MSU-N home to play old hoops rivals

Once upon a time, the Montana State University-Northern and Dickinson State University basketball programs were bitter non-conference rivals. Then, for two years, the Blue Hawks were conference rivals.

Now, the rivalry will be renewed in non-conference fashion as the Skylights and Lights play host to the Blue Hawks in a Saturday afternoon doubleheader at the Armory Gymnasium.

First up is a matchup between the No. 6-ranked and unbeaten Skylights (4-0), and a Blue Hawk team which comes to Havre 4-0 on the season, with two wins over NCAA Division II rivals. Northern enters the game after a two-week layoff, while the Blue Hawks come to the Armory fresh off a win over the University of Mary Tuesday.

And while the Skylights have had their battles with the Blue Hawks in the past, Northern head coach Chris Mouat said, this most recent meeting, should be a very difficult one.

“Dickinson State is a very good team and by far the best we’ve seen this season,” Mouat said. “They have some very big wins against excellent teams under their belt already, and they are playing well.  They have really done a good job in recruiting and are extremely talented.”

The Blue Hawks are talented, led by the starting foursome of Lorna Shepherd (5-9), MacKayla Feeney (5-5), Megan Klein (6-1) and Janniqua Thomas (5-11), all of which have scored in double figures this season. DSU is also tall and deep on their bench.

But, the Skylights will give the Blue Hawks fits as well. Northern’s trademark defense is just 35 points per game so far this season, while the Skylights are also an excellent rebounding team. Offensively, MSU-N is already fifth in the NAIA in 3-point shooting. MSU-N shoots 43 percent from beyond the arc as a team.

The Skylights are talented individually, too. Junior Natalee Faupel is averaging 18 points per game, while Sierra Richards, Jessica Anderson and Makhyala Farmer are giving the Skylights a solids presence in the post. Jacy Thompson and Molly Kreycik are off to an outstanding start in the backcourt, and Northern’s guards off the bench, Peyton Filius, Brandy Lambourne and Kate Fetterer are giving the Skylights an added boost.

Still, as Mouat pointed out, the Blue Hawks are the best team the Skylights will have seen thus far, and he expects Saturday’s game to be much like a Frontier Conference contest.

“They (Blue Hawks) are strong and athletic inside and can really shoot the three,” Mouat said. “There are really not too many players on their roster who won’t shoot the three, and some have hit a bunch of them already this season. I like their depth, too. They are just a strong basketball team and are always well-coached at both ends of the floor. This is a huge challenge for us early in the season, especially with a few kids out with injuries.”

Saturday’s nightcap won’t be any easier for the undefeated Lights (4-0). Dickinson State may only be picked to finish sixth in the Northstar Athletic Association this season, but Northern head coach Shawn Huse believes the Blue Hawks will be dangerous.

DSU comes into Saturday’s bout at 1-1 on the young season, but under the guidance of first-year head coach Justin Wetzel, who has served as an assistant coach at Montana State and Montana State-Billings. So he’ll be very familiar with the Lights. The Blue Hawks also boast a deep roster, led by shooting guards Jacob Gonrezik (6-0), Brandon Ruffin (6-3) and Julian Vasquez (6-3).

"Coach Wetzel and his team have shown all styles of play on both ends of the court,” Huse said. “They have been a very good transition team who will also slow down their offense and make you guard. They play both man and zone on defense, and really try to keep you off balance and out of rhythm. They have good size, skill, and athleticism and will be another very good challenge for us as we continue our journey towards the conference season.”

On the other side of the coin, Northern comes into Saturday’s bout playing back-to-back weeks for the first time all season. And it should be a good trend as the Lights won two big games at home last weekend, and showed off their balance and depth in doing so.

Starters Trevail Lee, KJ Rech, Warren Edmonson and Dylan Tatarka are all capable of putting up big numbers, while David Straughter is the reigning Frontier Conference Player of the Week. But it’s MSU-N’s bench and three-point shooting that make the Lights lethal, and which will give the Blue Hawks fits. Tyler Chandler, William Walker, Brett Thompson and Justin Dunsmore all scored in double figures off the bench for the Lights last weekend, and that production should help the Lights immensely as they host an NAIA opponent for the second straight week.

Saturday’s doubleheader starts with the Skylights facing the Blue Hawks at 1 p.m. in the Armory Gymnasium. The men’s game will follow at 3 p.m. The Skylights will then play at the University of Montana Nov. 17, while the Northern men head to Las Vegas for two games next weekend.