Frontier play comes early for Northern

And so it begins. Tonight, the Montana State University-Northern men's and women's basketball teams will begin Frontier Conference play, and they'll do it on the road against an arch rival.

The early edition of league play starts when Northern visits Rocky Mountain College. The action starts in the Fortin Center with the Skylights taking on the Battlin' Bears at 5:30, and the men's game to follow.

The No. 6 Skylights (7-0) come into tonight's game unbeaten, and picked to win the league title this winter. Northern is also riding some good momentum as the Skylights have swept Dickinson State, and knocked off No. 10 Wayland Baptist in their last three games. But, tonight's visit to RMC (7-2) will be another big test for the Skylights.

"Rocky is much, much improved," said MSU-N head coach Chris Mouat. "They are just very good, and it will be a very difficult game for us. Both games this weekend are against very good teams, because Western is very good too. And they are at places we have had our struggles in the past. So these first two games are going to be a huge challenge for us."

The Bears will be a challenge because they are a high-scoring offense, and one that can score in many ways. So, that will be a stern test for Northern's nationally-ranked defense, which gives up just 46 points per night. The Bears are led by standouts Whitney Mitchell and Tenika Capouch, who combine to average around 30 points per game.

And the tough tests for Northern's defense doesn't end tonight in Billings. The Skylights travel to Dillon for a showdown with UM-Western on Saturday, and the Bulldogs (9-1) might just be the most improved teams in the Frontier.

Western has lost just once so far this season, and University of Montana transfer Molly Klinker has been a great addition to a talented team that also returns the likes of Sierra Higheagle and Kaye Bignell. Western has also proven to be much like the Skylights, in that, they are balanced. The UM-W offense is putting up 75 points per game, while the defense as allowing just 51 points per night.

But, in both games, the home team will have its hands full too. The Skylights are battle tested, and talented. Northern is led by stars Natalee Faupel and Jacy Thompson, while senior Rachelle Bennett has made a strong return from an early season injury. In the post, Sierra Richards continues to be a solid addition, while Brandy Lambourne is coming off a career game against DSU last weekend. MSU-N is dealing with some injury problems, but, the Skylights should be ready for everything they'll face on their first Frontier road trip of the season.

"Both opponents are very good," Mouat said. "Both teams have improved so much over the last year. But, I think our schedule has prepped us well for these first two conference games. We have played some great teams in tough environments this season, and it's put us in a position that we are going into these first two league games feeling pretty good about where we're at."

Northern men's coach Shawn Huse feels pretty good about where his 7-1 Lights are at heading into tonight's conference opener too.

The new-look Lights have come together quickly, and they bring just one loss into tonight's game with the Battlin Bears (6-1). And, that loss was a close one at NCAA Division II Chadron State last week.

Still, as well as the Lights have played, and they have played well, as they are second in the Frontier in scoring defense and third in 3-point shooting, tonight's game, and Saturday's rivalry bout at Western, will tell a lot about where Northern stacks up with the rest of the Frontier.

"Both teams present similar challenges in their transition games and after play offenses," Huse said. "They both place a premium on full court play and with their dribble attack styles. We have to find ways to slow them down if we are going to find success."

Slowing down the Bears will be the key tonight. Rocky averages 90 points per game, led by veteran Rob Nyby's 20 points per night. And Rocky's offense is deep, as the Bears have five players averaging in double figures, and two more that contribute more than nine points per game.

And things don't get any easier for Northern's stout defense when it goes to No. 23 UM-Western (3-4) on Saturday night. Though the Bulldogs have struggled at the start of the season, they are still a team to beat in the Frontier. The Bulldogs average close to 90 points per game, led Dexter Williams Jr.'s 18 per outing, but the Bulldogs also allow 85 points per game, and Northern's high-powered offense will look to exploit that Saturday night.

The Lights come into the weekend balanced on of the offensive side of the ball. Warren Edmondson leads the way at 13 points per game, while Tyler Chandler averages 12 and David Straughter scores 11. But it's MSU-N's depth that has made the Lights so tough to keep up with this season. MSU-N has 10 players averaging 15 or more minutes per game, and in two tough Frontier road games, that depth will certainly come in handy.

"I believe this group is excited to get things going," Huse said. "I like where we're at right now, this is an opportunity to get some conference road games under our belt."

Tonight's game between the Skylights and Battlin' Bears tips off at 5:30 in Billings. The Lights play RMC at 7:30. Game times Saturday night at UM-Western are the same.