February 2006
Lady Bulldogs Open Frontier Conference Tournament Against Montana Tech
Tuesday, February 28 2006
The Montana Western Lady Bulldogs open Frontier Conference tournament play against Montana Tech, Wednesday, March 1 at 6:00 p.m. in the Maroon Activity Center in Butte. The Lady Bulldogs are the tourney’s #1 seed and Tech is #8.
The game will be broadcast over KDBM Radio in Dillon and heard live on the internet on sportsjuice.com.
Montana Western ended the regular season with a 11-3 conference record and an overall record of 25-5. The Lady Bulldogs were ranked 10th in last week’s Top-25 Power Poll. The final regular season poll will be released Wednesday, March 1 at 2:00 p.m.
Montana Tech finished the season with a 2-12 conference record and a 6-22 overall record.
Montana Western won both games played during the regular season. The Lady Bulldogs won in Dillon 54-48 and won in Butte 73-49.
“It should be another exciting Frontier Conference tournament,” said Lady Bulldog coach Kevin Engellant. “The league this year is as deep and talented as it's ever been and there are several teams that are capable of winning the tournament. I like the way were are playing right now but come tournament time you have to be ready to play each game. Montana Tech will play hard and get after us defensively. We need to continue to take care of the basketball and execute on the offensive end.”
Marcie Alzeheimer leads the Lady Orediggers with 12.5 points per game. She also leads the team in rebounding with 7.61 rebounds per game. Montana Tech averages 63.1 points per game while giving up 76.4.
The Lady Bulldogs are led in scoring by Becky O’Neil with 16.1 points per game followed by Megan Schmitz with 14.5 and Katherine Sunwall with 13.1 points per game. Sunwall leads the league and the nation in field goal percentage with an average of 61.3%. Western averages 71.1 points per game while giving up 59.9.
Go To Top
Lady Bulldogs Go 1-1 on Final Weekend of Conference Play
Monday, February 27 2006
The Lady Bulldogs went 1-1 on the final weekend of the regular season. They dropped a 69-70 loss to Westminster followed by a 72-65 victory over Lewis-Clark at Lewiston.
At Westminster, the game was hard fought from beginning to end. The Lady Bulldogs led 69-68 ith .8 seconds to play. Westminster's Shalee Fackrell was fouled. The conference's leading scorer calmly knocked down to free throws to seal the Westminster win.
Megan Schmitz led the Lady Bulldogs in scoring with 26 points followed by Becky O'Neil with 16 and Katherine Sunwall with 13.
At Lewiston, another hard-fought game for the two teams battling for the regular season championship. The Lady Bulldogs led 25-23 at the half.
With post players Katherine Sunwall and Becky O'Neil in foul trouble, the Lady Bulldogs rallied behind the hot shooting guards of Megan Schmitz and Billi Suhr. Schmitz led the team in scoring with 20 followed by 16 from Suhr.
With the win, the Lady Bulldogs secured the #1 seed in the Frontier Conference tournament. Western plays #8 Montana Tech Wednesday evening at 6:00 p.m.
Go To Top
Lady Bulldogs Close-Out Regular Season on the Road
Wednesday, February 22 2006
The Lady Bulldogs closes out the regular season on the road with games at Westminster College on Thursday, Feb. 23 and Lewis-Clark on Saturday, Feb. 25. Tip-off for the Westminster game is 5:30 p.m. MST. The Lewis-Clark game will tip-off at 7:00 p.m. MST.
Montana Western enters the final week with a 10-2 conference mark and 24-4 overall after last weekend’s sweep of Carroll College and Rocky Mountain. The Lady Bulldogs downed Carroll 71-66 and Rocky 73-63. Montana Western is ranked 10th in the latest NAIA Top-25.
Westminster is 5-7 in the Frontier and 14-13 overall after last weekend’s split at MSU-Northern and the University of Great Falls. The Lady Griffins beat UGF67-64 and lost to Northern 74-54. Westminster did not crack the Top-25, but received voted in the balloting. A month ago in Dillon the Lady Bulldogs nipped Westminster 69-66.
Shalee Fackrell leads the league and the nation in scoring with 26 points per game. Also scoring in double figures is Elisa Leader with 11 and Shannon Evans with 10.2. Fackrell is tied for rebounding lead in the conference with 10.4 rebounds a game. Westminster averages 71 points a game while giving up 65.4.
Lewis-Clark is 23-4 overall and 10-2 in league play after splitting their series at Northern and UGF. The Lady Warriors beat Great Falls 87-69 and lost to MSU-Northern 95-81. Despite the loss, Lewis-Clark remained ranked #6 in the nation. A month ago in Dillon, Lewis-Clark beat the Lady Bulldogs 71-61.
