Big Sky Conference

GAME PREVIEW: Bobcats look for first sweep of Lady Griz in Binford era

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Robin Selvig has seen just about everything as the head coach of the Lady Griz.

Montana’s 38th-year head coach has experienced unprecedented success in as he nears the middle of his fifth decade as the head coach of the UM women’s basketball team. When his Lady Griz fell 61-52 to Montana State in Bozeman last month, it sealed a four-game losing streak, a striking rarity during Selvig’s legendary career.

The loss at MSU capped just the second four-game skid of Selvig’s career. The first came during the 1998-1999 season, the only losing season of Selvig’s career.

Montana head coach Robin Selvig

Montana head coach Robin Selvig

Since the loss in Bozeman, Montana has rallied to win four straight games despite missing second-leading scorer McCalle Feller for the last three. The Lady Griz enter Saturday’s showdown with the rival Bobcats in Missoula with an 8-5 mark, half a game behind Weber State for fourth place. The top four finishers receive first-round byes in the 12-team Big Sky Tournament in Reno next month. Montana is the reigning Big Sky Tournament champions and has qualified for the NCAA Tournament 21 times under Selvig.

“It’s a lot more fun to have some Ws,” Selvig said with a chuckle on Tuesday morning. “We got back home, got a couple, played well last weekend. Nothing has really changed. We lost some tough ones in that stretch and we were playing really good teams in the league on the road in those tough losses. I don’t think there’s been any big change.”

Montana lost on buzzer-beaters to North Dakota and Eastern Washington. The Lady Griz fell at Idaho and at Montana State, two of the Big Sky’s top teams this season. UM got back on track with a 90-83 win over frantic Sacramento State before punishing Portland State 76-57 at home. Last weekend, Montana posted an 81-50 win at Southern Utah and a 61-57 win at Northern Arizona.

Feller, a Lewistown native, is averaging 17.8 points per game, second on Montana and third in the Big Sky. The 5-foot-10 senior scored 22 points against Sac before spraining her ankle, an injury that has kept her out the past three games. Selvig confirmed she will return to the lineup on Saturday.

Montana guard McCalle Feller

Montana guard McCalle Feller

In Feller’s absence, UM senior Hannah Doran has risen to the occasion and senior forward Kayleigh Valley has continued to shoulder a good deal of the scoring load. In three starts since Feller’s injury, Doran has averaged 12.3 points and eight rebounds per game. Valley continues to lead the conference in scoring at nearly 21 points per game, a figure that has bumped to 24.6 points per outing with Feller on the shelf.

“We were positive and we are getting great leadership out of our seniors,” Selvig said. “Kayleigh is having a heck of a year. It wasn’t like it’s panic time or anything. Four of the games we lost, we had a chance to win. There’s only one when we didn’t have a chance the last few minutes and that was Idaho. The good thing was we were able to weather not having McCalle and it looks like she will be back on Saturday.”

The Bobcats and the Lady Griz have seen their roles reversed this season. Montana State has traditionally been competitive in head coach Tricia Binford’s 10-plus seasons at the helm. But Montana State has not qualified for the NCAA Tournament since 1993, the lone time MSU punched a ticket to the Big Dance. The Lady Griz have been to 15 NCAA Tournaments and won two games in March Madness since 1993.

The Bobcats enter the rivalry game with a 19-5 record overall, tying the most wins in a single season in Binford’s tenure. MSU is 12-1 in Big Sky play, the most conference wins for a Binford team. With at least six games remaining, MSU’s 1987-88 school record of 24 wins is within reach, as is the first conference crown in a generation.

MSU guard Lindsey Stockton

MSU guard Lindsey Stockton

“I don’t feel like we are defending anything. I think we are showing up and attacking every game with the same mentality and having fun in the process,” Binford said.

“Our kids are having a lot of fun. That’s really critical when you hit February to stay motivated and hungry to have that fight in you.”

“We have an easy target on our back because we are in first but I’m not really concerned because everyone can beat everyone and we have the Griz coming up and that can go either way whether we are in last place or first,” added senior point guard Lindsay Stockton.

The first matchup between the two teams proved to be a physical affair as Montana bruised its way to a 36-31 advantage on the glass and 25 free throw attempts, including 14 for Valley. But MSU shot 48 percent after halftime and won the fourth quarter by 10 points as Montana missed all nine of its field goal attempts in the final frame. Peyton Ferris, a Twin Bridges product, led four Bobcats in double figure scoring with 16 points. Stockton chipped in 11 points and three assists.

“I felt we played pretty well, led most of the game which is encouraging because they are good and we were at their place,” Selvig said. “What we didn’t do was put four quarters together. We didn’t make a field goal in the fourth quarter and they are too good to do that against because they have so many weapons. You are not going to shut them down completely. I thought our defense was good. That game came down to a simple ending where we didn’t make any shots in the last quarter and they made big shots and did things they had to do to win.”

MSU forward Alexa Dawkins

MSU forward Alexa Dawkins

Much of Montana’s success during Selvig’s career has stemmed from a true home-court advantage. Last season, Montana rode the momentum of a raucous crowd to overcome a 20-point deficit in the Big Sky Tournament championship game for a 60-49 win over Northern Colorado.

The Lady Griz won one Northwest Women’s Basketball League title five Mountain West Conference crowns, hosting the post-season tournament each time, before joining the Big Sky for women’s basketball in 1988. Montana has hosted 18 Big Sky Tournaments in Missoula and 24 post-season tournaments overall.

In April, the Big Sky announced the tournament will move to Reno and all 12 teams will qualify. Montana is guaranteed a bid regardless of how the season finishes.

“We are just kind of playing game to game and seeing where it ends up,” Selvig said. “We probably aren’t going to end up in first place, which is your goal. I don’t think it makes very much difference where you are in this thing. A last place team (Portland State) beat a first place team (Eastern Washington) at one point. All those teams on top are on top because they’ve won some close games. The tournament will be a brand new day for not just us but for everybody.”

This season, UM is 11-2 at home. The Lady average 2,593 fans per game this season, almost 1,000 more fans than any team in the Big Sky. In a 61-48 loss in Missoula last season, Montana State led midway through the second half before the crowd became a factor. The Bobcats are prepared to weather the storm of the Lady Griz faithful on Saturday.

Montana center Alicia Sims and MSU forward Alexa Dawkins

Montana center Alicia Sims and MSU forward Alexa Dawkins

“No matter where you are, no matter what gym you are playing in, it all comes down to having composure within the game when things are getting hectic,” Stockton said. “This year, we are just better suited and more mature to have that confidence no matter what. We expect it to be loud, we expect to not be able to hear anything our coaches are saying and we know the momentum will swing. We are ready for anything and we will prepare for everything.”

Photos by Brooks Nuanez. All Rights Reserved.

About Colter Nuanez

Colter Nuanez is the co-founder and senior writer for Skyline Sports. After spending six years in the newspaper industry with stops at the Missoulian, the Ellensburg Daily Record and the Bozeman Daily Chronicle, the former Washington Newspaper Association Sportswriter of the Year and University of Montana Journalism School graduate ('09) has cultivated a deep passion for sports journalism during his 13-year career covering the Big Sky Conference. In August of 2014, Colter and brother Brooks merged their passions of writing and art to found Skyline Sports.

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