RENO — The Lady Griz endured a stretch in which they missed 18 of 19 shots Monday at the Reno Events Center. Yet Montana, the youngest team in the Big Sky Conference tournament, hung with Idaho State, the league’s most physical team. UM’s heart relentlessness and persistence is what helps Shannon Schweyen know that, despite the worst season in a generation for the conference’s proudest program, the future is indeed bright.
Shooting struggles have plagued Montana for the duration of its 7-23 campaign. Monday in the first round of the Big Sky Tournament, the Lady Griz shot 27.6 percent, enduring two different stretches of more than six minutes without a made field goal, including one that lasted six seconds short of 10 minutes. But UM, a team that features just two upper classmen, out-rebounded the league’s best rebounding team 41-37, matched the Bengals’ physical during a violent second half and held ISU scoreless the final nine minutes of action to keep ISU within range.
Idaho State built a 12-point halftime lead and then survived a furious Montana rally to earn a 63-53 victory, ISU’s fourth tournament win in two seasons. The Bengals advanced to the quarterfinals despite shooting 26.3 percent after halftime and 36.5 percent overall. Sixth-seeded ISU will play No. 3 seed Northern Colorado in Wednesday’s final quarterfinal at 8:05 p.m. PST.
Montana’s Lindsay Brown boxes out Montana freshman Hailey Nicholson
“Montana is tough, their guards and their posts,” Idaho State junior Lindsay Brown said after scoring a team-high 16 points before fouling out. “It was really tough rebounding, a good battle. I think both teams showed up physical. We got banged around a little bit but we pulled it through.”
Montana 865 games, hung 18 Big Sky regular-season titles and advanced to the NCAA Tournament 20 times in 38 wildly successful seasons under legendary head coach Robin Selvig. The godfather of Big Sky women’s basketball stepped away in the off-season, turning the reigns of the program over to Schweyen, a one-time All-American Lady Griz player and Selvig’s head assistant for more than 25 years.
The Lady Griz lost preseason Big Sky MVP Kayleigh Valley to a season-ending knee injury before the season started. All-league center Alycia Sims suffered a similar season-ending injury in UM’s first game. That left Schweyen with a roster packed full of freshmen and little Division I experience.
The Lady Griz posted one Division I victory in their first 22 games this season. UM managed to sweep Southern Utah and Northern Arizona at home only to endure a three-game losing streak capped by a 71-54 loss at Montana State as the Bobcats completed their first sweep of their rivals since 1999, UM’s last losing season.
Idaho State’s Lindsay Brown, left, and Freya Newton block Montana’s McKenzie Johnston
But UM turned a corner in the season’s final week, pounding Weber State 71-46 before beating ISU 68-53 to finish the league slate with four victories. On Monday, despite again failing to put the ball in the basket, Montana hung around with a team that played for the tournament championship last March.
“I was so encouraged this year with this group in so many ways,” Schweyen said. “What they showed me defensively, how they came along…we’ve had kids in our program around in the past, they don’t take a charge until their senior year. I have five freshmen taking multiple charges every game. That is unbelievable.
“They bought into the fact that we had to defend to win A game in league. Period. We tried to sell that to them early: we are not going to win a game unless you start buying into this. They did and they never gave up.”
The teams battled to a 22-22 tie before Montana went cold. The Lady Griz missed their final 10 shots of the first half as ISU went into halftime up 12. UM redshirt freshman Taylor Goligoski hit a straight on 3-pointer 2:15 into the second half to snap the slump but UM missed eight of its first nine second half attempts as well.
“It was confidence,” Goligoski said. “We didn’t play well on defense either and it carried over.”
Idaho State adjusted its defense to bully UM in the post, help with aggression on drivers to the hoop and not let UM point guard McKenzie Johnston create off high ball screens like she did on Friday.
Montana junior Mikayla Isaak
ISU’s Saylair Grandon hit a 3-pointer with 5:05 left in the third quarter to push the ISU lead to 46-31. Then Montana started to chip away. After Brown was called for a flagrant because of an elbow to Johnston’s nose, UM point guard Sierra Anderson buried two free throws. Goligoski hit a pull-up jump shot on the ensuing possession for a four-point play to cut it to 11. The Hamilton native, who finished with 13 points, scored on UM’s next possession to cut the lead to single digits, 48-39.
“We went to war, battled and got right back in the game,” Schweyen said. “We had to get some stops along the way but we didn’t get many stops. Idaho State is a good team and it was a physical ball game.”
“We realized we are a lot better defensive team than we were showing,” Anderson said after scoring 10 points. “We picked it up because we know we are better than what we showed in the first half.”
Grace Kenyon converted two straight makes to push the lead to 52-42 early in the fourth quarter. Idaho State did not make another shot but sealed the win by making 11 of 13 fourth-quarter free throws.
“We tend to do that,” ISU head coach Seton Sobolewski said of his team’s shooting struggles. “We knew if we kept defending and rebounding the ball, we kind of outlasted that whole situation. Montana needed to foul to get more possessions and that’s what carried the rest of the offense through the last quarter.”
Idaho State, the brutes of the Big Sky, play Northern Colorado, a finesse team with the slickest motion offense in the league.
“I think we are really excited to play them again,” Brown said. “We came off a really good win at their place. I think we are really pumped to play them. I think it’s going to be a good matchup for us.”
Schweyen is the most decorated player in the history of the league. She was named the Big Sky’s all-time women’s athlete during the league’s 50th anniversary in 2013. She has been a part of more championship runs than anyone still associated with the league. Despite the disappointments of her first season as a head coach, she is anticipating the future.
“I think this group with Alycia and Kayleigh coming back has a chance to do some amazing things,” Schweyen said. “Those two are not only really talented offensively but they are both extremely good defenders. You throw in this group of young kids to taste success next year, some hard-earned success, it’s encouraging.
“I wouldn’t have traded any of it. These kids have been very special to me. I’ve loved the way they have come every day and worked hard for me. I know it’s not easy when you are not getting rewarded with wins. But it was rewarding in a lot of other ways, the way they kept their heads up and their chins up and the way they competed at the end of the season, the intensity they played with, the heart they showed. They showed me they were proud to be Lady Griz. They may not have had the record that a lot of other Lady Griz teams have had. But I know they have the heart.”
Photos by Brooks Nuanez. All Rights Reserved.
