Lights Skylights make long trips to UM-Western, LC State, again

If it seems like just yesterday that the Montana State University-Northern men's and women's basketball teams were playing Frontier Conference games against UM-Western and Lewis-Clark State, that's because it practically was.

Now, the Lights and Skylights do it again, traveling to Dillon and Lewiston, Idaho, for the second time in just over a month. Northern is in Dillon Thursday night to take on the Bulldogs, followed by a trip to LC State Saturday.

For the Lights (6-6, 16-8), this week's trip is about staying in the top half of the Frontier standings. Northern, led by senior center Ryan Reeves, who averages 16 points, nine rebounds and four blocks per game, is tied for fourth in the Frontier standings, and both eighth-ranked Western (8-4, 18-5) and 19th-ranked LC State (7-5, 18-6) sit ahead of the Lights. So MSU-N could make some major headway with a successful road trip this weekend.

Yet, it won't be easy. Western has beaten the Lights twice thus far, including a night game last month in Dillon. The Bulldogs are one of the highest-scoring teams in the NAIA and are led by stars Dom Robinson and Brandon Jones. LCSC, which has struggled as of late, including an overtime loss to the Lights two weeks ago in Havre, is always tough at home, however, and they have a beast of a forward in Race Martin.

"It is very unusual to be playing each other a third time, and so soon," MSU-N head coach Shawn Huse said of this weekend's games The challenge for all players involved is to keep their mental edge and focus and never tire. We know every game is a big one in the Frontier, and that if we can find yet another gear as we come down the back stretch, we'll have a great shot at great things this season. For the most part, we are playing good basketball right now, have kept ourselves in a good position relative to the league and just need to finish strong. We know it will not be an easy task, but it is a task this team is capable of doing."

The Skylights (1-11, 9-14) have also suffered multiple defeats at the hands of both the 24th-ranked Bulldogs (8-4, 18-6) and the Warriors (5-7, 14-9). Now, Northern must face both teams short-handed, as not only is senior Jacy Thompson lost for the season, but the Skylights have suffered a rash of recent injuries. So the road trip to play two of the most talented teams in the Frontier will be even tougher.

"Western is playing as well as anyone in the country right now," Northern head coach Chris Mouat said. "They have won a bunch of games in a row, and they've shot it extremely well from the 3-point line.  They have a very dynamic point guard (Bri King) who is playing better all of the time, and almost every player on their team will shoot the three.

"Lewis-Clark State has great size across the board," he continued.  "They rebound the ball very well and they get out and pressure in their zones and traps.  They had a good weekend shooting the ball from the three this past weekend, which makes them very dangerous."

The Skylights, though, even short-handed and even mired in a tough losing streak, will fight hard. Led by veterans Brandy Lambourne and Peyton Filius, as well as standout sophomore Shiloh McCormick and the emergence of freshman Tiara Gilham, Northern will continue to make things difficult for their Frontier opponents, even the red-hot Bulldogs who they play Thursday night.

  "I expect both teams to come out and get after us with full and half-court pressure.  We will need to do a great job taking care of the ball and we need to finish plays," Mouat said. "Our turnovers this past weekend cut our offensive opportunities down and a lot of them led directly to points, so it is really important that we execute at a high level. We have to make steps forward in all areas this weekend to be successful against Western or L-C State."

The Lights and Skylights play at UM-Western Thursday night, with the women tipping at 5:30 p.m. and the men to follow. Saturday's games at LC State start with the women at 6:30 p.m. Northern then comes home for three straight games, starting next Friday against Rocky Mountain College.