OGDEN, Utah (January 14, 2017) – There’s always the certainty for games to be previews on the #RoadToReno, but Saturday’s game in Greeley, between Northern Colorado and Montana State, is the type of game you can absolutely expect to see again in March.
Featuring two of the league’s top contenders, the Bears prevailed over the Bobcats, earning a 66-58 win. Northern Colorado outscored Montana State, 21-14, in the fourth quarter, sending the Bears to a perfect 6-0 in league play.
It was Montana State who controlled early, leading 18-7 after the first period. However, the Bears quickly rebounded, with the score tied at 26-26 at halftime.
Free throws helped tell part of the story, as Northern Colorado made 12-of-17, while Montana State made just 5-of-7. Defense also played a strong role, as Northern Colorado forced 28 MSU turnovers.
Northern Colorado finished with four double-digit scorers, led by Savannah Smith’s 15 points. Oliana Squires led Montana State with 17 points.
North Dakota 73, Montana 63 – A close game at halftime turned into a confident North Dakota victory, as the Fighting Hawks moved to 5-1 in league play.
The Fighting Hawks held a 28-26 halftime lead over the Lady Griz, before outscoring Montana 27-20 in the third quarter, taking a 55-46 lead into the final period. Neither team played especially well offensively, with Montana leading the pace at 39.7 percent.
Where North Dakota made its mark came with second-chance points, as the Fighting Hawks held a 19-7 advantage in that category. UND also made eight three-point shots, compared to Montana’s five triples.
Montana’s Madi Schoening led all scorers, finishing with 22 points. North Dakota’s Lexi Klabo scored 21 points, on 8-of-11 shooting.
Sacramento State 82, Northern Arizona 76 – After a slow start to the league season, the Sacramento State Hornets are now riding a two-game league winning streak.
The Hornets led narrowly, 78-76, late in the fourth quarter, before icing away the game at the free-throw line. While Sacramento State led for most of the game, it was never a lead that became dominating, with the Hornets leading by 13 in the third quarter.
However, the Hornets made the critical plays, thanks to defense, as they held the Lumberjacks without a field goal for the last 3:20. Additionally, Sacramento State forced 27 Northern Arizona turnovers, scoring 28 points off those turnovers.
NAU’s Kaleigh Paplow was the game’s leading scorer, finishing with 20 points, with teammate Olivia Lucero finishing with 17 points. Gretchen Harrigan led Sacramento State, finishing with 14 points.
Idaho State 67, Idaho 60 – A dominant fourth quarter helped the Idaho State Bengals earn the first round of the battle for the state of Idaho, as ISU downed its cross-state foe.
Idaho State outscored the Vandals 20-8 in the final period, after trailing 52-47 at the end of the third quarter. The Bengals shutdown the Vandals, offensively, as Idaho missed its last 12 field goal tries, good for a scoring drought of 4:40.
The Vandals led 21-15 after the first quarter, but finished with marks of just 18-of-55 from the floor (32.7 percent) and 7-of-31 (22.6 percent) from three-point range. The Vandals led by as much as 11 midway through the second quarter, but the run simply couldn’t last.
Idaho State’s Saylair Grandon led all scorers in the game with 24 points, while Lindsay Brown contributed 15 points for the Bengals. Geri McCorkell led the Vandals with 23 points.
Portland State 81, Southern Utah 74 – A strong third quarter propelled Portland State to its second straight #BigSkyWBB victory.
The Vikings outscored the Thunderbirds, 25-17, in the third quarter, taking control in a game where PSU trailed at halftime, 36-33. Two tremendous performances, by Ashley Bolston and Sidney Rielly, helped Portland State stay strong throughout a back-and-forth game. Bolston and Rielly both finished with 28 points, scoring a combined 56 of PSU’s 81 points.
After a strong start offensively, Southern Utah’s shooting cooled off. Southern Utah finished with marks of 41.2 percent from the floor (28-of-68), and just 26.3 percent from three (5-of-19).
Portland State controlled the paint, getting a 38-28 advantage in points-in-the-paint. The Vikings’ physicality also helped them to an edge at the line, as they made 20-of-28 free throws, compared to SUU’s 13-of-15.
The Vikings will host Northern Arizona in a rare Monday #BigSkyWBB contest.
Eastern Washington 99, Weber State 85 – In her best performance of the season, Eastern Washington’s Delaney Hodgins finished with 26 points, hitting 10-of-15 shots in the offense-heavy Eagle victory.
In spite of going without a field goal for the last four minutes of the game, Eastern Washington dominated the lead, most of the game, leading by 24 points midway through the fourth quarter. That offensive success came as the Eagles shot 57.1 percent from the floor, and 52.9 percent from three-point range.
Hodgins finished the day by making 10-of-15 shots. Not to be outdone, teammate Ashli Payne also finished with 26 points, while finishing with 11 rebounds. Deeshyra Thomas led Weber State with 23 points.