OGDEN, Utah (January 12, 2017) - The Montana State Bobcats and the North Dakota Fighting Hawks are two of the teams who are expected to be there for the long haul in #BigSkyWBB, and they didn’t disappoint in an overtime thriller in Grand Forks.
The Bobcats, who’ve stayed on a tear since the return of Riley Nordgaard from injury, found their way to another victory, earning a 74-71 overtime road win over North Dakota, downing one of the league’s two remaining undefeated teams.
North Dakota outscored Montana State, 38-27, in the second half to force overtime. Both teams were unable to take advantage of their final possessions in regulation, and it came down to Montana State taking advantage of final possessions in overtime. This time, UND was unable to convert on the last possession, sending MSU to a road win.
Neither team had an outstanding offensive performance, but North Dakota had particular offensive struggles, making just 2-of-15 shots from three-point range. The offensive struggles were particularly acute in the first half, with Montana State taking a 38-28 lead into halftime.
Montana State’s Peyton Ferris, the reigning #BigSkyWBB player of the week, finished with a game-high 32 points, along with 8 rebounds. North Dakota’s Makailah Dyer led the Fighting Hawks with 19 points.
Northern Colorado 65, Montana 46 – The Northern Colorado Bears took over solo first place in the Big Sky, staying undefeated after a dominating home win over the Montana Lady Griz.
The Bears took a 19-9 lead after the first period, and never trailed by less than double digits throughout the remainder of the game. The Lady Griz and their offensive struggles didn’t help change the conversation, as Montana made just 1-of-11 three-point shots, while shooting 30.4 percent from the field (14-of-46).
Savannah Scott continued her strong play, finishing with 15 points for the Bears. McKenzie Johnston finished with 10 points for the Lady Griz.
Idaho 95, Weber State 77 – The Idaho Vandals continued their winning ways against the Weber State Wildcats, following up a victory in the 2016 conference tourney with a win in the 2017 regular season.
Weber State led 28-17 after the first period, with the Wildcats hitting 11-of-15 shots. However, from there, the Vandals were on fire, outscoring Weber 78-49, including 53-32 in the second half. Weber’s red-hot shooting cooled off to be just 36.6 percent for the game.
Idaho’s bench consistently proved to be a difference maker in the game, as the bench outscored Weber’s, 43-17. The Vandals also dominated the glass, outrebounding Weber State, 47-37.
Mikayla Ferenz led the Vandals with 28 points, while Geraldine McCorkell finished with 22 points. Jocelyn Adams and Kailie Quinn led Weber with 17 points.
Eastern Washington 58, Idaho State 41 – A low-scoring affair, and a tough night offensively for Idaho State, helped the Eagles to a 3-1 record in #BigSkyWBB.
The Eagles limited the Bengals to 29.3 percent shooting (17-of-58), with Idaho State going 0-of-13 on three-point shots. In spite of the struggles, Eastern Washington held just a five-point lead, 38-33, entering the fourth quarter. From there, the Eagles closed the game on a 20-8 run, moving to 2-0 in league play at Reese Court.
Turnovers were a consistent problem for the Bengals, as they committed 26 giveaways. Eastern Washington scored 24 points off those giveaways.
Eastern Washington’s Tisha Phillips led all scorers with 21 points, scoring 8 points at the free-throw line. Grace Kenyon was the lone scorer in double-digits for Idaho State, finishing with ten points.
Sacramento State 81, Southern Utah 69 – The Sacramento State Hornets earned their first win of the #BigSkyWBB season, getting a home victory over Southern Utah.
A dominant start for the Hornets helped them to a 34-17 first quarter lead, as Sacramento State led by as much as 26 midway through the third quarter. It was a night where Southern Utah performed well-enough offensively, shooting 51.7 percent (31-of-60). Instead, it was turnovers that cost the Thunderbirds, as they committed 33 on the night. The Hornets turned those turnovers into 27 points, helping Sac State considerably.
Ashlyn Crenshaw and Gretchen Harrigan both contributed 18 points for the Hornets, who had four scorers finish in double figures. Darri Frandsen led the Thunderbirds offensively, finishing with a double-double of 19 points and 10 rebounds.