THE MATCHUP
Montana has played seven of its last eight on the road but returned home for its final two home games of the season, beginning Thursday with Southern Utah making its last appearance in Dahlberg Arena as a Big Sky Conference member. SUU last played in Missoula, Montana on January 2 of 2020. SUU ripped rival Northern Arizona 90-67 on Monday while Montana lost 70-69 at Idaho in its fourth Monday road game in the last month.
THE RESULT
In a matchup between the two best rebounding teams in the Big Sky Conference, Montana dominated the battle of the boards, racking up a 40-28 advantage on the glass. UM also shook off shooting 31 percent in the first half to shoot 65.4 percent in the second half, dicing SUU’s zone defense on the way to a 71-46 victory.
The win moves Montana to 10-7 in Big Sky play, 17-9 overall. Southern Utah is now 12-6 in league play, 16-11 overall.
THE STANDOUTS
Sophia Stiles shook off a tough shooting start to dictate the tempo in the second half, proving to be a catalyst as the Lady Griz diced the zone that SUU head coach Tracy Sanders switched her team into. Stiles finished with 17 points and five assists to help Montana to a win with a rivalry showdown against Montana State in Missoula looming Saturday night.
Stiles found reserve post Kylie Frolich for two of her assists as Frolich came off the bench to score 10 points. Abby Anderson added 14 points as UM moved to 11-3 at home.
Lizzy Williamson, one of the tallest players in the Big Sky at 6-foot-5, scored 14 points on 7-of-8 shooting to lead the Thunderbirds. SUU was playing without Darri (Frandsen) Dotson, a fifth-year senior averaging 10.6 points and 8.1 rebounds per game.
QUOTABLE
“We have such a home court advantage. Six of seven on the road, to get back here was so comforting for everybody. We have to play better on the road but it was a fun night.
Montana Lady Griz head coach Brian Holsinger
“I know what wins in March and defense wins in March. You never know when you start missing shots or things don’t go well on offense. Defense wins. Tonight, it was pretty much a 40-minute effort.”
Montana Lady Griz head coach Brian Holsinger
“I put on our board a 1 and a 2 and I asked them, ‘Are we one or are we two when it comes to rebounding in this conference? We rebounded well, especially in the second half.”
Montana Lady Griz head coach Brian Holsinger
“Honestly, I haven’t let myself think about (Senior Night) because we were really just focused on this game because it came so quick and you don’t have much time to prepare. Starting to think about it now for sure. I’m excited to walk out with my family and this awesome group of seniors. We are really excited but we have to treat it like another game because Senior night can get very emotional, it probably will. The most exciting thing is we get to play the ‘Cats and we get to play them together and we get to have fun with one last home game. We will lock in tomorrow and we are going to be ready.”
Montana senior post Kylie Frolich
THE STANDINGS
| SCHOOL | CONF | PCT | OVERALL | PCT | HOME | AWAY | NEUTRAL | STREAK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Idaho State | 14-4 | .778 | 18-9 | .667 | 11-1 | 7-6 | 0-2 | W2 |
| Montana State | 13-4 | .765 | 18-10 | .643 | 13-2 | 5-7 | 0-1 | W2 |
| Southern Utah | 12-6 | .667 | 16-11 | .593 | 8-4 | 8-7 | 0-0 | L1 |
| Montana | 10-7 | .588 | 17-9 | .654 | 11-3 | 4-6 | 2-0 | W1 |
| Sacramento State | 9-8 | .529 | 13-13 | .500 | 6-5 | 6-7 | 1-1 | L3 |
| Northern Arizona | 9-8 | .529 | 12-13 | .480 | 7-6 | 5-7 | 0-0 | L2 |
| Idaho | 8-8 | .500 | 9-16 | .360 | 6-5 | 3-6 | 0-5 | W3 |
| Northern Colorado | 7-9 | .438 | 11-13 | .458 | 7-4 | 4-9 | 0-0 | W2 |
| Weber State | 6-12 | .333 | 10-17 | .370 | 8-6 | 2-11 | 0-0 | W1 |
| Eastern Washington | 5-11 | .312 | 7-18 | .280 | 5-8 | 2-9 | 0-1 | L1 |
| Portland State | 0-16 | .000 | 5-19 | .208 | 4-9 | 0-10 | 1-0 | L14 |
SOCIAL
WHAT’S NEXT
Montana hosts Montana State in Missoula on Saturday night. Tip off for the women’s rivalry game is at 7 p.m. In the 111 matchups against the two programs, Montana State has won seven in a row and 12 of the last 14. Montana won 77 of the first 101 against the Bobcats.
Southern Utah, who went 5-4 in February, hosts Idaho State on Wednesday, April 2.
