Skylights seek a title in Idaho

While the Montana State University-Northern Women’s basketball team ended their home season in style with a 44-42 win over Montana Western Saturday inside the Armory Gymnasium, the win also put the Skylights in the Frontier Conference Championship for the second time in three years.

However, to win the Frontier, No. 12 Northern will need to beat No. 2 Lewis- Clark State, a team that has defeated the Skylights on three separate occasions this season. Tip-off time is set for 8 tonight in Lewiston, Idaho.

“It is huge for our kids and it’s huge for our program,” Northern head coach Chris Mouat said. “Two in three years is not bad. We want to be there every year, of course, but to have to earn it the way we did (against Western), makes us extra proud. We went down to Westminster a couple years ago and had a chance to win the game. So we are going to dust ourselves off for one day here and then we will turn around and be ready to go Monday.”

Regardless of whether the Skylights (23-7) win or lose, an invite into the NAIA National Tournament appears to be a sure thing, but winning a Frontier Conference Championship would mean plenty in its own right for MSU-N. Yet, knocking off an opponent that won three prior contests this season by an average of nearly 14 points a game, will prove to be no easy task.

The first meeting wasn’t even close as the Skylights lost by 22. However, the next game in Havre was decided by just nine points and another game in Lewiston had a margin of just seven points.

“We had two really competitive games against them,” Mouat said. “And in another game, we had three really competitive quarters. The first game was close and then they caught fire and won by 25 points. We have got some work to do.”

LC State (30-1) is led by a solid nucleus that features Brittany Tackett, who has scored at least 15 points in all three meetings with the Skylights this season. Tackett averages 14.1 points per game for the Warriors, while Caelyn Orlandi averages 14.0.

“They are a really complete team,” Mouat said. “So we really need to look at the film and try to find some different things that we can do and to try and be as prepared as we can possibly be for them.”

If Northern is going to win, it will certainly need a big night from Faupel, who has scored just under 18 points a game this season against the Warriors, including 27 points in the second meeting between the two teams in Havre.

LC State is the No. 2 team in the country and along with Northern, will take part in the national tournament which begins March 15 in Billings. Tonight’s game can be viewed on SWX TV, on Charter Channel 199, as well as online at msun.edu. For full coverage, see Tuesday's HDN.

No. 12 Skylights at No. 2 LC State

tonight at 8 in Frontier championship

In Lewiston, Idaho

Radio: 92.5 KPQX

Streaming/TV: msun.edu/athletics, SWX 199

Twitter: HavreDaily

Skylights Projected Starters

G Jacy Thompson, 5-6, Jr., 9 ppg

G Molly Kreycik, 5-7, Sr., 8 ppg

G Cydney Auzenne, 5-10, Sr., 9 ppg

F Natalee Faupel, 5-10, Sr., 18 ppg

F Sierra Richards, 6-0, Sr., 12 ppg