OGDEN, Utah (January 26, 2017) – The North Dakota Fighting Hawks keep finding ways to win, in spite of some extraordinary circumstances.
The Fighting Hawks never trailed in their game against Southern Utah, controlling from the opening tip. However, UND had to survive a late Thunderbirds comeback that ended in futility, as
the Fighting Hawks earned a 75-70 home win over Southern Utah.
North Dakota led 36-22 at halftime, after making 9-of-15 shots in the second quarter. The Fighting Hawks limited Southern Utah’s offense, specifically from distance, as the Thunderbirds made just 2-of-7 three-point shots (28.6 percent).
Where Southern Utah did dominate was in other categories, as the Thunderbirds outscored the Fighting Hawks in the paint (36-22), off the bench (36-24), and on second-chance points (15-6). However, UND’s advantage at the free-throw line made the difference, as North Dakota made 19-of-27 compared to Southern Utah’s 8-of-15.
Fallyn Freije led the Fighting Hawks with 16 points, while Makailah Dyer and Lexi Klabo finished with 13 points. Southern Utah’s Darri Frandsen finished with 16 points.
Northern Colorado 75, Northern Arizona 64- The Northern Colorado Bears controlled the pace of a home conference game against the Lumberjacks, earning a victory that kept them undefeated in league play.
The Bears led 21-7 at the end of the opening period, taking a 39-27 lead into halftime. Northern Colorado shot 56.5 percent in the first half (13-of-23), as they did little wrong offensively. Other than the 16 turnovers, it was an ideal performance for the Big Sky leaders.
For Northern Arizona, they cut the deficit to nine points, 32-23, after a Catelyn Preston three-point shot midway through the second quarter. However, 21 personal fouls for the Lumberjacks kept giving the Bears opportunities to extend their lead, and UNC converted on 14-of-18 free throws.
Northern Colorado’s Courtney Smith made 12-of-15 shots, finishing with a cool 28 points. Olivia Lucero led the Lumberjacks with 16 points.
Montana State 66, Idaho 61 – In a battle between the defending regular season and tourney champion in #BigSkyWBB, it was the defending regular season champion who came out on top, as Montana State earned a road win over Idaho.
With the score tied at 48-48 heading the final period, Montana State held Idaho to 3-of-12 field goals (25 percent), outscoring the Vandals 18-13 in the fourth quarter. The Vandals made just one of their last seven field goal tries.
While the missed shots hurt, it was turnovers that consistently hurt the chances for Idaho to move on, as the Vandals committed 20 giveaways. To make matters more painful, Montana State scored 22 points off those turnovers, which made up for their own offensive struggles.
There wasn’t a lot of struggle for Montana State’s Peyton Ferris, who led all scorers with 24 points. Ferris also added nine rebounds. Geri McCorkell led Idaho with 22 points.
Eastern Washington 64, Montana 57 – The Montana Lady Griz have traditionally been the behemoths of the Big Sky, but that has not been the case this season.
Still, it looked like the Lady Griz were poised to right a season that has been filled with many difficulties, leading 36-29 at halftime against Eastern Washington. Unfortunately, a second-half of offensive struggles downed the Lady Griz, allowing the Eagles to earn the crucial home win.
Eastern Washington outscored Montana in the third quarter, 23-13, while besting them 35-21 in the second half. Neither team produced much offense in the final period, with Montana going on a scoring drought of 3:42 in the period. The Eagles limited the Lady Griz to just 29.6 percent shooting in the second half (8-of-27), and killed Montana on the offensive glass, holding a 15-5 advantage in offensive rebounds.
It was another marquee performance for Eastern Washington’s Tisha Phillips, who finished with 26 points. Teammate Delaney Hodgins contributed 18 points. Hailey Nicholson and Taylor Goligoski finished with 13 points apiece, for Montana.