January 2006
Lady Bulldogs Nip Westminster
Saturday, January 28 2006
The Lady Bulldogs edged the Westminster College Griffins 69-66 in a Frontier Conference women’s basketball game from Dillon.
The win raised Western’s record to 6-1 in league play and 20-3 overall. Westminster drops to 3-4 in the Frontier and 12-10 overall.
The Lady Bulldogs jumped out to a 7-0 lead, but Westminster answered with a 7-0 run of their own. A 3-point field goal by Elisa Leader gave Westminster their first lead of the night 10-9 at the 11:45 mark.
The lead changed on three straight possessions. Western finally took control in the first half on a Crystal Kain field goal that gave the Lady Bulldogs a 17-14 lead with 4:05 remaining. Western then outscored the Griffins 11-6 and led 28-20 at the half.
Westminster opened the second half with a 9-0 run in the first three minutes and led 29-28. The Lady Bulldogs answered with 13-0 run and led 41-29 with 14 minutes remaining.
Westminster would not go away and outscored the Lady Bulldogs 24-10 over the next eight and a half minutes and took a 55-51 lead with 5:26 remaining.
Two free throws by Katherine Sunwall and a three-point field goal by Billi Suhr gave Western back the lead at 56-55. The Griffins answered with basket from Janae Hirschi. Western took the lead back on a Becky O’Neil field goal and it was a lead the Lady Bulldogs would not lose.
Katherine Sunwall and Billi Suhr led Western with 16 points each followed by Megan Schmitz with 14 and Becky O’Neil with 11.
Elisa Leader and Shalee Fackrell, the nation’s leading scorer, led Westminster with 20 points each. Shannon Evans followed with 10.
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Lady Bulldogs Drop First Conference Game
Friday, January 27 2006
The Lewis-Clark Lady Warriors stayed unbeaten in the Frontier Conference with a 71-61 over the University of Montana Western Lady Bulldogs on Western’s home court in a women’s Frontier Conference game.
Western’s record drops to 5-1 in the Frontier and 19-3 overall. Lewis-Clark is now 6-0 in league play and 19-2 overall.
Lewis-Clark scored first and Western answered. The two teams traded baskets and leads in the opening minutes of the low scoring first half.
The Lady Warriors took advantage of Western turnovers in a stretch that saw Lewis-Clark build a 17 point lead. The Lady Bulldogs rallied to cut the lead to 13, 35-22 at the break.
Western opened on fire in the second half and went on a 22-9 lead and tied the game at 44 at the 11:50 mark. Lewis-Clark countered with the outside shooting of Katya Yancheva. The junior Sofia, Bulgaria hit four three point baskets in a stretch that saw Lewis-Clark retake the lead.
Over the games final minutes, the Lady Bulldogs could get no closer than two, and were forced to foul. Western outscored Lewis-Clark in the second half 39-36,
Becky O’Neil and Megan Schmitz led Western with 16 apiece followed by Katherine Sunwall with 14.
Yancheva led Lewis-Clark with 17 followed by Katie Hart with 11 and Ashley Baker with 10.
Western hosts Westminster on Saturday, while Lewis-Clark travels to Montana Tech. Both games tip-off at 6:00 p.m.
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Lady Bulldogs Host Nationally Ranked Opponents
Thursday, January 26 2006
The Lady Bulldogs host Lewis-Clark State College on Friday, January 27 and Westminster College on Saturday, January 28 in Frontier Conference women’s basketball. Tip-off is 6:00 p.m. each evening from Dillon’s Straugh Gymnasium.
Western is 5-0 in the Frontier and 19-2 overall after last weekend’s pair of road wins over Rocky Mountain and Carroll College. The Lady Bulldogs beat Rocky in Billings 70-48 and Carroll in Helena 82-77. Western is ranked 5th in the latest NAIA, Division I Power Poll.
Lewis-Clark won two at home last weekend to raise their conference record to 5-0 and their overall record to 18-2. The Lady Warriors beat MSU-Northern 73-53 and the University of Great Falls 84-49. Lewis-Clark moved up to 9th in the latest Power Poll.
“This is a big weekend for us,” said Western coach Kevin Engellant. “Both Lewis-Clark and Westminster are extremely talented teams. LC is playing very well and have some big road wins already in the conference. Their post players, Ashley Baker and Aundrea Morrison are a tough combination. We will have to do a good job defending them and keep them off the boards. We need to continue to execute on the offensive end and limit our turnovers.”
