By AUSTIN SMITH
Photos by MIKE HUBERMAN
The Lady Griz fought through a tough defensive matchup Saturday afternoon to down the Idaho State Bengals 61-49, their 13th conference victory and second win at home within a week.
The Bengals came to play, jumping out to an early lead and disrupting Montana’s typically spot-on offensive machine with a hard-nosed defense that forced 12 turnovers and out-rebounded the Griz 42-33.
Montana rallied midway through the first, falling back on their own defensive prowess and taking advantage of their roster depth for 19 points off the bench and a consistent stream of fresh substitutes.
The Grizzlies’ aggressive ball movement and persistent shooting in the paint proved to be too much for Idaho State; a nine-point gap at the half could not be bridged, and the Lady Griz were able to dribble out the clock on the second of their last three home games this season.
Kenzie De Boer continues to pack out the stat book, earning Player of the Game honors yet again with her team-high 24 points and 100% perimeter shooting. As a unit, the ladies had 14 assists and 25 defensive rebounds; two positive aspects of their game that helped counteract their poor showing at the free throw line (57%) and unusually high turnover rate (12 total).
The Lady Griz will host the Southern Utah Thunderbirds for their final home game of the 2013 season on Thursday, Feb. 28th. They will then hit the road for a three game series starting March 2nd before turning their attention to the Big Sky Tournament quarterfinals on March 14th.