MISSOULA — From start to finish, the Montana Lady Griz were in complete control Thursday evening as UM blew out Portland State 87-46 in front of 2,278 fans at Dahlberg Arena.
Carmen Gfeller led UM with 16 points while freshman Macey Huard added 15. Dani Bartsch added her fifth double-double of the season with 13 points and 13 rebounds for the Lady Griz while Gina Marxen added 12 points and eight assists.
Maggie Espenmiller-McGraw also scored 12 points as UM improved to 14-5 overall and 5-2 in Big Sky Conference play.
UM led 26-18 at the end of the first quarter and 45-30 at halftime. And in the second half, the Lady Griz completely stifled the Vikings as they ran away and turned a competitive game in the first half to a full-on blowout.
UM shot 50% from the field and 14 for 27 from 3-point range. They held PSU to 32.8% shooting and just 4 for 25 from deep.
The Vikings (5-14, 0-7) converted just six field goals in the second half, shooting 21.4% from the field in that frame as UM ran away.
Montana won the rebounding battle 51 to 26, had 25 assists, and saw contributions come from everywhere. Freshman Adria Lincoln scored eight points off of the bench, Mack Konig added seven points and six assists and Haley Huard grabbed eight boards.
Montana hosts Sacramento State on Saturday in their second annual N7 game. The N7 game honors Native American heritage and UM will wear specialized turquoise jerseys in the contest as they did a season ago.