Lewis-Clark and Western played three times last year, twice in the regular season and once at the Frontier Conference tournament. In the regular season, Western won in Dillon 76-51 and lost in Lewiston 68-74. At the conference tournament, the Lady Bulldogs won 72-58 in the semi-final round.
Baker leads the league and the nation in two categories. She is tops in offensive rebounds per game (5.1) and total rebounds (11). Lewis-Clark averages 81 points a game while giving up 56. The Lady Warriors lead the nation in rebound margin (13.1) and in offensive rebounds per game (20.3)
Westminster is 12-8 overall and 3-2 in league play after last weekend’s home sweep over MSU-Northern and the University of Great Falls. The Lady Griffins downed MSU-Northern 76-72 and UGF 68-53. Westminster is ranked 26th in the latest power poll.
Western won both regular season games last year. The Lady Bulldogs won 74-61 in Salt Lake and 70-61 in Dillon.
Shalee Fackrell leads the league and the nation in scoring with 26 points a game. Also scoring in double figures are Elisa Leader with 10.8 ppg and Shannon Evans with 10.2. Fackrell is second in the league and third in the nation in rebounding with 10.3 per game. Westminster averages 73.8 points per game while giving up 64.
Three players are scoring in double figures for the Lady Bulldogs. Becky O’Neil averages 16 ppg, Megan Schmitz with 14.2 and Katherine Sunwall with 12.6. O’Neil leads the league and is sixth in the nation in field goal percentage (60.3). She also leads the Frontier and is seventh in the nation in blocked shots with 2.1 per game. Billi Suhr leads the conference and is 8th in the nation in assists with 5.2 per game. As a team, Western leads the Frontier and is second in the nation in assists with 20.4 per game. The Lady Bulldogs average 71.9 points per game while giving up 58.1.
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Megan Schmitz Named Frontier Conference Player of the Week
Thursday, January 26 2006
Megan Schmitz a 5-6 junior guard from Great Falls, Montana was selected as the Frontier Conference Player of the Week. Western won two on the road, beating Rocky 70-48 and #13 Carroll College 82-77. Schmitz averaged 18.5 points, seven assists, four rebounds, two steals and 1.5 blocked shots per game. She hit 50% of her field goals (11-22), 53% for 3-point field goals (8 of 15) and 88% from the free throw line (7 of 8). Schmitz had 26 points against Carroll including 20 in the second half.
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Lady Bulldogs Beat Carroll, Stay Unbeaten in Frontier
Sunday, January 22 2006
Behind the 26 points of junior Megan Schmitz, the Lady Bulldogs downed Carroll College 82-77 in a women's Frontier Conference game from Helena.
With the win, Western improves to 5-0 in league play and 19-2 overall.
The Lady Bulldogs jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead but the lead was short-lived as Carroll came battling back. The game featured ten lead changes and eight ties. Western's biggest lead was eight.
Schmitz was 7 of 12 from the field including 5 of 8 from three-point land and 7 of 8 from the free throw line. She sealed the win for the Lady Bulldogs as she made six straight free throws in the games final minute of play.
Also scoring in double figures for Western were Billi Suhr with 17, Katherine Sunwall with 15 and Becky O'Neil with 12.
Defensively, the Lady Bulldogs recorded 13 blocked shots.
Western returns home to host Lewis-Clark on Friday, January 27 and Westminster College on Saturday, January 28. Both games tip-off at 6:00 p.m. from the Straugh Gymnasium.
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Lady Bulldogs Beat Rocky
Friday, January 20 2006
Western raised their record to 18-2 overall and 4-0 in the Fronteir Conference after a 70-48 win over Rocky in Billings. It was the Lady Bulldogs 12th straight win over Rocky going back to the 2001-02 season.
The Lady Bulldogs were red hot in the games opening minutes and quickly built a big lead. Rocky came back to cut the lead to 39-27 at the half.
Rocky missed their first twelve shots of the second half didn't score until the 8:40 mark. Western took advantage of the cold-shooting Bears to build a 56-30 lead.
