Lady Griz beat Montana Western in exhibition game, await opener against Gonzaga

In a 88-66 win on Robin Selvig Court, the Lady Griz caught fire from beyond the arc early but allowed the NAIA foes back into the game in the second half. The team's approach to the game, fourth-year head coach Brian Holsinger said, involved a heavy dose of experimentation with lineups and rotations.

"We're looking for improvement," Holsinger said of his approach to exhibition games. "Some of these players, it's their first time playing extended minutes in college. Just trying out lineups, seeing who's going to do the right thing mostly.

"What worked here, what's not gonna work there."

While no official stats were recorded for the game, Montana found plenty of life from three-point land in the first half. Both sophomore Aby Shubert, a transfer from Xavier, and freshman Avery Waddington connected for multiple long-range shots that helped Montana break out to a 56-31 lead at halftime.

The production is a sign that Holsinger's squad is picking up where they left off last year from deep. Montana connected on 357 three-point shots last year, the most in program history and the fifth-most in Big Sky conference history. The Lady Griz averaged 10.8 three's per game last season, second nationally only to the Caitlyn-Clark-led Iowa Hawkeyes.

While the team lost its top two scorers from last season, Carmen Gfeller and Maggie Espenmiller-McGraw, Holsinger expects his team to find offensive production from a varying cast of shotmakers.

"It may not be a team that has one leading scorer, and (instead) is just by committee," Holsinger said. "That's always better because you're harder to guard."

Montana Western opened the third quarter on a 14-6 run, winning the quarter 23-12. Montana's lead shrunk to 11 at one point in the fourth quarter as the Bulldogs faithful in attendance made their presence heard.

"We started really well, and you relax," Holsinger said. "Any team, they'll get you if you take things lightly."

"You play against a team like that, that has five guards essentially. With a post player, it's a little tricky, but we don't typically play against teams that have all guards like that. But we gotta adjust."

Montana also got away from long-range shot attempts in the second half, instead opting for an influx of cuts and drives to the basket. The head coach said the note wasn't a schematics choice as much as it was the flow of the game.

Montana won the fourth quarter 20-12, putting together a productive close to the game on offense.

"They decided let our post play one-on-one in the second half, in the first there was a lot more help so a lot more kick-outs," Holsinger said. "It's really just about what they're giving us."

The Lady Griz open their official season Tuesday in Spokane with a matchup against the Gonzaga Bulldogs. It's a rematch of last year's contest in Missoula where the 'Zags beat Montana 83-70.

The game was tight, though; Gonzaga led by just four at halftime. The Bulldogs went on to reach the Sweet 16 in the 2024 NCAA Tournament; Holsinger said both teams will look much different this time around.

"We played 'em tough here last year, (but) it's a different deal to play there," Holsinger said. "It's a tough place to play."

The most important key for the game, Holsinger said, is getting his players back on the court. Montana has dealt with a variety of injuries through the offseason; preseason All-Big Sky forward Dani Bartsch is still recovering from an injury, as is redshirt junior forward Izabella Zingaro.

With players still returning to full health, Holsinger said his lineups aren't set in stone.

"We haven't even practiced consistently yet," Holsinger said.

The Lady Griz and Bulldogs will tip-off at 7 p.m.

"It'll be packed, we have a lot of fans coming over and they have a lot of fans, it'll be fun," Holsinger said of the matchup.

"We're trying to become what they are, and when you do that sometimes you gotta go over there and beat 'em."