Skylights finish the Frontier Phoenix Classic on a high note

With Frontier Conference play looming, the Montana State University-Northern Skylights were looking to finish non-conference play and 2018 on a high note.

And that’s exactly what the Skylights did Friday night in Phoenix.

In their final game of the Frontier Phoenix Classic, the Skylights jumped out to an early lead and put away San Diego Christian, 55-40. The win bumped Northern’s record to 8-6 as MSU-N went 2-1 in Phoenix.

“We had another solid performance on the defensive end throughout the night,” MSU-N head coach Chris Mouat said. “We were more consistent on offense but still struggled scoring at times. However we maintained a double-digit lead most of the night which was good to see.”

The Skylights did play well defensively. They held the Hawks to just 29 percent shooting, forced key turnovers and won the battle of the boards, 42-28.

However, throughout much of their final non-conference game, the Skylights were also very good on offense. MSU-N shot 43 percent from the field, made six 3-pointers and dominated the interior, scoring 32 points in the paint.

Northern also got off to a strong start. The Skylights doubled up the Hawks in the first 10 minutes, building a 22-11 lead. Northern would lead 31-21 at halftime, and a final 11-5 run in the fourth quarter put the game on ice.

Lily Hilderbrand came off the bench to spark the Skylights, too, scoring 10 points. Peyton Kehr drilled two triples and added 10 as well, while Gokce Aslan scored nine points, all on three’s.

The win was a good one for the Skylights, and gives them momentum, heading into league play, which starts against nationally ranked UM-Western on Jan. 4. The Skylights also host Lewis-Clark State Jan. 5.

“Overall, I believe that we are getting better all of the time,” Mouat said. “Our rebounding was really good tonight by everyone — guards and posts! I know this trip was good for us and I’m proud of how hard we played in all three games. Our effort was outstanding.”

Skylights 55, San Diego Christian 40

San Diego Christian 11 10 12 7 - 40

MSU-Northern 22 9 13 11 - 55

SDC - Dayna Hansen 2-3 0-0 4, Erica McCarter 2-7 0-0 5, Henriette Gahmig 3-8 1-2 9, Hannah Myers 1-8 0-0 2, Kaitlyn McKinney 1-2 0-0 2, Courtney Cranston 2-9 0-0 4, Shayleen Toehe 3-10 0-0 9, Colleen Murphy 2-8 1-2 5. Totals: 16-55 2-4 40.

MSU-N - Gokce Aslan 3-7 0-0 9, Sabin Keo 1-5 0-0 2, Allix Goldhahn 2-7 1-1 6, Jada Nicholson 2-5 0-0 4, Jessica Curl 3-7 0-1 6, Peyton Kehr 4-10 0-0 10, Lily Hilderbrand 5-6 0-0 10, Sydney Hovde 3-6 2-2 8. Totals: 22-53 3-4 55.

3-pointers: SDC 6-13 (MCCarter 1, Gahmig 2, Toehe 3), MSU-N 6-18 (Aslan 3, Goldhahn 1, Kehr 2). Rebounds: SDC 28 (Cranston 6), MSU-N 42 (Hovde 8). Fouls: SDC 10, MSU-N 5; Fouled out: None.