Vandals top Lady Griz

Thursday, January 8

Missoula, Mont.

7 PM

Montana

3-11, 0-3BSC

Idaho

11-4, 2-0BSC

Idaho

Montana

Photo by: Coral Scoles-Coburn

1/8/2026 10:20:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Photo Gallery

By: Montana Sports Information

The Montana women's basketball team dropped its Big Sky Conference home opener on Thursday night at Dahlberg Arena, falling to Idaho 67-50.

The Lady Griz (3-11, 0-3 BSC), playing without senior playmaker Mack Konig, held the Vandals (11-4, 2-0 BSC), one of the nation's top scoring teams, to more than 14 points below their average, but 23 turnovers and 32.1 percent shooting didn't allow Montana to keep up.

"We did some good things against a pretty good offensive team but we didn't do enough good things," said coach Nate Harris. "What an opportunity for us to respond and get better and try to fight our way through this. We've got some challenges in front of us."

Montana gave itself a chance by forcing 20 Idaho turnovers, but the Vandals overcame a season-low 51 shots by making 51.0 percent of them and going 14 for 23 (.609) in the second half.

With the game tied 11-11 midway through the first quarter, Montana went more than eight minutes across two quarters without a point, allowing Idaho to go up 10, a comfortable lead the Vandals would hold on to for their second straight win in Missoula, their fifth ever.

Idaho led 29-19 at the half and 54-40 after three quarters despite Montana going 7 for 14 in the third period and hitting five of its eight 3-point attempts. The Vandal lead grew in the third because they shot 9 for 13 and hit half of their six 3-point attempts.

"It was great to come alive in the third quarter but we didn't defend the way we did in the first half to cut into their lead," said Harris. "They scored it just as well.

"All the other quarters were just kind of grind-it-out, where we never looked very comfortable offensively, which will happen when you lose your point guard."

Particularly in the first half, Montana often went deep into shot clocks before having to force a shot with time winding down, early growing pains without Konig, who leads the Lady Griz in scoring and assists and had scored 81 points over Montana's last three games.

"Idaho is a team we'd probably pick-and-pop a ton because they don't want to switch their bigs," said Harris. "Just (Mack's) decision-making in the ball-screen would have been key. It's our job to get other people ready and prepared for those situations.

"She is a big piece at 17 (points per game) and has scored it a lot recently, so that was a huge, huge challenge. We have who we have. It's our job to get ready."

The highlight for Montana was the play of Draya Wacker, who got more than 18 minutes off the bench. She scored a career-high 11 points, going 4 for 9 and hitting three 3-pointers.

Jocelyn Land was the only other Lady Griz in double figures, finishing with 15.

"Good night from Draya. I thought she flashed for sure," said Harris.

Avery Waddington hit her first shot of the game, a 3-pointer less than two minutes in but didn't take another shot over the final 38 minutes.

"I have to figure out a way to get Avery more touches and more looks. That was something we didn't do a very good job of. For her to get one attempt, that's something we have to get fixed quickly," said Harris.

The game's difference-maker was Idaho's Kyra Gardner, the Vandals' transfer from Washington State, who finished with 28 points on just 15 shots and added 11 rebounds and seven steals, two games after posting a triple-double against Western Oregon before Christmas.

She went 4 for 6 from the 3-point line. "Kyra Gardner had a great game. She is a no-threes kid, so for her to get up six and make four is disappointing. I thought we did some really good things defensively, then I thought we had some real lapses," said Harris.

Hope Hassmann added 12 points, Lorena Barbosa 10 for Idaho.

Montana went 11 for 28 from the 3-point line, the sixth time this season the Lady Griz have hit 11 or more. Montana struggled to score inside the arc against the Vandals, going 6 for 25.

Starting her first game since the season opener, Kennedy Gillette hit a pair of 3-pointers and scored seven points. Aby Shubert hit a pair of 3-pointers as well, finishing with eight points, a team-high six rebounds and three steals.

Montana will host Eastern Washington (7-8, 0-2 BSC) at 2 p.m. on Saturday. The Eagles gave up a nine-point fourth-quarter lead at Montana State on Thursday, falling 72-70 in overtime.