Skylights shock LC State in Idaho

The further away from success you get, the harder it is to find it again.

Those were the words of a very happy Chris Mouat, the Montana State University-Northern women’s basketball coach, Saturday night in Lewiston, Idaho.

Mouat said that phrase because his Skylights, before arriving in Idaho, had suffered 11 straight Frontier Conference losses. But Saturday night, the Skylights found their way back to success with a 59-56 win over the Lewis-Clark State Warriors.

“I’m extremely happy for our kids,” Mouat said. “Every one of them. “This has been a rough journey the last month and some, but they’ve stayed the course, they’ve stuck together, they’ve worked hard, and tonight, they found a way to win in a place that’s traditionally been very hard to win. I’m just so proud of them.”

The Skylights nearly knocked off LC State two weeks ago in Havre, and have had some other recent close calls. But Saturday night, they were able to finish the job. Northern started strong, but still trailed the Warriors 14-12 at the end of the first quarter, and 33-26 at halftime.

LCSC continued to hang on to a double-possesion lead for much of the third stanza, too, but Brandy Lambourne buried a 3-pointer to end the third quarter, and that pulled the Skylights to within five points. Then, in the fourth stanza, Northern continued to make key shots, but more importantly, get big stops and big rebounds. The Skylights tied the much-taller Warriors 33-33 on the board, and that was a huge key to the game.

And so was finishing. With a one-point lead and just a few ticks left on the clock, Peyton Filius sank two free throws, giving the Skylights their first win since Dec. 30 when they beat nationally ranked Our Lady of the Lake in Havre.

“We kept our composure down the stretch,” Mouat said. “There was a lot going on, but our kids didn’t panic. And we finished. I thought we executed our defensive game plan perfectly all night, and to tie them on the boards, that was huge. And offensively, we finished. We made enough shots down the stretch, and then Peyton goes up and sinks two huge free throws to essentially put the game away. So I’m extremely proud of the way our kids finished the job. They’ve had chances in other games, but tonight, we finished, and I’m really proud of them for that.”

Defensively, the Skylights held LC State to just 36 percent shooting and just six threes on 24 attempts. Offensively, Northern was balanced with Shiloh McCormick scoring 17 points, Lambourne hitting three bombs and adding 16. Filius hit two three’s and chipped in with 13 points, while Tiara Gilham and Kealani Sagapolu battled inside, combining for seven points and 12 rebounds.

“Our kids just hung in there,” Mouat said. “They really grinded on defense, battled them on the boards, which is not easy to do, and they finished.”

Indeed, the Skylights (2-12, 10-15) not only got a big win Saturday night, they also lifted a big weight off their shoulders. And the timing couldn’t be better as Northern comes back to the Armory Gymnasium for three straight games, including Friday against Rocky Mountain College and Saturday against rival Carroll College.

“This win shows that our kids continue to compete, they continue to have each other’s backs,” Mouat said. “It shows that they continue to work hard in practice, and want to keep improving. They deserve it, and I’m proud of them for the way they’ve hung in there through all of this. It’s big. It’s big for all of us.”

Warriors trim Lights

Two weeks ago, the Montana State University-Northern Lights knocked off the then No. 8 Lewis-Clark State Warriors in overtime in the Armory Gymnasium. The win was part of a rough stretch for the Warriors, but Saturday night, they returned the favor.

The Lights dropped their third straight road game in the Frontier Conference, falling to the Warriors 63-60 in Lewiston, Idaho. With the loss, MSU-N fell to 6-8 in conference play.

“What can I say? We honestly did perfect surgery again ... only to lose the patient right in the end ... again,” Northern head coach Shawn Huse said. “Our guys have been absolutely working their tails off, preparing so hard and handling these long trips with great character. It is just so tough to lose these important games against really good teams, right at the end. All you can do is keep working hard and keep the faith that something really good regarding the basketball side of things will come our way in the end. I do believe it will. We have way too good of a group of guys for it not to.”

The game two weeks ago in Havre was a defensive slugfest, and it set up a rubber match Saturday night, as LC also beat the Lights in January in Idaho. And once again, defense played a big role.

Northern did well to hold the high-scoring Warriors to just 27 points in the first half, but LC’s defense was just as good, as the Lights made just two 3-pointers, and trailed 27-26 at the break.

MSU-N began to heat up in the second half though, and with just eight minutes left in the game, Northern found itself with a 10-point lead, and looking like the Lights were going to steal a big win on the road. From there however, LCSC stormed back, and with under a minute to play, took the lead for good. Northern had cracks at tying the game in the waning seconds, but the Lights couldn’t quite get over the hump.