Ashley Baker and Aundrea Morrison lead Lewis-Clark in scoring with 17.4 points per game apiece followed by Jade Fulbright with 10.6 points per game. Lewis-Clark averages 79.2 points per game while giving up 58.3.
“We are in position to control our own destiny,” said Montana Western coach Kevin Engellant. “In order to win the regular season conference championship outright we need to win both games. We
realize that this will not be easy as both Westminster and Lewis-Clark
State are very good basketball teams who play well at home. With
Westminster we need to try to slow down Fackrell which is a very difficult
task. She can score in a number of different ways and she is very good at
getting to the free throw line. This time against LC-State we need to do a
better job of getting the ball inside and knocking down open perimeter
shots.”
Becky O’Neil leads Montana Western in scoring with 16.2 points per game followed by Megan Schmitz with 13.8 and Katherine Sunwall with 13.1. Sunwall leads the conference and the nation in field goal percentage with an average of 65%. The Lady Bulldogs average 71 points per game while giving up 59.4.
Go To Top
Lady Bulldogs Beat Rocky Mountain
Saturday, February 18 2006
Becky O’Neil’s 23 points led the Lady Bulldogs to a 73-63 victory over Rocky Mountain College in a Frontier Conference women’s basketball game from Dillon’s Straugh Gymnasium.
The win raises Montana Western’s record to 10-2 in league play and 24-4 overall. Rocky drops to 4-9 in the Frontier and 8-20 overall.
Rocky came out red hot and the Lady Bulldogs came out flat. The Lady Bears jumped out to a 4-0 lead and led most of the games first 15 minutes. Montana Western managed to tie the game a couple of times but it wasn’t until 4:53 mark when they took their first lead on a Katherine Sunwall field goal. It was a lead they would never lose. Montana Western outscored the Bears 15-6 down the stretch to lead 43-33 at the half.
The Lady Bulldogs opened the second half with a 12-4 run and led 50-37 on Megan Schmitz 3-point field goal at the 16:03 mark of the second half. Rocky managed to cut the Bulldog lead to eight at the 1:40 mark, but that was as close as they got.
Also scoring in double figures for the Lady Bulldogs were Megan Schmitz with 16 and Katherine Sunwall with 10. Western hit 51.9% of their field goals and held Rocky to 44.6%. The Lady Bulldogs scored 23 points off Rocky turnovers.
No Rocky players scored in double digitis, but four players hit for nine each. They were Alyssa Root, Jeri Matter, Amy Schillinger and Josie Evans.
Go To Top
Lady Bulldogs Down Carroll in Frontier Conference Thriller
Friday, February 17 2006
The University of Montana Western Lady Bulldog basketball team downed Carroll College 71-66 in a Frontier Conference women’s basketball game from Dillon’s Straugh Gymnasium.
With the win, the Lady Bulldogs raise their conference mark to 9-2 and their overall record to 23-5. Carroll drops to 8-4 in the Frontier and 23-5 overall.
Both teams went scoreless in the first two and a half minutes of the game. Then Western came alive and scored the game’s first six points for lead they would never lose, but a lead that was always in doubt. Western looked to be in control over the next ten minutes as they built a 20-8 lead at the ten minute mark. At 5:58 mark with the Lady Bulldogs leading 29-17, Carroll went on a 12-2 run to cut Western’s lead to just two with 1:49 remaining in the half 31-29. The Lady Bulldogs led at the half 35-31.
The second half began with Carroll outscoring the Lady Bulldogs 7-4 and trailed by only one, 38-39 at the 17:24 mark. Montana Western answered by outscoring the Lady Saints 22-9 to build a 60-47 lead at the 8:16 mark of the game. Over the next seven minutes, the Lady Saints outscored Montana Western 17-6 to trim the Lady Bulldogs’ lead to just two, 66-64 with 45 seconds remaining. Carroll was forced to foul and Montana Western sealed the victory at the free throw line.
Becky O’Neil led four players scoring in double figures for Montana Western. O’Neil had 16 followed by Megan Schmitz with 15 and Katherine Sunwall and Billi Suhr with ten each.
Western shot a sizzling 60.9 % from the field while Carroll was a chilly 39.7%.
Jolene Fuzesy led Carroll with 16 followed by Emili Woody with 15, Carly Syverson with 12 and Andrea Hall with 11.
Western hosts Rocky Mountain on Saturday, Feb. 18 while Carroll travels to Montana Tech.