Billi Suhr led four Western players scoring in double figures. Suhr had 15 followed by Becky O'Neil with 14 and Katherine Sunwall and Megan Schmitz with 11 each. Western hit nine three-point field goals in the win, three each from Suhr and Schmitz.
Western travels to Helena for a game against Carroll College on Saturday night.
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Lady Bulldogs at Rocky and Carroll
Wednesday, January 18 2006
The University of Montana Western makes their first Frontier Conference road trip of the season with games at Rocky Mountain and Carroll College.
Western faces Rocky, Thursday, Jan. 19 and Carroll College, Saturday, January 21. Tip-off for both games is 6:00 p.m. and can heard locally on KDBM-AM and over the internet on sportsjuice.com.
The Lady Bulldogs are 17-2 overall and 3-0 in league play after edging Montana Tech 54-48 last Thursday. Western remained at #6 in the latest NAIA, Top-25.
Rocky is 2-2 in the Frontier and 6-13 overall after splitting a pair of games last weekend. The Lady Bears beat the University of Great Falls 78-57 and lost to MSU-Northern 54-65.
“This is a big weekend for us playing two good teams on the road,” said Western coach Kevin Engellant. “Rocky is very talented and they play well at home. They are a very balanced and have a number of different players capable of having a big night. Rocky plays good defense and has tremendous quickness on the perimeter to go along with solid post play. It will be important for us to control the
boards and execute on the offensive end.”
Alyssa Root leads Rocky in scoring with 11.4 points. Josie Evans leads the team in rebounding with 7.84 rebounds per game. Rocky is last in the Frontier in scoring averaging 59.4 points a game while giving up 64.3.
Carroll evened their conference record at 2-2 with a pair of road wins this past weekend. The Lady Saints beat Great Falls 91-50 and edged MSU-Northern 62-61. Carroll is 17-3 overall and ranked 13th in the latest Top-25.
Jolene Fuzesy leads the Lady Saints in scoring with 14.3 points a game followed by Carly Syverson with 11.1. Amy Brooks leads the team in rebounding with 8.10 a game. Fuzesy leads the league and is 2nd in the nation in both three-point field goal percentage (55.5) and three-point field goals made (4.5). Carroll leads the league and the nation in team three-point field goal percentage (41.6) The Lady Saints average 79 points a game while giving up 57.3.
Becky O’Neil leads three Western players scoring in double figures. O’Neil averages 16.4 ppg followed by Megan Schmitz with 13.8 and Katherine Sunwall with 12.7. O’Neil leads the league and is seventh in the nation in field goal percentage (60.3) Western averages 71.5 points per game while giving up 57.6.
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Lady Bulldogs Edge Montana Tech
Thursday, January 12 2006
The University of Montana Western Lady Bulldogs edged Montana Tech 54-48 in a women’s Frontier Conference game from Dillon’s Straugh Gymnasium.
Western is now 17-2 overall and 3-0 in league play. Montana Tech falls to 0-3 in the Frontier and 4-13 overall.
Montana Tech jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead. Western quickly regained the lead with field goals by Becky O’Neil and Billi Suhr. Neither team could gain control due to cold shooting and turnovers. Western shot 38% from the field while the Lady Orediggers were only 27%. The Lady Bulldogs led at the break 23-18.
Western opened the second half with several chances to extend their lead. The Lady Bulldogs failed to score on their first eight possessions of the half. Crystal Kain finally broke the drought with a pair of free throws. The Lady Bulldogs did not score a field goal until the 15:30 mark. Tech took advantage of the cold shooting Lady Bulldogs to tie the game at 25. O’Neil’s field goal gave the lead back to Western.
The two teams traded leads over the next couple of possessions. Western built a five point lead several times, but the Orediggers kept coming back. With 3:26 to play Western’s lead was six 46-40. Tech then went on an 8-1 run and took a 48-47 on a pair of Tami Infante free throws with 55 seconds remaining.
On Western’s next possession, a three-point field goal by Crystal Kain gave the Bulldogs back the lead and then Western sealed the narrow win at the free throw line.
Both teams continued to be plagued by cold-shooting and turnovers. Western shot 34% from the field and committed 21 turnovers. Montana Tech shot 36% and committed 25 turnovers.
Becky O’Neil led Western with 21 points followed by Crystal Kain with 11.
