(RMC Athletics release)
BILLINGS – Four Battlin’ Bears scored in double digits as No. 17 Rocky Mountain College defeated the Montana Tech Orediggers, 74-53.
Rocky’s Justyn Juhl posted her first double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Alecia Chamberlin scored 17 points. Both Kloie Thatcher and Markaela Francis gave 13 point performances, with Thatcher providing an additional nine assists.
The first half play saw both teams pace each other evenly with neither gaining a lead larger than five points. An 11-3 run in the third period shifted the momentum in Rocky’s favor and the Battlin’ Bears outscored the Orediggers 21-9 in the final quarter of play.
Rocky shot 49.2 percent from the floor while limiting the Orediggers to 37 percent. From beyond the arc, the Battlin’ Bears drained 5-of-17 three pointers and were good 75 percent of the time on the free-throw line.
Pulling in five steals, Rocky scored 13 points off of Montana Tech’s 12 turnovers. In terms of boards, both teams were fairly even with the Battlin’ Bears out-rebounding the Orediggers just 34-33.
Montana Tech’s Dani Urick scored 16 points to lead the Orediggers.
Rocky will host Montana Western on Jan. 24 at 5:30 p.m.
Rocky’s men led by 19 at half and cruised to a 33-point win in the nightcap, 88-25.
Satchel McDonald led all scores with 17 points on 7-7 shooting for Rocky. The Bears put four players in double figures. Austin Payne was next with 14.
Carson Dummer was the only Oredigger to hit double figures with 10 points.
The Bears shot 61-percent from the field and nearly 41 percent from three-point range. Montana Tech was held to 30 percent shooting for the game, 26 percent from outside the arc.
Rocky’s men host UM-Western next Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
