BISMARCK, N.D. – The Montana Western women's basketball program (6-7, 4-5 FC) were defeated 87-74 by Bismarck State (2-11, 2-7 FC) Saturday evening. The hot-shooting Mystics made 17 threes in the contest.
STAT BREAKDOWN
Western shot 41.9 percent (26-62) from the field, 34.6 percent (9-26) from three, and 65.0 percent (13-20) from the foul line.
The Bulldogs recorded 32 rebounds, 13 assists, nine steals, and one block in the contest.
They tallied 30 points in the paint, 13 points off turnovers, six second-chance points, and 18 bench points.
LEADERBOARD
Isabella Lund led UMW in both points (24), rebounds (seven), and steals (four).
Bailee Sayler (14) and
Keke Davis (13) were also in double figures for the Bulldogs.
Gio Horner dished out a team-best six assists and had Western's lone block of the game.
NOTABLES
Western earned its third straight game with 10 or more offensive boards.
Lund recorded her third 20-point game of the season.
Horner earned a season-best six assists.
GAME SUMMARY
The Mystics came out firing, draining seven threes in the opening frame to build their lead to as many as 13 in the first. Controlled play from the Bulldogs helped close the gap to eight, 28-20, at the end of the period.
Western started the second 10 minutes on a 7-0 run, and kept it close for much of the quarter, but turnovers proved costly as BSC stretched its lead once more, up 50-36 as the teams headed to the locker room.
UMW shot 41.9 percent (13-31) from the floor, 27.3 percent (3-11) from deep, and 63.6 percent (7-11) from the foul line in the first half while registering 14 rebounds, eight assists, and six steals.
The Bulldogs resilience was showcased again in the third quarter, as they dug themselves out of the hole to retake the lead 61-60, but the Mystics put away eight points at the end of the frame to retake the seven-point lead, 68-61.
After struggling from distance in the second and third, the hosts used strong three-point shooting in the final 10 minutes to put the game out of reach of UMW. Despite continued effort from Western, Bismarck State took the 13-point win.
THE OPPOSITION
Bismarck State shot 39.7 percent (27-68) from the field, 38.6 percent (17-44) from three, and 80.0 percent (16-20) from the stripe. The Mystics posted 33 rebounds, 21 assists, nine steals, and one block. Kennedy Stormer led all players with 26 points, followed by Aleah McPherson (19), Alionna Lawrence (17), and Ashley Martodam (10). Natalie DeCoteau pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds. Stomer also led the game in assists (nine) and shared the game-high in steals (four). Lawrence recorded the Mystics sole block.
LOOKING AHEAD
Montana Western returns to Dillon next weekend when it welcomes MSU-Northern and Providence to Straugh Gymnasium. Both games are slated for 5 p.m. MT tipoffs.
For complete coverage of UMW Women's Basketball, be sure to follow us on social media at @umw_wbb (Instagram), @umw_wbb (X), and @Montana Western Athletics (Facebook) or visit our official website at UMWBulldogs.com.
#GOBULLDOGS
