Big Sky women's tournament

BIG SKY WOMEN’S TOURNAMENT DAY 3: Lumberjacks book title game trip, face surging Bobcats

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Tuesday’s upsets set up two interesting semifinals in the Big Sky women’s basketball tournament. With No. 1 seed Idaho State falling to Northern Colorado in the quarterfinals, No. 2 Montana State became the highest remaining seed. The Bobcats got a classic Big Sky matchup between their head coach Tricia Binford and Idaho’s Jon Newlee, two of the three longest-tenured coaches in the conference, after the No. 6 Vandals knocked off Southern Utah.

In the other quarterfinal, No. 4 Northern Arizona ended Northern Colorado’s run with a 72-67 win, booking their first ticket to a conference title game under Loree Payne.

No. 2 Montana State 73, No. 6 Idaho 67

It’s become almost an annual affair in Boise: two of the Big Sky Conference’s top women’s basketball teams square off in an exciting affair that is sure to be a fan pleaser.

Montana State 17th-year head coach Tricia Binford and Idaho 14th-year head coach Jon Newlee each coach with a similar philosophy of instilling confidence in their players, even if Newlee prioritizes an edge and Binford employs a more holistic, family feel.

In the best game of the tournament so far, the Bobcats and the Vandals went back and forth from start to finish. MSU started the game with a 14-4 run but Idaho responded with a 17-3 run to take a 35-25 lead with four minutes left in the first half.

Montana State rallied back again, capping the first half with a Darian White 3-pointer at the first half buzzer to close the first 20 with Idaho ahead 40-39.

In the second half, the lead changed seven times and was tied six more times in yet another classic between two of the strongest programs in the conference. White finished with 16 points and fellow junior Kola Bad Bear, who ripped it up in Tuesday’s quarterfinals with 23 points, added 15 points. Sophomore K.J. Limardo was clutch, hitting four 3-pointers and finished with 16 points while fellow sophomore Leia Beattie added 15 points.

Montana State moves into its fourth tournament championship game under Tricia Binford, including the third in the last six years ago if you include the title game that didn’t happen in 2020. The Bobcats play fourth-seeded Northern Arizona at 1 p.m. on Friday.

No. 4 Northern Arizona 72, No. 8 Northern Colorado 67

The Lumberjacks have steadily improved under Payne, the Havre native and former Washington star; in her fifth season, they’re heading to the conference title game for the first time after ending Northern Colorado’s Cinderella run.

BOX SCORE

Northern Arizona led by double digits not even five minutes into the game, holding the Bears to two Kurstyn Harden layups in the first seven minutes, and by as many as 19 points in the third quarter.

But Northern Colorado, which easily handled Eastern Washington in the first round before shockingly blowing out No. 1 Idaho State in the quarters on Tuesday, mounted a run behind the shooting of Hannah Simental, who scored 10 of UNC’s points during a 12-3 run that cut NAU’s lead to four with under two minutes to play.

Miki’ala Maio made four free throws in the final minute to clinch things for Northern Arizona.

Simental scored a career-high 27 points for Northern Colorado, but the Lumberjacks limited Harden, coming off a 23-point outing against the Bengals, to 14 points and nine rebounds.

Khiarica Rasheed led Northern Arizona with 16 points, and guards Regan Schenck and Maio added 12 apiece.

The Lumberjacks have won the Big Sky tournament once in their history, in 2005-06.

Northern Colorado finished 15-16 in head coach Kristen Mattio’s first season.

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About Andrew Houghton

Andrew Houghton grew up in Washington, DC. He graduated from the University of Montana journalism school in December 2015 and spent time working on the sports desk at the Daily Tribune News in Cartersville, Georgia, before moving back to Missoula and becoming a part of Skyline Sports in early 2018.

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