Waddington comes up big, Lady Griz win second straight

Thursday, January 22

Ogden, Utah

6 PM

Montana

5-13, 2-5BSC

Weber State

6-14, 0-7BSC

Montana

Weber St.

Photos: Weber State Athletics

Waddington comes up big, Lady Griz win second straight

1/22/2026 9:13:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

By: Montana Sports Information

Avery Waddington scored a game-high 20 points, 10 coming in the fourth quarter, to lead the Montana women's basketball team to a 51-50 victory over Weber State on Thursday night at the Dee Events Center in Ogden, Utah.

The Lady Griz, who have won consecutive games for the first time this season, grabbed the lead late in the first quarter and built their advantage to 11 points in the second quarter, 12 in the third before having to hold off the Wildcats down the stretch.

Montana (5-13, 2-5 BSC) took a 41-33 lead into the final period but Weber State (6-14, 0-7 BSC), which was seeking its first Big Sky win, opened the quarter with back-to-back 3-pointers to tighten the game in a hurry.

It would be a one-possession game over the final eight minutes.

Waddington made a pair of game-winning plays in the closing moments. After Weber State tied it at 44-44 with 4:29 to go, Waddington hit a 3-pointer. Her lay-up with 48 seconds left put the Lady Griz up 51-48.

The Wildcats made it 51-50 with 13 seconds left but had only committed one foul in the period. By the time Weber State was able to foul enough to put Montana at the free throw line, the clock had run out.

It was Waddington's third 20-point scoring game of the season, her first since early December. With Mack Konig still sidelined, Montana needed every one of Waddington's points to secure the victory.

"That's what we needed from her today," said coach Nate Harris. "I don't know how many times I told her, lead us there. Take over. This is yours. And she did. She made some huge plays down the stretch."

Montana won despite shooting 7 for 30 from the 3-point line and 35.1 percent overall. Defensively, the Lady Griz held the Wildcats to 33.3 percent shooting and forced 20 turnovers.

"Any win is a good win. I'm never going to apologize for the kids finding a way to get it done," said Harris. "Proud of the kids for battling, proud of the kids for finding a way.

"Our kids really leaned on our defense. We're starting to make some strides as a defensive team that can take some things away."

In a venue that seats more than 11,000 but held fewer than 400 on Thursday night, the game was a grind from the start for both teams, with Montana leading 12-10 after the first quarter.

Draya Wacker scored all five of her points in the second quarter as the Lady Griz were able to build a 29-22 halftime lead.

Rae Ehrman went a perfect 4 for 4 from the 3-point line, her third three of the night giving Montana a 36-24 lead midway through the third quarter.
Weber State scored the final three points of the third period, then opened the fourth with a pair of quick 3-pointers to make it a two-point game and tense over the final nine minutes.

"It's a funky place to play. There is not a lot going on here, so you're kind of on your own," said Harris. "Your team has to really bring the juice. We found a way in an environment that can be hard."

Macy Donarski finished with a career-high four steals, two coming in the fourth quarter, the last her critical takeaway on a Weber inbounds pass from the baseline with 54 seconds left and Montana clinging to a one-point lead.

"I thought she was really aggressive and set the tone with good energy, then I thought we had more active hands," said Harris.

"We did a good job of executing down the stretch. We got some timely steals and some timely stops and we can get out of Weber with a win. Let's see if we can keep this thing going."

Waddington added eight rebounds, three assists and a blocked shot, all team highs. Ehrman matched her season high with four 3-pointers and scored 12 points, two off her season high. Jocelyn Land had seven points and seven rebounds.

Antoniette Emma-Nnopu had 12 points, 14 rebounds, three steals and two blocks for the Wildcats.

Montana will play at Idaho State (12-6, 5-2 BSC) on Saturday at 2 p.m. at Reed Gym in Pocatello. The Bengals handed Montana State its first Big Sky loss of the season on Thursday, topping the Bobcats 79-60.