RENO, Nev. (March 9, 2016) – A furious rally by the Montana Lady Griz wasn’t enough to stop the North Dakota Fighting Hawks from advancing to the Big Sky Women’s Basketball Championship semifinals.
With the Fighting Hawks leading 51-37 entering the final period, Montana outscored North Dakota, 25-14, in the final period. However, a series of late free throws and stops by North Dakota helped the Fighting Hawks survive and advance, thanks to a 65-62 win over Montana.
The Fighting Hawks held a 58-48 lead with 4:38 left in the final period, before Montana went on a 7-0 run to get within three, 58-55, with 3:13 left. Montana would take a brief 62-60 lead with 1:22 remaining, before North Dakota closed on a 5-0 run. The Lady Griz had a final shot at victory, but a shot attempt by Alycia Sims was off, forcing Montana to foul.
Outside of the final period, North Dakota limited Montana’s offense, limiting the Fighting Hawks to 35.6 percent shooting (21-of-59), including a 2-of-18 (11.1 percent) performance from behind the arc.
Fouls and free throws were a part of the game, with both teams combining for 46 fouls and 47 free-throw attempts. North Dakota made 21-of-24 foul shots.
A key statistic in the game was North Dakota’s 17-9 advantage in bench points.
Montana’s Kayleigh Valley finished with 30 points and nine rebounds, leading all scorers. The only other scorer in double figures for the Lady Griz was McCalle Feller, who finished with 12 points.
Samantha Roscoe and Makailah Dyer both finished with 16 points, with Leah Szabla contributing 13 points.
North Dakota will play Idaho State in Friday’s semifinals at the Reno Events Center. The game will tipoff at 12:05 p.m., and will be available on WatchBigSky.com.