BUTTE, Mont. – The Montana Western women's basketball program (14-14, 11-11 FC) fought back from 16 down to tie the game late, but were narrowly defeated by Montana Tech (24-4, 18-4 FC) 78-74 in the Frontier Conference semifinals.
The Bulldogs outscored the Orediggers 41-32 in the second half to tie the game at 70 with under five minutes remaining, but fell just short of the comeback.
"We just wanted to show up this weekend and play competitive basketball, which I think we did," head coach
Ryan Sullivan said. "I am super proud of our girls. We made the conference tournament when we were picked 11th in the preseason poll. They bought into what we wanted to do this season and I hope we get a chance (to go to the national tournament) because we are playing really good basketball right now."
STAT BREAKDOWN
UMW shot 46.6 percent (27-58) from the field, 34.8 percent (8-23) from distance, and 85.7 percent (12-14) from the charity stripe.
Western tallied 27 rebounds, 10 assists, five steals, and three blocks.
The Bulldogs registered 36 points in the paint, 11 points off turnovers, eight second-chance points, and 22 bench points.
LEADERBOARD
Bailee Sayler tied for the game high with 18 points while
Isabella Lund (15),
Ava Bellach (13), and
Tayva Phillips (11) also finished in double figures.
Sayler also pulled down a team-best seven boards.
Lund dished out a game-high tying five assists.
Mila Hawk snagged a team-high two steals.
Keke Davis,
Kyle Pancost, and
Brooke Deyak each swatted one block for Western.
NOTABLES
Sayler posted her 10th-straight double-digit scoring effort.
Lund recorded at least five assists for the 12th time on the year.
Bellach drained three shots from beyond the arc for the ninth time.
The Bulldogs shot over 45.0 percent from the floor for the fifth-straight contest.
GAME SUMMARY
The first quarter was a tightly contested affair, and though the Orediggers led for the majority of the first 10 minutes, two Phillips free throws put the Bulldogs ahead two, 23-21, at the end of the period.
Montana Tech heated up in the second frame, building up a 16-point advantage before taking a 13-point lead, 46-33, into the locker room.
UMW shot 50.0 percent (12-24) from the field, 36.4 percent (4-11) from beyond the arc, and 71.4 percent (5-7) from the foul line in the first half.
Western showed up stronger out of the break, cutting the lead to five at one point in the third. The Orediggers still led by 10, 63-53, with one quarter to go.
The Bulldogs didn't go quietly, slowly chipping away at the deficit to knot the game at 70 with three and a half minutes remaining in regulation. Montana Tech managed hold on late for the four-point win.
THE OPPOSITION
The Orediggers shot 41.4 percent (29-70) from the floor, 42.9 percent (12-28) from three, and 72.7 percent (8-11) from the foul line. They tallied 31 rebounds, 18 assists, six steals, and eight blocks. Halle Haber tied for the game-high with 18 points, followed by Brooke Badovinac (15), Hadley Humphreys (15) and Liv Wangerin (10). Humphreys grabbed a game-high eight rebounds while Wangerin tied for the game-best in assists (five). Badovinac led all players in both steals (three) and blocks (three).
LOOKING AHEAD
The Bulldogs now await news from the NAIA on a possible national tournament bid.
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!
