THE MATCHUP
A night after Montana’s men battled to an unexpectedly close loss at Gonzaga, the Lady Griz took the floor at the Kennel to take on another nationally-ranked Bulldogs team. Gonzaga’s women were ranked No. 22 this week after rolling to an 11-2 start to the season that included wins over ranked Tennessee and Louisville. After losing to No. 2 Stanford in early December, the Zags were on a four-game winning streak entering Wednesday’s clash. Meanwhile, the Lady Griz entered their final non-conference game at 4-6 but on a two-game winning streak.
THE RESULT

Like the men’s team on Tuesday, the Lady Griz had some good moments, battling back from an early 7-0 deficit and a double-digit gap in the second quarter to go into halftime down just 38-32. Montana then closed to within two points on multiple occasions early in the third quarter, but the Zags never let them get even and began to pull away into the fourth quarter for an 82-67 win. The hosts shot a scorching 19 of 29 in the second half, allowing them to keep the offense humming despite Montana forcing 17 turnovers for the game. The Lady Griz shot 1 of 9 on 3-pointers in the first half and finished the game 7 of 27 from beyond the arc (25.9%).
THE STANDOUTS
Carmen Gfeller’s shotmaking ability was on full display as she finished with 22 points, getting buckets from outside the arc all the way in to the rim. Gfeller added eight rebounds. Both marks were season highs. Sammy Fatkin scored 21 with six rebounds and a season-high five steals, and now has nine steals in her last three games. Freshman Libby Stump added 14 points off the bench for the Lady Griz, her fourth straight game in double figures.
Utah transfer Brynna Maxwell led Gonzaga with 23 points, making 5 of 6 3-point attempts, and Zags point guard Kaylynne Truong finished with 18 points and seven assists after an ice-cold first half.
UP NEXT
Montana (4-7) plays at Eastern Washington on December 29 and at Idaho on December 31 to start Big Sky Conference play.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Let's do this! pic.twitter.com/ND3PfWTlUy
— Montana Lady Griz (@MontanaGrizWBB) December 22, 2022
Carmen scores inside. She has seven. Montana trails 23-18 after the first quarter. pic.twitter.com/G9g9UVNGQS
— Montana Lady Griz (@MontanaGrizWBB) December 22, 2022
Libby! What a way to end the half, a 7-0 run for the Lady Griz. It's a six-point game at the break. pic.twitter.com/EiaAZiBMtj
— Montana Lady Griz (@MontanaGrizWBB) December 22, 2022
Gfeller: 22
— Montana Lady Griz (@MontanaGrizWBB) December 22, 2022
Fatkin: 21
Stump: 14
Gonzaga goes 19 for 29 in the 2nd half to pull away. pic.twitter.com/ZD1ahdJSrt