OGDEN, Utah — Despite a furious second-half rally, the Montana Lady Griz couldn't get over the hump as UM fell to Weber State 73-69 on Saturday afternoon.
Montana trailed by 22 points with 4:54 remaining in the third quarter but clawed its way back with a huge fourth quarter to get within one possession multiple times. Montana outscored Weber State 25-12 in the fourth quarter.
Trailing 64-49 with 8:02 to go, Montana began to catch fire. MJ Bruno knocked down a 3-pointer, followed by a layup by Alex Pirog and another triple from Bruno that quickly got UM within 64-57. A layup from Macy Donarski and a 3-pointer by Mack Konig added to UM's offensive onslaught as the comeback was becoming reality.
A three-point play from Bruno got the Lady Griz within 66-65 with 1:51 to play, but Kendra Parra responded with a layup for the Wildcats to keep Montana at arm's length.
Two free throws from Dani Bartsch made it one-possession again at 69-67 Weber State with 37 seconds to play, but the Wildcats were able to ice the game with free throws down the stretch to seal the victory.
Avery Waddington and Bruno led Montana with 14 points each while Bartsch added 11 points and nine rebounds. Konig finished with eight points and four assists. As a team UM shot 36.2% from the field and 11 for 33 from deep. Montana won the rebounding battle 41 to 38 and forced 12 turnovers.
Lanae Billy led Weber State with 16 points as the Wildcats had five players in double figures. Weber State shot 43.9% from the field and went 11 for 21 from 3-point range.
Weber State improved to 10-13 overall and 7-6 in Big Sky play to remain in fourth place in the league standings, while UM dropped to sixth place with its third loss in a row to fall to 10-15 and 6-8.
UM started the game on a 11-2 run to lead out of the gates before the Weber State found its bearings and took over to lead 38-25 by halftime.
With four games remaining in the regular season, Montana is next at rival Montana State next Saturday in Bozeman.
