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@UNCBearsWBB Moves to 6-0 in Big Sky Play with Big Win Over Montana State
1/14/2017 6:06:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Northern Colorado women's basketball team kept its Big Sky record perfect Saturday afternoon with a 66-58 win over Montana State
GREELEY, Colo. – The game lived up to its billing between Northern Colorado and Montana State Saturday afternoon. UNC improved to 6-0 in Big Sky play and 14-3 overall with the 66-58 win.
How It Happened
Northern Colorado held MSU scoreless for the first 3:59 of the game, building a 5-0 lead, but Hannah Caudill's three to open the scoring for the Bobcats started an 11-0 run. The Bears offense continued to struggle as Montana State led 18-7 after the first quarter.
UNC shot just 18.8 percent from the field in the quarter, while MSU finished 63.6 percent.
Northern Colorado's offense started to hit shots early in the second quarter going on a quick 5-0 run in first 90 seconds to force an MSU timeout. The run built to 7-0, pulling the team within four of MSU.
The Bobcats responded to the run with a 7-0 rally of their own, to push their lead back to 11, but were held to just one point the rest of the quarter.
Mandy Karako checked into the game for UNC with 4:59 left in the half, and proceeded to score seven points for the team off the bench before half. Savannah Smith hit a three and a late Krystal Leger-Walker jumper in the paint gave UNC a 12-1 run going into the break and a tie game at 26.
Through the first two minutes of the second half, the teams remained neck and neck, tied at 30, but that changed quickly as Northern Colorado went on another run, this one of an 11-0 fashion.
The team built its lead to as many as 11 during the run, at 42-33, but the Bobcats didn't let the game get away from them as they closed the quarter on a streak of their own. MSU's eight straight points to close the quarter made it a one-point UNC lead going to the fourth.
The final 10 minutes of the game featured a pair of ties and lead changes.
Karako once against provided a spark off the bench for the team, hitting a big 3-pointer with 4:32 left, to put the Bears up six.
Montana State went on a 7-0 run after that, gaining a one-point lead off another Caudill three, but UNC's defense buckled down after the trey.
Savannah Scott regained the advantage for UNC with a tough and-one, and then Courtney Smith hit a dagger from the left side elbow to put Northern Colorado up 62-58 with 58 seconds remaining. MSU went scoreless for the final 2:21 of the game, while UNC knocked down its free throws to earn the win.
Game Changer
The stat sheet will show junior Kianna Williams had a solid game with 10 rebounds, eight points and three steals, but it's not what's on the stat sheet that was the difference. Williams drew the challenge of guarding Montana State's Peyton Ferris, who was averaging 28.0 points a game over the last three contests. Williams was a big part of the reason UNC held Ferris to just 14 points and 5-of-12 shooting.
Notable
- The balanced scoring for UNC continued, with four players finishing with 10 points or more. Savannah Smith led the way with 15, while Mandy Karako, Courtney Smith and Savannah Scott each had 12. The 12 points for Karako are a career-high.
- The Bears attacked the offensive boards hard, out-rebounding MSU 16-13.
- UNC's first foul of the game didn't come until the 2:48 mark in the second quarter.
- Montana State, who averaged 16.2 turnovers a game, had 15 by the half, and 28 at the end of the game. That led to 30 points off turnovers.
Quotable
Junior Forward Kianna Williams
On Stopping Montana State's Peyton Ferris
"It was a team defense effort. We knew that it was going to be tough stopping Ferris and Riley (Nordgaard) number 15 for them, so we all worked on stopping those two."
About Keeping the Momentum
"We can't be satisfied that we are 6-0 right now. Coach Laurie says that right now we are at halftime. We can't just take plays and practices off, we have to continue to play hard through the season and improve."
Redshirt Sophomore Guard Savannah Smith
About First Quarter Offensive Struggles
"We weren't making shots that we normally do in practice, so that kind of put our mood down, along with our pace. It still wasn't as good as it should have been, but in the second half coming out of the locker room it felt like it was a lot better."
Coach Ethridge's Halftime Message
"That the game was 0-0 now. We had worked hard to tie the game up, but it was 0-0 now. She told us to really get the rebound and not be as fineness and make the tough plays along with increasing our pace."
Freshman Guard Mandy Karako
Mindset Coming Off the Bench
"I just try to take it one play at a time. If I think of it all as more than one I get a little flustered. So I take it one defensive possession, then offensive and go from there. I just keep on trying to think what I am supposed to next. It really helped that we were getting good ball movement to help get the offense going."
Head Coach Kamie Ethridge
Overall Statement on the Game
"I am super excited for our team. I wouldn't say we played an exceptionally clean game offensively, but had a spectacular game defensively. When I look at Montana State they seem to have great personnel and bodies. They run a great system and I thought in the half court we defended them really well, and felt like on the offensive end, things would come around. I don't know if it really did the entire night, but we had key players make some really big shots, including Mandy Karako who came in and scored well for us. We just had enough momentum and plays in the second half to come up with an incredible win for us."
About Team's Defense
"We played their personnel very well, other than getting out on their 3-point shooters the way we wanted to. Those shots kept them in the game more than anything else. Their other players need the bounce to create things, and we were taking charges and getting in gaps and pressuring their offense. The 28 turnovers is a huge stat and put them in a bind on their offensive end."
About Kianna Williams
"Who would have ever thought Kianna Williams would turn into the competitor and utility player she is for us now. She has turned herself into a player, taking on any challenge we ask her to and any type of coaching we give her. She is so far advanced in her commitment and want for this team. What she did on the stat sheet is great, but her taking on Ferris and many, many other things she did on defense that will go unnoticed."
On Moving Forward to Next Week
"I love this team's make up. They are young and enjoying every minute of this, but they will still be young tomorrow and come into practice probably sleepy or something like that. They are not getting ahead of themselves or anything like that. We just talked about six games are in our rearview mirror now. Something we should get out of these game is confidence. We have played different styles and found ways to win those games. Now we have to take those experiences and go on the road against really good teams in Idaho State and Weber State."
What's Next?
UNC heads back on the road next week going to Idaho State and Weber State. The Bears will first take on Idaho State first on Thursday at 7 pm.
