MOSCOW, Idaho — The Idaho women's basketball team scored the first 14 points of the game Monday and never looked back, defeating Big Sky Conference rival Montana 70-57 inside ICCU Arena.
Idaho ranks sixth nationally in field goal percentage defense and put the clamps on the Lady Griz to start the game. Montana missed its first nine shots of the game and had four turnovers before finally getting on the scoreboard when Tyler McCliment-Call made a 3-pointer more than five minutes into the game.
The Lady Griz got the deficit to single digits by the end of the first quarter and trailed 20-11 going to the second. They got within 22-18 on a Macy Donarski bucket in the second quarter but couldn't get any closer, as the Vandals took a 35-25 lead into halftime.
Montana got within six points in the third quarter — 41-35 — on an Aby Shubert 3-pointer. But Idaho's Olivia Nelson and Sarah Brans answered with their own 3s, and the Vandals held off the Lady Griz the rest of the way.
Ten different Lady Griz scored in the game, led by Mack Konig with a team-high 10 points. Shubert and Dani Bartsch each scored eight points, while Bartsch added nine rebounds and three blocks to her stat line. Avery Waddington had a team-high 10 rebounds for Montana, which suffered its first loss under acting head coach Nate Harris.
Head coach Brian Holsinger is on leave from the program, and Harris guided Montana to wins over Weber State and Idaho State last week. The Lady Griz, who fell to 7-11 overall and 3-4 in Big Sky play, host rival Montana State on Saturday with tipoff scheduled for 2 p.m. inside Dahlberg Arena.
Idaho was paced by Nelson's 15 points and seven rebounds. Hope Hassmann added 13 points and nine assists for the Vandals, who also had Brans (11 points), Jennifer Aadland (10) and Rosie Schweizer (10) score in double figures.
Idaho improved to 13-4 overall and 5-1 in Big Sky play.