Defensively, MSU-N was outstanding, holding the high-octane Warriors to just 24 percent shooting from the three. But MSU-N struggled shooting on its end, as the Lights made just seven triples and shot 41 percent. The Warriors also out-rebounded the Lights 39-28, while LC’s Jeremy Franklin had a big game with 18 points and six boards.

Northern got 14 points by Justin Dunsmore, and 13 from Caulin Bakalarski, while Ryan Reeves had another huge stat night, with 12 points, nine rebounds and six blocks.

The Lights, who are in fifth in the Frontier standings, have their next three at home, starting with fourth-place Rocky Mountain College Friday night. MSU-N also hosts first-place Carroll College Saturday night.

“We’ll get there somehow in the end,” Huse said. “This too shall pass and we will keep fighting. Losing a few tough games with this group is not a horrific thing. With the big fella as our captain and returning defensive player of the year (Ryan), we will not let these tough losses define our season. It’s hard to say right now as it’s right after another tough loss, but we are determined to be in the mix and find a way in the end.”

Skylights 59, LC State 56

MSU-Northern 12 14 14 19 – 59

Lewis-Clark State 14 19 12 11 – 56

MSU-N - Peyton Filius 3-6 6-8 13, Brandy Lambourne 5-12 3-4 16, Jacy Thompson 0-0 0-0 0, Shiloh McCormick 6-14 3-3 17, Lily Hilderbrand 0-0 0-0 0, Jessica Curl 1-3 4-4 6, Naomi Terry 0-1 0-0 0, Tiara Gilham 1-5 0-0 3, Kealani Sagapolu- 1-4 2-2 4. Totals 17-45 18-21 59.

LCSC - Cali Moscrip 3-10 2-2 11, Peyton Souvenir 2-5 1-1 6, Hannah Burland 0-0 0-0 0, Abbey Roy 0-0 0-0 0, Hailey Turner 5-11 0-0 10, Brittany Tackett 3-6 0-0 6, Abbie Johnson 1-4 2-3 4, Lauren Johnson 1-6 0-0 3, Delaney Henery 2-3 2-2 7, Kiara Burlage 1-3 0-0 2, Jossilyn Blackman 3-10 1-2 7. Totals 21-58 8-10 56.

3-pt FG:Montana State-Northern 7-18 (Filius 1-4, Lambourne 3-6, McCormick 2-6, Terry 0-1, Gilham 1-1), Lewis-Clark State College 6-24 (Moscrip 3-8, Souvenir 1-4, Turner 0-3, Johnson 0-1, Johnson 1-5, Henery 1-2, Blackman 0-1). Rebounds: Montana State-Northern 33 (Gilham 6, Sagapolu- 6), Lewis-Clark State College 33 (Blackman 9). Fouls Montana State-Northern 13, Lewis-Clark State College 12. Fouled out: none.

LC State 63, Lights 60

MSU-N - Ryan Reeves 5-13 2-2 12, Justin Dunsmore 5-7 1-1 14, Charles Porter 1-2 0-0 2, Devin Bray 3-5 0-0 7, Adam Huse 1-7 0-0 2, Cayeveoon Jones 1-2 0-0 3, Anthony Harper 1-3 0-0 2, Caulin Bakalarski 4-9 4-5 13, Gabe Porter 2-8 0-0 5. Totals 23-56 7-8 60.

LCSC - Trea Thomas 3-4 0-0 7, Cory Dollarhide 0-1 4-4 4, Damek Mitchell 0-3 2-2 2, Jeremy Franklin 7-17 1-2 18, Race Martin 3-9 0-0 7, Andre McCowan 5-8 3-3 13, Derrick White 3-5 0-0 6, Trystan Bradley 1-3 2-2 4, Dana Abe 1-6 0-0 2. Totals 23-56 12-13 63.

Halftime: LC State 27-26. 3-pt FG:Montana State-Northern 7-22 (Dunsmore 3-4, Bray 1-2, Huse 0-5, Jones 1-2, Bakalarski 1-3, Porter 1-6), Lewis-Clark State College 5-19 (Thomas 1-2, Dollarhide 0-1, Franklin 3-9, Martin 1-4, McCowan 0-1, White 0-1, Abe 0-1). Rebounds: Montana State-Northern 28 (Reeves 9), Lewis-Clark State College 39 (Martin 7, White 7). Fouls Montana State-Northern 16, Lewis-Clark State College 13. Fouled out: none.