March 2006
Seven Lady Bulldogs Earn All-American Honors
Thursday, March 23 2006
Seven University of Montana Western women’s basketball players earned NAIA All-American honors.
Named to the NAIA All-American team were junior post Katherine Sunwall of Great Falls, MT, junior post Becky O’Neil of Kalispell, MT and Megan Schmitz of Great Falls, MT. Sunwall earned second team honors, O’Neil third team honors and Schmitz, honorable mention honors.
Named to the Daktronics/NAIA Academic All-American Scholar team were Schmitz and Sunwall along with sophomore guard Colette Behrent of Columbus, junior guard Crystal Kain of Charlo, senior guard Lindsey Scott of Dillon,MT and junior guard Billi Suhr of Pony, MT.
Recipients must be a junior or above in academic standing and have a cumulative GPA of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale.
Montana Western finished the 2005-06 season with an overall record of 29-6. They were regular season Co-Conference Champions and Frontier Conference Tournament champions. The Lady Bulldogs advanced to the NAIA National Tournament where they went 1-1 and advanced to the Sweet 16.
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More Honors For Katherine Sunwall
Tuesday, March 21 2006
The Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) and Eastman Kodak Company announced the 2006 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Kodak/WBCA All-America Basketball Team. This year's team marks the 24th year of the NAIA Kodak/WBCA All-America Basketball Team, which began in 1983. Selection committees in each of the six WBCA geographical regions select ten of the top women's basketball players in the nation to be honored.
University of Montana Western junior Katherine Sunwall of Great Falls earned Honorable Mention honors. This is the second year in a row that Sunwall has been selected to the Kodak/WBCA All-American team.
"There are so many great athletes in the game of women's basketball, but few that possess the qualities to help their program excel both academically and athletically," said WBCA CEO Beth Bass
"For the past 32 years, Kodak has partnered with the WBCA to celebrate the best in women's college basketball. Kodak is in the business of helping people capture and share memories. It is gratifying for us to help honor these student-athletes whose highlights have thrilled us for so many years," said Greg Walker, Director and Vice President, Brand and Market Development at Kodak.
Founded in 1981, the Women's Basketball Coaches Association promotes women's basketball by unifying coaches at all levels to develop a reputable identity for the sport of women's basketball and to foster and promote the development of the game of basketball as an amateur sport for women and girls. For more information on the WBCA, please visit www.WBCA.org.
Sunwall was also chosen an NAIA “Champion of Character”. She received the honor at the opening banquet of the NAIA National Tournament.
In 2000, the NAIA launched a comprehensive character program that focuses on the following five core character values: respect, responsibility, integrity, servant leadership and sportsmanship. The NAIA conducts Champions of Character programs to all age groups across the country engaging people in the mission to change the culture of sport. At each of the NAIA’s 23 national championship student-athletes are recognized for not only their accomplishments in athletics but also for the character traits they display towards their teammates, coaches, teachers and fans.
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Engellant Receives WBCA Award
Monday, March 20 2006
University of Montana Western women’s basketball coach Kevin Engellant is the recipient of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) 2006 Russell Athletic/WBCA Victory Club Award.
The Russell Athletic/WBCA Victory Club Award is presented to each WBCA member head coach who achieves career wins of 200, 300, 400, 500 or more, in 100 victory increments.
Engellant picked up his 200th career victory on December 10 when Montana Western defeated Eastern Oregon 65-64.
Engellant was one of eight NAIA women's basketball coaches to receive the award this season.
These accomplished coaches will be recognized during the Russell Athletic/WBCA National Coach of the Year Luncheon presented by AstraZeneca at 12:00 p.m. (ET) in the Hynes Convention Center Ballroom in Boston, Mass. This event is part of the 2006 WBCA National Convention held in conjunction with the NCAA® Women's Final Four®.
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Lady Bulldogs Out of National Tournament
Monday, March 20 2006
Sixth-seeded Oklahoma Baptist University knocked off second-seeded University of Montana-Western 64-53 to advance to the quarterfinals of the 26th annual NAIA Division I Women's Basketball National Championship at Oman Arena.
Montana-Western took a 13-7 lead through the first six minutes of play, but the OBU Lady Bisons worked to tie the Lady Bulldogs 21-21 at the half, with both teams shooting below 30 percent from the field in the opening 20 minutes of play.
The Lady Bisons and Lady Bulldogs swapped leads four times and had seven ties in the first 15 minutes of the second half, until OBU took a 50-48 lead with a basket by Dilenny Castillo to spark a 16-6 run to the buzzer. OBU was 9-of-10 from the free throw line in the final five minutes to hold on for the double-digit victory and become the first sixth-seeded team to advance to the quarterfinals since the NAIA switched their bracket to quartered seeding in 2003.
OBU shot 54.5 percent in the second half, including 4-of-6 from 3-point range, and 94 percent from the charity stripe. They were held to 27 percent shooting from the floor in the first half.
Dilenny led OBU with 22 points, including a perfect 14-of-14 from the free throw line, and nine rebounds. Rachel Heins followed with 14 points.