Go To Top
Lady Bulldogs Host Carroll and Rocky
Thursday, February 16 2006
The Lady Bulldogs host Carroll College on Friday, Feb. 17 and Rocky Mountain College on Saturday, Feb. 18 in a pair of key Frontier Conference match-ups. The games tip-off at 6:00 p.m. each evening from Dillon’s Straugh Gymnasium.
The games will be broadcast locally on KDBM Radio and over the internet on sportsjuice.com.
Montana Western is 8-2 in league play, 22-4 overall and ranked 10th in the latest NAIA Top-25. The Lady Bulldogs downed Montana Tech 73-49 in their only action of the week.
Carroll College is 23-4 overall, 8-3 in league play and ranked 13th in the latest Power Poll. Last weekend, Carroll won two at home last weekend as they beat MSU-Northern 94-74 and the University of Great Falls 87-61. When the Lady Bulldogs played at Carroll a month ago, Western won 82-77.
“This is another big weekend for us,” said Lady Bulldog coach Kevin Engellant. “Carroll has won five in a row and they are playing much better than they were a month ago. We've had some great games with Carroll and this should be another exciting and intense match-up. Carroll has lots of offensive weapons and they can hurt you in a number of different ways. Defensively we need to be at our best and make sure every shot is contested.”
Jolene Fuzesy leads Carroll in scoring with 13.5 points per game followed by Emili Woody with 11.7 and Andrea Hall with 11. Carroll leads the Frontier and the nation in 3-point field goal percentage (40%). They lead the conference and are second in the nation in 3-point field goals per game with 9.7 per game. Carroll averages 78.9 points per game while giving up 59.
Rocky is 4-7 in conference play and 8-18 overall after splitting a series at home last weekend. The Lady Bears beat UGF 60-51 and lost to MSU-Northern 63-79. In January, in Billings, Montana Western downed Rocky 70-48.
Lori Jo Neubauer and Alyssa Root both average 10.5 points per game to lead Rocky in scoring. Rocky averages 59 points a game while giving up 65.5.
Becky O’Neil leads the Lady Bulldogs in scoring with 16 points per game followed by Megan Schmitz with 13.7 and Katherine Sunwall with 13.4. Sunwall leads the league and the nation in field goal percentage, 63.6%. Billi Suhr leads the Frontier and the nation in assist/turnover ratio (3.375). Montana Western averages 71 points per game while giving up 59.
Go To Top
Lady Bulldogs Take Season Series From Montana Tech
Saturday, February 11 2006
The Lady Bulldogs outscored Montana Tech 37-29 in the second half on the way to a 73-49 women's Frontier Conference victory from Butte.
The win raises the Lady Bulldogs record to 22-4 overall and 8-2 in league play.
The first half of the game was much like the entire game played in January. A lot of defense, and not a lot of points scored. UMW led only by seven at the half.
In the second half, Tech tried to shut-down the Lady Bulldogs inside combination of Becky O'Neil and Katherine Sunwall. And when they tried that, the Lady Bulldogs outside game took over. UMW's defense forced 19 Tech turnovers and scored at ease from either inside or on the perimeter.
Every player on the UMW roster scored in the win. Katherine Sunwall led the way with 18 followed by Becky O'Neil with 12, Billi Suhr with 11 and Megan Schmitz with 10.
Go To Top
Lady Bulldogs at Montana Tech
Thursday, February 9 2006
The University of Montana Western Lady Bulldog basketball team travels to Butte to face the Montana Tech Lady Orediggers in a Frontier Conference women’s basketball game.
Tip-off is 6:00 p.m. from Tech’s HPER Complex. The game will be broadcast locally over KDBM-AM and over the internet on Sportsjuice.com.
Western is 7-2 in league play and 21-4 overall after last weekend’s road trip at MSU-Northern and the University of Great Falls. The Lady Bulldogs beat UGF 76-55 and lost to MSU-Northern 72-57. The loss dropped Western to 10th in the latest NAIA Division I rankings.
Montana Tech is 1-8 in conference play and 5-18 overall after losing two on the road last weekend. The Lady Orediggers lost 92-68 to MSU-Northern and 77-86 to the University of Great Falls.
In the first meeting between the two schools, Western edged Montana Tech 54-68.
“Last time we played Tech we were very fortunate to escape with a victory,” said Western coach Kevin Engellant. “They defended us very well and we had a hard time getting anything going on the offensive end. We know Tech is going to compete and play hard so we need to match their intensity.”
