RENO, Nev. (March 7, 2016) – When it comes to the postseason, no team has performed better in the history of Big Sky women’s basketball than the Montana Lady Griz.
The Lady Griz missed out on a bye into the quarterfinals in the 2016 Big Sky Conference Championships, thanks to a tiebreaker, and were locked in a tight battle with 12-seed Northern Arizona midway through the third quarter. However, responding like a defending league champion, Montana outscored the Lumberjacks in the fourth quarter, 27-14, earning a 78-63 win that belied the game’s difficulty.
After shooting just 37.5 percent in the first half, the Lady Griz made 16-of-30 (53.3 percent) shots in the second half, including making 4-of-8 three-point shots. Conversely, Montana held Northern Arizona to 38.9 percent shooting in the game.
The two teams traded baskets, with Northern Arizona tying the game at 49-49 with 1:35 remaining in the third quarter. However, Montana went on a 29-14 run to close out the game.
The Lady Griz controlled the paint, outscoring the ‘Jacks 30-18. Also, Montana earned 13 points off Northern Arizona turnovers.
Montana’s McCalle Feller led all scorers with 28 points, making 12-of-23 field goals in the game. Unanimous first-team All-Big Sky selection Kayleigh Valley finished with 23 points for the Lady Griz. Alycia Sims posted a double-double, of ten points and ten rebounds.
Big Sky Freshman of the Year Alyssa Rader finished with 18 points in the game, leading Northern Arizona in scoring yet again.
Montana will play North Dakota at 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The game will be streamed on WatchBigSky.com.
The Fighting Hawks defeated the Lady Griz, 73-61, on Mar. 2.