Montana-Western was led by Becky O'Neil's 21 points, including 9-of-12 from the floor. Megan Schmitz followed with 13 points, while Katherine Sunwall had a game-high 11 rebounds.
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Lady Bulldogs Advance at National Tournament
Wednesday, March 15 2006
The second-seeded Lady Bulldogs downed seventh-seeded William Carey College 67-51 to advance to the second round of the 26th annual NAIA Division I Women's Basketball National Championship from Jackson, Tennessee.
The Lady Bulldogs trailed most of the first half. At the six minute mark, and trailing by nine, Western finally got untracked to hit 8 of their last 11 field goal attempts and take a 37-31 halftime lead.
The Lady Bulldogs turned up the defense in the second half and held William Carey to only 25% from the field.
Megan Schmitz led Western with 22 points. The junior from Great Falls was 6 of 9 from beyond the arc. Katherine Sunwall added 17 followed by Billi Suhr with 12.
The Lady Bulldogs improve to 29-5 on the season. Their second round opponent is Oklahoma Baptist, Friday morning at 9 a.m. CST.
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Lady Bulldos vs William Carey College at NAIA National Tourney
Monday, March 13 2006
The Lady Bulldogs play the William Carey College Lady Crusaders in a first round game at the NAIA, Division I Women’s Basketball National Tournament in Jackson, Tennessee, Wednesday, Mar. 15.
Tip-off is 11 a.m. MST time from the Oman Auditorium. The game will broadcast in Dillon on KDBM-AM, 1490 on the dial. For those out of the broadcast area, the game will be web cast from the NAIA Tournament site, http://naia.collegesports.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/06-div1-tourney.html
The 32-team single-elimination tournament is divided into four eight-team quadrants. Montana Western is seeded 2nd while William Carey is seeded 7th in their quadrant.
The Lady Bulldogs, Co-Conference Champions of the regular season enter the tournament fresh off their Frontier Conference Tournament Championship. Western defeated Carroll College 66-60 for the title. UMW is making their seventh straight trip to the national tournament. Their national tournament record is 5-6. Last year, the Lady Bulldogs lost to Oklahoma Christian 62-75 in the games opening round.
“We are looking forward to competing in this years National Tournament,” said head coach Kevin Engellant. “Winning the regular season Frontier Conference Championship as well as the Frontier Conference Tournament Championship is a tremendous accomplishment.
We are playing our best basketball of the season and we need to continue to play well at Nationals.”
William Carey College is located in Hattiesburg Mississippi. The Lady Crusaders are members of the seven team Gulf Coast Athletic Conference. William Carey finished the regular season with a 14-9 overall record, a conference mark of 9-3 and regular season conference champions. In their last game, the Lady Crusaders lost to Mobile 53-62 in the championship game of their conference tournament.
“William Carey is an extremely athletic team,” added Engellant. “They are not big, but they make up for their lack of size with their quickness and they do a great job of creating opportunities with their pressing up-tempo defense. We need to handle their pressure and get the ball inside.”
The Lady Crusaders feature a balanced offensive attack. Amanda McGill is the only player averaging in double figures with 12.8 per game. Three other players average around eight per game. McGill also leads the team in rebounding with 5.6 per game. William Carey averages 64.9 points per game while giving up 62.3.
Montana Western averages 71.2 points per game with three players averaging in double figures. Becky O’Neil leads the team with 16.2 points per game followed by Megan Schmitz with 14.4 and Katherine Sunwall with 13.2 Sunwall leads the team in rebounds with 10.1 per game followed by O’Neil with 8. Billi Suhr leads the team in assists with 4.6 per game. The Lady Bulldogs give up 60.5 points per game.
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Lady Bulldogs Face William Carey College at NAIA National Tournament
Wednesday, March 8 2006
The Lady Bulldogs will face William Carey College of Hattiesburg, Mississippi in the first round of the NAIA, Women’s Division I National Basketball Tournament from Jackson, Tennessee.
Tipoff is Wednesday, March 15 at Noon Central Time, 11:00 a.m. Mountain Standard Time.
The Lady Bulldogs are the 2nd seeded team in their bracket and William Carey is seeded 7th.
Montana Western finished the regular season with a 28-5 record and were Frontier Conference regular season Co-Champions and Frontier Conference Tournament Champions.
William Carey finished the year at 14-9 and 9-3 in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference.
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Three Players Earn All-Conference Honors
Tuesday, March 7 2006
Three Montana Western women’s basketball players earned 2005-2006 All-Conference honors as announced by the Frontier Conference. The Lady Bulldogs were regular season Conference Co-Champions and won the conferencne tournament champions with a victory over Carroll College. The Lady Bulldogs are 28-5 as they prepare for the NAIA national tournament set to begin March 14 in Jackson, Tennessee.
Becky O’Neil, a 6-1, junior post player from Kalispell, Montana, earned 1st team honors and was named the league’s “Newcomer of the Year”. O’Neil led the team in scoring with 16.2 points per game. She was fourth in the Frontier in scoring. Her 60.4% shooting percentage was second best in the league and sixth best in the nation. O’Neil was sixth best in the league in rebounding with 7.97 rebounds per game. She was second in the conference and 14th in the nation in shot blocks with 1.70 per game.