Stephanie Baertsch led Tech with 13 points followed by Marcie Alzeheimer with 12.
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Lady Bulldogs Roll Over University of Great Falls
Saturday, January 7 2006
Megan Schmitz scored to 21 points to lead four players scoring in double figures as the Lady Bulldogs rolled over the University of Great Falls 77-51 in a women’s Frontier Conference basketball game from Dillon.
With the win, Western raised their record to 2-0 in conference play and 16-2 overall. Great Falls drops to 1-1 in league play and 5-12 overall.
The Lady Bulldogs opened the game on fire as they scored 15 unanswered points. Great Falls scored their first points at the 15:12 mark of the first half. Western built their lead to 20 and maintained that for the remainder of the half. The Lady Bulldogs led at the half-time break 45-26.
In the second half, Western cooled off a bit but maintained at least a 20 point margin for the rest of the game. The Lady Bulldogs outscored Great Falls 32-25 in the second half.
With her 21 points, Schmitz cracked the 1000 point plateau. The Great Falls junior now has 1013 career points. Also scoring in double figures for Western were Lindsey Scott with 18, Becky O’Neil with 13 and Katherine Sunwall with 12. Scott was perfect from the field, hitting 7 of 7 field goals including 4 for 4 from three point land. Sunwall led Western in rebounding with 12.
Great Falls was led by Laura Keaster with 12 and Meghan Schwantes with 11.
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Lady Bulldogs Edge MSU-Northern in Frontier Conference Opener
Friday, January 6 2006
The Lady Bulldogs held off MSU-Northern 59-56 in the Frontier Conference opener for both teams.
Western is now 1-0 in league play and 15-2 overall. Northern drops to 0-1 in league play and 10-3 overall.
The game looked like a Western rout in the first nine minutes as the Lady Bulldogs scored 15 and held Northern scoreless. DeLayne Johnston scored the Skylights first basket at the 10:55 mark of the half. Northern began to peck away at Western’s lead and cut it to eight, 24-16 at the 4:52 mark. Western then outscored the Skylights 12-2 and led 36-18 at the halftime break.
In the second half, Northern outscored the Lady Bulldogs 38-23 but could not overcome Western’s big half-time margin. The Skylights cut the Western lead to 56-51 with 1:48. The Lady Bulldogs held off Northern at the free throw line. Jaci Heny’s final second three-point basket provided the game’s final margin.
Katherine Sunwall led Western with 18 points and 20 rebounds followed by Becky O’Neil with 14 points and seven rebounds.
Camille Gardner led Northern with 21 followed by Johnston with 15 and Heny with 13.
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Lady Bulldogs Host Northern and Great Falls in Frontier Conference Openers
Thursday, January 5 2006
The Lady Bulldogs open their 2006 Frontier Conference season at home against MSU-Northern on Friday, Jan. 6 and the University of Great Falls on Saturday, Jan. 7. Tip-off is 6:00 p.m. from Dillon’s Straugh Gymnasium.
Western is 14-2 overall and ranked 9th in the latest NAIA Division I Power Poll. The Lady Bulldogs dropped from 5th to 9th after going 1-1 on their Hawaiian trip. Western lost to Cumberlands College and beat Pikeville College.
MSU-Northern is 10-2 overall after beating Olivet Nazarene and North Georgia at the same Hawaiian Tournament. With the two wins, Northern cracked the Top-25 at #23. The Skylights are led in scoring by Jaci Heny with 17.6 points per game, Michelle Van Dyke with 12.9. Delayne Johnston with 12.7 and Camille Gardner with 11.1. Northern averages 72 points a game while giving up 59.7.
“MSU-Northern is a very talented team that is playing extremely well,” said Western coach Kevin Engellant. “They have won 8 games in a row and are really playing with a lot of confidence. Their perimeter players, led by Jaci Heny are explosive and are very good at dribble penetration. Offensively we need to do a better job of executing and taking care of the basketball.”
Great Falls is 4-11 on the season. There last game was on Dec. 18 when they lost at home to Whitworth 77-82. Laura Keaster leads Great Falls in scoring with 13.5 points per game.
Three players are averaging double figures in scoring. Becky O’Neil leads with 16.5 per game followed by Megan Schmitz with 14 and Katherine Sunwall with 12.8. The Lady Bulldogs average 73 while giving up 58.7.
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