Three wins in five games have the Lady Griz feeling good heading into December games. The feeling would be even better had they squeaked out a win against eighth-ranked Maryland or South Dakota State last week in the Caribbean Challenge.
But Montana has been rock-solid on defense, and it will need to continue the trend Thursday in its fifth straight road test. The Lady Griz will battle Pac-10 foe Oregon at 8 p.m. (MST) in Eugene.
“They're probably not going to lose very many games at Oregon this year,” Montana coach Robin Selvig said, “and we're hoping to figure out a way.”
Selvig will again be without senior center Tam Guardipee, who is making progress with a hip injury but will not make the trip. Her absence makes it harder to get things done in the paint, which in turn puts more pressure on the Lady Griz to hit mid- and long-range jumpers.
“It's kind of a group thing,” Montana coach Robin Selvig said of his team's shooting slump. “We're shooting 37 percent.
“After watching the South Dakota State film, we played better offensively than I thought,” he added in reference to a 64-59 loss on Friday. “Second half we got good shots out of our offense but we didn't make them. I think we're a better shooting team than we have been up until now.”
Selvig will likely use his trademark 2-3 zone. The Ducks (3-2) haven't been particularly effective from behind the arc, hitting 18 of 64 attempts. But their height could present a problem on the boards for the Lady Griz, who allowed too many offensive rebounds (15) against SDSU.
“The thing they have really is size,” Selvig said. “We aren't particularly tall but we've been able to defend even the big teams.
“They also have a really good guard (Cocks). She lights it. She puts it on the floor and shoots the three. But they aren't a team that has taken a lot of threes. There's only two kids that have them. Maybe we can figure out a way to zone them if we can get to those kids.”
Like Montana, Oregon has shown the potential to be a strong defensive team. On Saturday the Ducks held Wyoming to 36 percent shooting and a season low in points. They also caused a season-high 22 turnovers, including 16 in the first half.
“The first four minutes, I thought our team did a really good job of getting up there with our defensive grittiness and aggressiveness,” Cocks told the Register-Guard, Eugene's leading newspaper. “We've just got to make it more consistent throughout the 40 minutes and not have letdowns.”
Saturday's win was an about-face for the Ducks. They suffered lop-sided losses at BYU (67-45) and South Dakota State (80-63) leading up to the game, prompting coach Bev Smith to disallow school colors in practice.
Despite his team's two-game skid, Selvig has no complaints with its intensity level. The Lady Griz can find comfort in knowing they've played tough teams to the wire despite cold shooting.
“Sometimes when you're not shooting the ball it can affect you in other areas,” Selvig said. “Instead of fighting it we kept doing other things. We were in all three of those games (in last week's Caribbean Challenge).”
The Lady Griz backcourt tandem of Mandy Morales and Sonya Rogers accounted for 39 points in Montana's loss to South Dakota State. But the other three Lady Griz starters combined for just 14 points and Montana had just six points off the bench.
That must improve against an Oregon team picked to finish sixth in the Pac-10.
Montana's experience in Cancun, Mexico, should help. But how much remains to be seen.
“It was a great trip,” Selvig said. “The tournament was big-time well run. You walk out of your room and go to the game. You don't rent cars. You don't run around. I don't get lost.
“We got to play three national caliber teams on a neutral floor with not much hassle.”
Notes: Montana ranks 79th in the nation in team defense, allowing an average of 58.4 points per game ... Oregon's Cocks competed on the New Zealand national team in the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics ... Like Montana, Oregon has struggled with shooting. The Ducks have hit 37.1 percent of their shots ... The Ducks have been slow starters this season, outscored 174-155 in the first half this season ... Oregon's top returning player, junior guard Taylor Lilley, has yet to play this season with an injury ... The Ducks have committed 110 turnovers, which is 34 more than Montana.
Sports writer Bill Speltz can be reached at 523-5255 or bill.speltz@lee.net.
Montana Lady Griz at Oregon
Thursday, 8 p.m. (MST), at McArthur Court in Eugene, Ore.
Radio: KENR 107.5 FM.
TV: none. Web: www.GoDucks.com
Records: Oregon of the Pac-10 is 3-2 after a 51-45 home win over Wyoming on Saturday. Montana is 3-2 after a 64-59 loss to South Dakota State on Friday in Cancun, Mexico.
Series: Oregon leads, 10-2.
Last meeting: Oregon beat Montana, 53-52, on Dec. 12, 2003.
Up next: Montana will play host to Boise State on Sunday at 2 p.m.
Probable starters
Montana
3-Mandy Morales, 5-9, sr. 16.6 ppg
10-Sonya Rogers, 5-7, sr. 11.0 ppg
14-Sarah Ena, 5-11, so. 8.8 ppg
22-Britney Lohman, 6-1, sr. 7.6 ppg
45-Lauren Beck, 6-0, jr. 6.2 ppg
Oregon
2-Micaela Cocks, 5-8, jr. 17.2 ppg
4-Ellie Manou, 6-3, so. 13.6 ppg
11-Amanda Johnson, 6-2, fr. 9.0 ppg
22-Tatianna Thomas, 5-11, so. 5.4 ppg
21-Victoria Kenyon, 6-2, so. 3.8 ppg
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