That was Montana's conclusion Sunday in the final game of the Lady Griz Holiday Classic. Mississippi's relentless defensive pressure took a toll, but Montana kept the Rebels at bay with 11 treys and held on for an 84-77 win before 3,810 fans at Dahlberg Arena.
“They were a really good team, really athletic,” said Montana senior guard Laura Cote, whose squad moved to 10-3 in earning its ninth straight Holiday Classic crown.
The Lady Griz hit 8 of 15 treys in building a 40-28 halftime lead. Then it was a matter of holding off the streaky Rebels, who hit 57.6 percent of their shots (19 for 33) in the second half.
“Man, they're an up-in-your-face kind of team and it seemed like they were hitting every shot they took,” said Montana senior Johanna Closson, who was named tourney MVP and received a standing ovation after the game. “Our zone broke down a little and they got a few freebies, which (coach) Rob (Selvig) doesn't like to see a lot. But we hung in there and got them at the end.”
Selvig had a strong suspicion the Rebels (5-7) would be at their best after being blown out by UC Santa Barbara on Saturday night. Mississippi beat Montana on the boards, 38-33, but couldn't overcome 24 turnovers.
“I think beating an SEC team is a great win under any circumstances,” said Selvig, whose team will take a seven-game win streak into Big Sky Conference play. “We played against pretty good pressure all night. Turnovers probably seemed worse than what they were for us - we only had 15.
“We got good shots. We shot pretty well. First half we didn't get to the offensive boards and that was a point I made at halftime. Then we had a lot of kids play well again.”
Four Montana players scored in double figures, including all-tourney pick Mandy Morales with 20 points, Sonya Rogers 15, Closson 14 and Cote 10. The Lady Griz also benefited from solid post play in the second half by all-tourney pick Tam Guardipee (10 rebounds, 7 points) and Dvera Tolbert (6 points, 2 steals).
Selvig was encouraged by the play of Morales, who struggled with foot problems Friday against Santa Barbara.
“She had nine blisters that got all torn up (Friday),” Selvig said. “They were bleeding and raw. (Trainer) Karla (Judge) is patching them and trying to toughen them. It seemed better tonight. The pain is about gone.”
The Lady Griz jumped to a 14-2 lead behind 3-point goals by Morales, Dana Conway and Rogers. Mississippi clawed back within four with just under five minutes left in the half, then Montana responded with an 11-3 run fueled by 3-balls from Closson, Cote and Morales.
The Lady Griz appeared in control with a 64-46 lead and under nine minutes left. But the Rebels hit six shots in a row and later pulled within nine, 74-65, on a Lindsay Roy trey with 3:48 left.
“We could have maybe gone to man (defense) some, but we were maintaining a lead and we did get quite a few turnovers out of the zone,” Selvig noted.
Mississippi's hopes faded after two turnovers and field goals by Closson and Morales. The Lady Griz then hit 5 of 6 free throws in the final 41 seconds.
“We're in a good spot heading into conference now because we've played some good teams,” Closson said. “I think we know how to handle different situations better than last year going into conference, which is good for us.”
Notes: Montana forward Britney Lohman did not play Sunday for disciplinary reasons, but she will be available for her team's conference debut against Montana State Friday at Dahlberg Arena ... Morales and Guardipee were joined on the all-tourney team by Mississippi's Shawn Goff and Santa Barbara's Kat Suderman and Meagan Williams ... Carla Bartee led the Rebels in scoring Sunday with 18 points.
MISSISSIPPI (77)
Mins FG-A FT-A Reb PF A Pts
f-Bartee 28 8-11 1-1 7 1 3 18
c-Goff 38 6-16 4-4 8 2 2 16
g-Robertson 26 5-11 0-0 5 2 1 12
g-Melson 34 0-2 0-0 1 5 9 0
g-Thomas 18 2-5 0-0 2 0 0 6
Roy 9 3-5 0-0 1 0 0 9
Phillips 15 2-4 0-0 3 1 0 4
Black 15 3-5 0-0 3 5 2 6
Worsham 3 0-1 0-0 1 1 0 0
Forrest 14 1-3 4-6 2 1 0 6
Totals 200 30-63 9-11 33 18 17 77
MONTANA (84)
Mins FG-A FT-A Reb PF A Pts
f-Closson 27 6-13 1-3 2 3 2 14
f-Conway 17 2-5 0-0 1 1 1 5
c-Guardipee 29 3-5 1-2 10 1 2 7
g-Morales 31 6-11 3-4 4 0 5 20
g-Rogers 27 6-14 1-2 4 1 4 15
Cote 21 4-8 0-1 2 0 1 10
Ena 14 0-3 1-2 3 1 2 1
Tolbert 11 3-3 0-2 2 1 0 6
Beck 23 2-3 2-2 3 4 0 6
Totals 200 32-65 9-18 31 12 17 84
Halftime score: Montana 40, Montana Tech 28.
3-point goals: MISS 8-19 (Bartee 1-2, Robertson 2-7, Melson 0-1, Thomas 2-4, Roy 3-4, Worsham 0-1), UM 11-28 (Closson 1-3, Conway 1-3, Guardipee 1-3, Morales 5-9, Rogers 2-8, Cote 2-3, Beck 0-1).
Turnovers: MISS 24 (Goff 5), UM 15 (Cote 4).
Blocked shots: MISS 1 (Goff), UM 1 (Conway).
Steals: MISS 11 (Bartee 2, Black 2, Forrest 2), UM 10 (Guardipee 2, Morales 2, Tolbert 2).
Officials: Lolly Saenz, Dan Miller, Jason Hinch.
Attendance: 3,810.
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