Skylights storm back to beat an NAIA power

The Montana State University-Northern women's basketball team was looking to prove something to themselves, and to the NAIA Friday night in Great Falls.

And against a fellow premier NAIA powerhouse, the Skylights did just that.

At UGF's McLaughlin Center Friday, No. 5 Northern turned away 10th-ranked Wayland Baptist, 78-74 in overtime, to remain unbeaten in the regular season.

Like Northern, the Queens were undefeated, and a team that went to the NAIA national tournament last spring. And while it was a brutally tough game, the resilient Skylights, behind an incredible, 39-point performance by sophomore Jacy Thompson, triumphed.

"It was a very tough game," said MSU-N head coach Chris Mouat. "We knew it would be. With them (Queens), it was pick your poison. Their shooters are so tough to guard, and when we were doing a good job on them, they started taking it to us down low. They are just a very complete team, and it was very much like a conference, or national tournament game, even.

"Fortunately, our kids were very poised, and hung in there," Mouat added. "And down the stretch, we made just enough stops on defense, and then, got some really big shots offensively. We just found a way, and I'm very proud of the kids because this is a big win. It's big for our program and it's big for our players."

The Skylights were coming into the game fresh off a pretty tough beating at the hands of the University of Montana Lady Griz last Tuesday. And against the Queens, they found themselves with their backs against the wall many times.

Northern trailed 19-12 early, but rallied to only be down 25-24 at halftime, as MSU-N's stingy defense held the Queens to just six points in the second quarter.

The Skylights picked up the pace offensively in the third quarter, especially Thompson, and Northern then lead by one point heading into what became a back-and-forth fourth period.

Then, with just seconds remaining, MSU-N found itself tied, both with the ball and a chance to win the game in regulation, but the Skylights couldn't convert, and neither could the Queens on their last chance of the period.

So, knotted at 66-66, the game went to an extra frame, and again MSU-N needed to be resilient.

The Skylights fell behind by seven points in the first two minutes of the overtime. But, finally, they got a couple of key stops on defense, and Thompson did the rest, and MSU-N walked out of Great Falls with a very impressive win.

"We were really in a hole in overtime," Mouat said. "We could have folded. But the kids didn't do that. They fought back, they got some big stops on defense, and then we made some really big shots. We never could get the momentum in that game it seemed, but we finally did in the last two minutes of overtime. So credit to our kids for hanging in there."

Thompson was the catalyst as she went 13-of-19 from the floor and 10-of-12 from the free-throw-line. She also dished out five assists and made three of Northern's five 3-pointers on what was a career-high night from the sophomore from Townsend.

"Jacy was incredible," Mouat said. "She made big shot after big shot and she really took the thing over in overtime. It was a very impressive performance."

Natalee Faupel also had a big game with 16 points and eight rebounds, while Rachelle Bennett continued her strong play since returning from injury. She chipped in with 11 points, while Sierra Richards added six.

The Skylights (6-0) needed those big performances to come back on one of the best teams they'll play in non-conference play this season — and Mouat was very proud of his team, and the win over the Queens.

"You don't get many opportunities to play non-conference games like this," he said. "So, it's a huge win for us.

"And there's something to be said about the resiliency of our kids," he continued. "We took one on the chin (with the Lady Griz), about as bad as we have here in a long time. So for them to regroup and recover as fast as they did and come back and play so well against a team like this, that's big for our kids. And hopefully, it's a big confidence builder for them going forward."

The Skylights don't have a lot of time before they move forward. Northern is in Dickinson, North Dakota, Saturday for a rematch with a very good Dickinson State team. Then, one week later, the Skylights will open Frontier Conference play with games at Rocky Mountain College and UM-Western.

Skylights 78, Wayland Baptist 74 OT

Wayland Baptist 19 6 23 18 8 – 74

Northern 12 12 24 18 12 – 78

WBU – S. Afunugo 3-6 6-8 13, L. Castillo 4-7 2-2 12, M. Merket 4-9 1-1 10, S. Monreal 2-9 1-2 6, N. Sato 9-15 3-3 21, B. Bogard 1-1 2-2 5, S. Monreal 2-7 0-0 5, J. Riley 1-2 0-0 2. Totals: 26-58 15-18 74.

MSU-N – Jessica Anderson 1-2 0-0 2, Natalee Faupel 5-10 6-8 16, Molly Kreycik 1-4 1-2 4, Sierra Richards 2-3 2-2 6, Jacy Thompson 13-19 10-12 39, Rachelle Bennett 3-8 4-5 11, Tina Doughty 0-0 0-0 0, Makhayla Farmer 0-0 0-0 0, Peyton Filius 0-0 0-0 0, Brandy Lambourne 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 25-46 23-29 78.

3-pointers: WBU 7-18 (Afunugo 1, Castillo 2, Merket 1, S. Monreal 1, S. Monreal 1, Bogard 1), MSU-N 5-11 (Kreycik 1, Thompson 3, Bennett 1); Rebounds: WBU 24 (Merket 5), MSU-N 36 (Faupel 8); Fouls: WBU 22, MSU-N 18; Fouled out: Anderson.