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Princeton University
Montana (Montana Tournament)
Tigers Fall To Montana 68-54 In Women's Basketball Tournament
December 28, 2003 | Women's Basketball
Dec. 28, 2003
Final Stats
MISSOULA, Mont. - Becky Brown shot 7 for 9 and finished with 16 points and six rebounds as Princeton fell short of another near upset, losing 68-54 to Montana in front of 3,409 at Dahlberg Arena. The Tigers, who led 28-26 at halftime, will play in the consolation game of the Lady Griz Holiday Tournament tomorrow, Dec. 29 at 7:00 ET.
"This game was par for the course so far this season," head coach Richard Barron said. "We played a good first half but in the second, we didn't adjust.
"They increased the pressure on our shooters and their size really caught up with us."
Princeton began the game with an altered starting lineup, using two centers Maureen McCracken and Becky Brown, to combat Montana's size. The couple combined for eight points and eight rebounds in the first half while the guards also took care of business, shooting 6 for 13 from long range. Katy O'Brien had three three-pointers for nine points and Katy Digovich, Ali Smith and Casey Lockwood each nailed one three in the first half. Lockwood's three-pointer at 14:13 gave Princeton a 10-8 lead and the Tigers held their advantage for the rest of the half.
Princeton also outplayed Montana on the other end of the court, using multiple defenses to cause 23% field goal shooting by the Lady Griz and force point guard Brooklynn Lorenzen into five first-half turnovers.
But the Tigers struggled on the boards, grabbing eight less rebounds than the Lady Griz. Junior center Hollie Tyler had five rebounds and converted those into 11 points, both inside and out, to keep Montana alive. Julie Deming added eight points and four rebounds before the break.
Princeton held onto its edge for the first five minutes of the second half until a layup by Jody McLeod tied the score and a jumper by Katie Edwards gave Montana a 33-31 lead at 14:40. Brown and McCracken, who each had two fouls in the first half, picked up another two and were forced to split time with four fouls apiece. McCracken fouled out with 7:15 remaining in the game.
The Lady Griz took advantage as Crystal Baird scored twice in the paint and also nailed a three, giving Montana a 48-40 lead at 6:54. The momentum shifted to Montana, who shot 52% and outscored the Tigers 42-26 in the second half. The Lady Griz took away the long-range shots for the Tigers, who shot just 1 for 6 behind the arc in the second. Most of their late points came from Brown and Lockwood (11 points, seven rebounds) in the paint.
Tyler finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds and Deming added 14 points and seven boards for Montana.
Princeton (2-8) now faces Idaho in the consolation game tomorrow, Dec. 29 at 7:00 ET while Montana tries for its 21st Lady Griz Holiday Classic Title against Memphis at 9:00 ET. Memphis (9-1) defeated Idaho (7-1) 73-64 earlier in the day, giving the Vandals their first loss of the season.
Sophomore Emily Faurholt led Idaho with 22 points and entered the game as the nation's leading scorer with 25.0 points per game. Faurholt shot 8 for 20 from the field including 1-for-3 shooting behind the arc, and hit 5 of 8 free throws. She also had a seven rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Freshman point guard Leilani Mitchell is Idaho's second leading scorer, entering the weekend with 19.7 points per game. Mitchell had 13 points, seven assists and four rebounds against Memphis, when she played all 40 minutes.
Senior forward Taylor Benson had 18 points and nine rebounds against Memphis after averaging 13.0 points and 4.3 rebounds in the Vandals' first seven games. Rounding out the starting five are junior Heather Thoelke and freshman Karly Felton, who each had four points today. Thoelke averages 8.0 points and 6.6 rebounds. The Vandals, who are just seven-deep, also use Courtney Goetz and Emily Halliday
This game will be the first meeting between Idaho and Princeton in women's basketball.