third consecutive game and Dani Bartsch sat the final 36 minutes after getting the start against the Bears (10-12, 3-8 BSC).
It was an all-hands-on-deck kind of game, and the Lady Griz came through.
"Proud of the overall effort," said acting head coach Nate Harris. "We had to find a way to get it done, and we did that today."
The teams played to a 57-49 Northern Colorado win when they met up in Greeley last month, and Thursday's game had the same type of feel to it, Montana leading 28-26 at the half after 20 minutes of rock fighting.
"Northern Colorado never makes it easy," said Harris. "They hang around and find ways to hang in games. I'm always so impressed by their ability to keep things close and make it a grind. They understand their style and play to it. They are a hard team to play."
Considering Northern Colorado had only reached 60 points just once in its last 12 games, it felt like Montana had gained some winning separation early in the third quarter when McCliment-Call, Zingaro and Waddington all hit 3-pointers as part of a 9-0 run that turned a 28-28 tie into a 37-28 lead.
But the Bears would dig in and answer it with a scoring run of their own, pulling to within one, 39-38, late in the third quarter.
The second half belonged to Zingaro, who was a perfect 5 for 5 over the back half of the game, a stretch that included a no-hesitation 3-pointer, her second make of the season on three attempts from the arc.
The bulk of her points came where she is at her best, spinning and pinning defenders under the basket. She has now totaled 45 points over the last three games on 64 percent shooting after going 10 straight games without reaching double digits.
"We've simplified things and have tried to get her touches in certain spots," said Harris. "Proud of her ability to stay the course and trust the process. I credit her teammates as well for getting her the ball in great spots. If you're going to try to guard her one-on-one, you're going to have a problem."
After Northern Colorado pulled within one late in the third quarter, McCliment-Call hit a 3-pointer to make it a 42-38 game going into the fourth. McCliment-Call is now 22 for 40 (.550) from the arc the last seven games.
Waddington opened the final period with a basket, and Zingaro finished an and-one to rebuild the lead back to nine, 47-38.
The lead three times reached 12 down the stretch, and it was still a dozen, 68-56, with less than a minute to go before Neenah George hit back-to-back 3-pointers in 16 seconds. A Gabi Fields basket with 10 seconds left made it 68-64, but the Bears ran out of time.
Montana outscored Northern Colorado 28-26 in the final period, the Lady Griz going 9 for 12 overall, the Bears 5 for 7 from the 3-point line.
"I thought our defense was great until that last three minutes," said Harris. "They got desperate and we didn't answer their desperation down the stretch. They started playing really fast. Credit to them for how aggressive they got."
Montana shot 63.6 percent in the second half, 50 percent for the game, only its second time since November shooting 50 percent or better. The Lady Griz went an efficient 9 of 16 (.563) from the 3-point line.
Montana will now turn its attention to Northern Arizona (18-6, 9-2 BSC), which lost 73-66 at Montana State on Thursday. The Lumberjacks have won nine of their last 11 games, their only losses being six-point and seven-point setbacks against the Big Sky-leading Bobcats.
Northern Arizona defeated Montana 65-46 when the teams met in Flagstaff last month.
"They are one of the class teams in our league, one of the most offensively talented teams in our league," said Harris. "It's going to be a huge challenge but we're going to show up, get after them and give it our best shot. They are a good team but we're going to compete like crazy."
Saturday's game tips off at 2 p.m. inside Dahlberg Arena.
Team Stats
UNC
UM
FG%
.462
.500
3FG%
.429
.563
FT%
.714
.750
RB
26
32
TO
10
14
STL
9
2
Game Leaders
Pts
21
FGM
9
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
19
FGM
7
3FGM
5
FTM
0
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballF
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