Lady Griz rip open Portland State zone for 88 points in easy win

THE MATCHUP

Coming off their biggest and best win of the season on Thursday, 81-77 against first-place Sacramento State, the Lady Griz hosted Portland State on Saturday. After a 22-game conference losing streak that included a winless conference season last year, the Vikings won four of five before a 64-52 loss to Montana State in Bozeman on Thursday. It was yet another matchup of second-year head coaches in the league, with Montana’s Brian Holsinger and Portland State’s Chelsey Gregg both in their sophomore seasons. It was also the one scheduled game this season for the Lady Griz to wear their teal-blue N7 Native American Awareness jerseys. Former Montana coach Robin Selvig was honored along with several of his native players – Malia Kipp, Simarron Schildt, Tamara Guardipee and LeAnn Montes.

THE RESULT

Montana sliced and diced Portland State’s 2-3 zone, getting the ball in the middle for Carmen Gfeller or Dani Bartsch to either shoot short jumpers or kick the ball back out to open shooters as the Lady Griz made 13 of 26 3-pointers in an 88-56 win. After a run-and-gun first quarter, Montana tightened up the defense and jumped out to a 52-30 halftime lead. The second half was more of a formality as Montana finished the game shooting 47% from the field, 50% from 3 and 89% from the free-throw line, while Portland State shot just 34% and committed 11 turnovers. Little-used reserves Lisa Kiefer and Lauren Dick both got off the bench and scored for the Lady Griz, with Dick’s pull-up baseline jumper with 1:14 left the first career points for the Hellgate grad.

THE STANDOUTS

Gfeller and Bartsch torched the zone from the inside out, catching in rhythm and burying jumpers from below the free-throw line as PSU’s centers weren’t quick or long enough to come out and contest. Gfeller finished with 19 points and seven rebounds, making 13 of 14 free throws. In her second-straight start, Bartsch continued to provide a spark for Montana with 14 points, 10 rebounds and two steals.

Sammy Fatkin and freshman point guard Mack Konig joined them in double figures and filled up the other box score columns as well, with Fatkin finishing with 13 points, six rebounds and five assists and Konig putting up 10 points and a team-high (tied with Gina Marxen) six assists. Altogether, seven Montana players recorded at least one assist, and 24 of Montana’s 29 field goals were assisted.

Esmeralda Morales got to 18 points for Portland State, but it took her 19 shots. Jada Lewis was the only other Viking in double figures with 12.

BOX SCORE

QUOTABLE

“This weekend felt good. We’ve been training the right way all season and we just talked about executing the right way and keeping the course. Today, we talked about keeping a consistent mentality and leveling up, not being satisfied and keep moving forward, and that’s what we’ll keep doing.” – Lady Griz guard Sammy Fatkin

“Getting the ball into the middle of the zone is always a good way to pick it apart, and so to be able to throw it in there and have (Gfeller and Fatkin) be a scoring threat and also playmakers, the way that they find and see out is big for us. … We always talk about, inside-out is always the best. Any time you get the post a touch, it’s always a good thing.” – Fatkin

“We had some miscommunications on the defensive end at the very beginning, which is frustrating. Sometimes when we’re not trapping, we don’t always come out with great energy. … I feel like other than that first quarter, we did a really good job.” – Montana head coach Brian Holsinger

“Our scheme is good. I’m comfortable coaching against (zone), number one. I try to keep it very simple for them. Make this play, make this play. They can process. Dani Bartsch helps. When she catches it there and she can just turn around and make that shot, it makes it easy. Now they guard you and now she can make the next pass. We work hard on it. This team has embraced it. It’s weird, some teams, zone will freak them out.” – Holsinger

UP NEXT

Montana (10-11, 6-4) makes the turn and plays at Northern Colorado on Thursday. The Lady Griz won the first matchup 82-60 in Missoula. Portland State (9-10, 4-5) plays at Idaho on Thursday to continue its road trip. The Vikings’ 53-43 win over Idaho earlier this month was the victory that snapped their 22-game conference losing streak.

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