OGDEN, Utah (February 4, 2017) – Saturday was an important day in #BigSkyWBB, as three of the league’s top programs faced important games.
However, no game carried the weight of the matchup between the league-leading Northern Colorado Bears and second place North Dakota Fighting Hawks. The duo entered a matchup in Greeley on Saturday, searching for separation in a matchup of league powers.
North Dakota got that separation against the Bears early, and in the process picked up a 57-51 win over Northern Colorado that tied the Fighting Hawks for the league lead.
The Fighting Hawks used strong defense and efficient offense to lead 14-4 after the first quarter. While Northern Colorado powered back to trail just 26-25 at halftime, another UND run in the third quarter proved to be too much for UNC to overcome. The Bears shot just 25 percent for the game (16-of-64), while hitting just 4-of-25 three-point attempts.
While North Dakota’s offensive numbers weren’t dramatically better, the Fighting Hawks held a 15-7 edge in points off turnovers. Also, the Fighting Hawks’ bench outscored UNC’s bench, 26-10.
North Dakota had just one double-digit score in Fallyn Freije, who finished with 10 points. Northern Colorado’s Savannah Scott led all scorers with 22 points.
Montana State 75, Montana 69 – The Montana State Bobcats inched closer towards the top of the league, surviving an overtime contest in Missoula against the Montana Lady Griz.
Tied 60-60 at the end of regulation, the Bobcats outscored Montana 15-5 in overtime, going on a 6-0 run to start the period. Montana State had the ball at the end of regulation, but a missed jump shot by Hannah Caudill ended the fourth quarter.
Montana trailed entering the fourth quarter, 43-41, but went on a 10-2 run to lead 60-51 with 2:34 remaining. However, the Bobcats would close regulation on a 9-0 run of their own.
Neither team played an especially clean game, with a combination of 29 turnovers. Also, neither team was able to take advantage of free throws, with Montana State making 14-of-22 while Montana made 13-of-24.
Montana State guard Peyton Ferris led all scorers in the game with 27 points, while Montana’s Taylor Goligowski led the Lady Griz with 19 points. The Bobcats' Delaney Junkermier finished with 13 points, scoring the last three points of regulation.
Eastern Washington 68, Portland State 62 – The Eastern Washington Eagles jumped out to an early lead over the Portland State Vikings and powered to a road win.
The Eagles led 14-7 after the first period, leading for almost the entire game. EWU led 45-37 midway through the fourth quarter, before the Vikings went on a 9-2 run to cut the deficit to 47-46 with 7:14 remaining.
For the second consecutive game, Eastern Washington was powered by the duo of Tisha Phillips and Delaney Hodgins. The pair scored 37 points, with Phillips posting 19 points and making 4-of-5 three-point shots. Hodgins finished with 18 points.
Portland State was led by Ashley Bolston, who ended with 18 points.
Eastern Washington swept its two-game road swing, beating Sacramento State and Portland State.
Idaho 72, Sacramento State 58 – Team defense and a balanced offensive attack lifted the Idaho Vandals to a road win over the Sacramento State Hornets.
Idaho held a 33-21 halftime lead, after limiting Sacramento State to 24.3 percent shooting (9-of-37). The Hornets were also 0-of-7 from three-point range, making just 2-of-15 in the game.
The Vandals led 67-39 midway through the fourth quarter after a layup by Karlee Wilson. Sacramento State closed the game on a 19-5 run, as Idaho made just two of its last nine shots.
Mikayla Ferenz led the Vandals with 17 points, with three other double-digit scorers. Maranne Johnson led the Hornets with 23 points.
The Vandals also swept the West Coast road swing.
Weber State 75, Northern Arizona 64 – The Weber State Wildcats used a 10-0 run spanned over the third and fourth quarter to gain a cushion over the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks that helped complete a road sweep.
Deeshyra Thomas had jumpers that started and capped that key run, as NAU missed its last six shots of the third quarter, allowing the Wildcats to extend their one-point halftime lead to nine heading into the final quarter before leading by double digits most of the remainder of the game.
NAU led for most of the first half before Yarden Danan’s late 3-pointer put WSU on top for good. Danan hit 5 of 8 shots from deep, and the Wildcats had 11 as a team compared to NAU’s 4-of-19 perimeter outing.
Danan led WSU with 21 points while J’aiamoni Welch-Coleman (16 points, four assists) and Thomas (10 points) also reached double figures. NAU’s Olivia Lucero had a game-high 27 points to go with seven boards.
Weber State claimed its second straight win after snapping a five-game losing streak Thursday.
Idaho State 71, Southern Utah 68 (2OT) – The Idaho State Bengals had another rally in the tank, closing the game on an 11-0 run to outlast the Southern Utah Thunderbirds in a double-overtime thriller.
SUU had put together an 8-0 run capped by a 3-pointer from Tiarra McDonald to go up 68-60 with two minutes left. ISU clawed back with Estefania Ors and Bianca Thacker each hitting 3-pointers to pull within one while Ors hit the game-winner with 28 seconds left.
It was a gritty victory for the Bengals, as they also rallied from a late 40-52 deficit to force overtime. ISU used clutch shooting from deep to erase those deficits, connecting on 13 shots beyond the arc.
Five players scored in double figures for ISU including Lindsay Brown (15), Saylair Grandon (12), Sai Tapasa (11), Grace Kenyon (10) and Ors (10). Jessica Richardson and Whitney Johnson paced SUU with 14 and 13 points, respectively.
The Bengals earned their third straight win and swept its weekend road trip.