Megan Schmitz, a 5-6 junior guard from Great Falls, Montana, earned 1st team honors. Schmitz was second on the team and 8th in the league in scoring with 14.5 points per game. She was second in the Frontier in 3-point field goals made (2.67) and 8th in 3-point field goal percentage (38.6%). Schmitz was 4th in the league and 14th in the nation in assists (4.80).
Katherine Sunwall, a 6-1 junior post player from Great Falls, Montana earned 1st team honors, and for the second year in a row was named the “Defensive Player of the Year.” Sunwall averaged 13 points per game. She led the Frontier and is fourth in the nation in field goal percentage (61.3%). She is third in the league and sixth in the nation in rebounding with 10 per game. Sunwall leads the league and is third in the nation in shot blocks with 3.11 blocks per game.
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Lady Bulldogs Down Carroll for Frontier Conference Title
Monday, March 6 2006
It was a title game in every sense of the word as the Lady Bulldogs downed Carroll College 66-60 for the championship of the "Swede" Kenison Frontier Conference Women's Basketball Tournament.
The Lady Bulldogs took early controll and a 12-6 lead at the 11:47 mark of the first half. Carroll tied the game at 13 on a three-point field goal. One possession later, the Lady Saints took their first lead of the game 16-13 on another 3-point field goal. Western's Billi Suhr answered the Carroll bomb with one of her own and the game was tied again. There were three lead changes in the final five minutes of the half. The Lady Bulldogs led at the break 31-30.
Western maintained a lead over the first five minutes of the second half. Carroll tied the game on three-pointer at the 15:50 mark. The Lady Saints took a 41-40 lead on another three-point bomb. The Lady Saints would hold that lead, and building it to as many as five over the next six minutes.
The Lady Bulldogs regained the lead on a Katherine Sunwall basket at the 4:43 mark. Carroll would tie the game at 56-56 one possession later. A Crystal Kain jumper quickly broke the tie and gave the Lady Bulldogs a lead they would never lose down the stretch. Both Katherine Sunwall and Becky O'Neil played the final five minutes of the game with four fouls.
Four players scored in double figures for Western led by Megan Schmitz with 15, Katherine Sunwall with 14, Crystal Kain with 13 and Becky O'Neil with 12.
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Lady Bulldogs Score Semi-Final Win Over MSU-Northern
Monday, March 6 2006
Four players scored in double figures as the Lady Bulldogs moved into the championship game with 74-71 hard-fought semi-final win over MSU-Northern at the "Swede" Kenison Frontier Conference Basketball Tournament.
Northern jumped out early and grabbed the lead. A 3-point field goal by Crystal Kain at the 15:54 mark gave the Lady Bulldogs their first lead of the game. That ignited an 13-2 run that carried the Lady Bulldogs to a 23-11 lead.
With Western leading 27-18, the Skylights went on a 11-0 run to take a 29-27 lead with 7:04 remaining. A Billi Suhr 3-pointer gave the Lady Bulldogs back the lead, one they would hold the remainder of the half. Northern managed to tie the game once in the half but could not regain the lead. The Lady Bulldogs led 39-36 at the break.
The Lady Bulldogs opened the second half with a 9-2 lead to take a nine point lead with 16:22 remaining. Northern came battling back to cut the lead to two, 53-51 at the 12 minute mark. Western built the lead back to 11, 66-55 with 6:40 remaining. Northern then outscored the Lady Bulldogs 16-6 to trail 72-71 with 43 seconds remaining. Crystal Kain's two free throws with 17 seconds remaining sealed the win for Western.
Billi Suhr had a career best 25 points to lead Western followed by Becky O'Neil with 16, Katherine Sunwall with 15 and Crystal Kain with 11.
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Lady Bulldogs Squeak by Montana Tech
Thursday, March 2 2006
The Lady Bulldogs edged Montana Tech 76-71 in the first round of the Frontier Conference tournamen.
Montana Western looked to be in solid control in the first half as they built a sizeable lead and shut down any Tech run. The Lady Bulldogs led at the half 44-31.
The second half belonged to Tech. The Lady Orediggers took advantage of the cold shooting and mistakes of the Lady Bulldogs to make the game very interesting. Tech hit 6 of 10 three point field goals to outscore the Lady Buldogs 40-32 in the second half. Montana Western preserved the win with pressure free throw shooting in the game's final two minutes.
Becky O'Neil led Montana Western with 23 points followed by Billi Suhr with 14 and Katherine Sunwall with 13. Sunwall led the team in rebounding with nine.
The Lady Bulldogs semi-final opponent will be the winner of the MSU- Northern-Westminster game.
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Webcast Link For Conference Games
Wednesday, March 1 2006
Men's
http://dakfiles.daktronics.com/downloads/DakStats/Webcast/2005-06_MBB_Front_Tourney.htm
Women's
http://dakfiles.daktronics.com/downloads/DakStats/Webcast/2005-06_WBB_Front_Tourney.htm
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