Becky O’Neil leads Western in scoring with 16.2 points per game followed by Megan Schmitz with 13.9 and Katherine Sunwall with 13.2. Sunwall leads the Frontier and the nation in field goal percentage with a 64% average. O’Neil’s 60% field goal percentage is second in the league and fifth in the nation. Sunwall also leads the league and is seventh in the nation in blocked shots with 2.42 blocks per game. The Lady Bulldogs lead the Frontier and are third in the nation in blocked shots with five per game. Western averages 70.9 points per game while giving up 59.4 points per game.
Marcie Alzeheimer leads Montana Tech in scoring with 12.9 points per game followed by Kyle Cook with 10.7 points per game. Tech averages 65 points a game while giving up 79.
Go To Top
Lady Bulldogs Go 1-1 on High-Line Road Trip
Thursday, February 9 2006
The Lady Bulldogs went 1-1 on their Frontier Conference swing through the High-Line. Western beat the University of Great Falls 76-56. The Lady Bulldogs are now 7-2 in league play and 21-4 overall.
The Lady Bulldogs looked to put Great Falls away in the game's opening minutes as they rolled to 15-2 lead. But, the Lady Argos were far from being put away early. Great Falls came roaring back and the Lady Bulldogs led by only five, 30-26 at the half.
Western came alive in the second half with hot-shooting and stingy defense. The Lady Bulldogs built their lead to 22 at the 13 minute mark and cruised from there.
Katherine Sunwall led Western with 20 followed by Becky O'Neil with 18, Megan Schmitz with 12 and Billi Suhr with 10.
As hot as Western was against Great Falls, they were the exact opposite against MSU-Northern Saturday night.
Against the Skylights, Western hit only 33% of their field goals and 13% of their three point field goals in a 57-72 Frontier Conference loss.
Northern took control early and never let the Lady Bulldogs into the game. Western trailed by 13 at the half. The Lady Bulldogs battled back in the second half, but for every Western surge, the Skylights had an answer.
Only two Lady Bulldogs scored in double figures. Becky O'Neil led with 18 followed by Katherine Sunwall with 10.
Go To Top
Lady Bulldogs Play Two on the Road
Thursday, February 2 2006
The University of Montana Western Lady Bulldog basketball team begins the second half of the Frontier Conference season with two road games. Western plays at the University of Great Falls on Friday, February 3 and at MSU-Northern on Saturday, February 4. Western plays five of their final seven games on the road.
Western is 20-3 overall and 6-1 in Frontier Conference play after last weekend’s home split with Lewis-Clark and Westminster. The Lady Bulldogs dropped a 61-71 decision to Lewis-Clark and then edged Westminster 69-66. The loss to L-C was Western’s first conference loss of the season and dropped the Lady Bulldogs to 9th in the latest NAIA Top-25.
The University of Great Falls picked up their second win of the conference season when they beat MSU-Northern 78-74 last Saturday. The win raised the Lady Argos’ record to 6-16 overall and 2-5 in league play. When Western and UGF played in January, the Lady Bulldogs won 77-51. In the win, Megan Schmitz’s 21 points led four Lady Bulldogs scoring in double figures.
“This is another important weekend for us,” said Western coach Kevin Engellant. “For us to stay in the race for the regular season conference championship, we need to win these two games. Great Falls is coming off a big win against MSU-Northern, so they will be playing with a lot of confidence. We need to play well defensively by limiting their dribble penetration and keeping them off the free throw line.”
Laura Keaster leads UGF in scoring with 14.5 points per game followed by Jessica Smith with 10.5 ppg and Meghan Schwantes with 10 ppg. Great Falls averages 63.5 ppg while giving up 78 ppg.
MSU-Northern dropped to 12-7 overall and 2-5 in the Frontier after their 74-78 loss at UGF. In January, Western edged the Skylights 59-56. Katherine Sunwall led the Lady Bulldogs with 18 while Camille Gardner led Northern with 21.
“MSU-Northern is a talented team and they are hard to beat on their
home court,” added Engellant.
Jaci Heny leads Northern with 19 points per game followed by DeLayne Johnston with 13.6 ppg and Michele Van Dyke with 12.6 ppg. Heny leads the league and is seventh in the nation in free throw shooting with an 86% average. The Skylights average 73.4 ppg while giving up 65.4 ppg.
Western is led in scoring by Becky O’Neil with 15.9 ppg game followed by Megan Schmitz with 14.3 ppg and Katherine Sunwall with 12.8 ppg. Billi Suhr leads the Frontier and is eighth in the nation in assists with 5.13 per game. Western leads the league in assists and is second in the nation with 19.61 per game. The Lady Bulldogs are also tops in the league and third in the nation in blocked shots. Western leads the Frontier and are seventh in the nation in field goal percentage at 45.6%. The Lady Bulldogs average 80.7 per ppg while giving up 59.
Go To Top