Skylights host Corban in Field Trip Game

The Montana State University-Northern women's basketball team is right in the middle of what head coach Chris Mouat referred to as a "gauntlet" before the season began.

The gauntlet started with an exhibition game loss at the University of Montana, and will end with an exhibition game at Montana State University. But in between, the Skylights have looked awfully good on their three-game home stand, and they hope, Friday afternoon's capper on the homestead is more of the same.

Northern (2-0) will host Corban University (2-1) in a Field Trip Game Friday afternoon. The game will admit youth grades 3-5, from Havre and surrounding areas, with over 800 expected to be in attendance.

"We are looking forward to hosting kids in grades 3-5 from Havre and the surrounding area," Mouat said. "Field Trip games have really taken off at schools throughout the country, and we're really happy to be hosting one at Northern."

Northern was part of a Field Trip game when the Skylights played the Lady Griz last week in Missoula. And while that was a tough loss, MSU-N came right back home and beat No. 10 Vanguard University and rival Dickinson State on back-to-back nights last weekend.

The Skylights won those two games with a vaunted defensive effort, and an especially efficient offense which saw standouts like Hailey Nicholson, Sydney Hovde and Tiara Gilham put up big offensive numbers, respectively. And, both games featured the emergence of point guard Mckenzie Gunter, who, for her efforts last week, earned Frontier Conference Player of the Week honors.

But, it isn't just Northern's veterans who are getting into the act. The Skylight bench has been especially good, with Kenya Lorton, Reilly Walsh, Jada Nicholson and others coming in to give the team a great lift.

And, Mouat insists, the Skylights will need that kind of across-the-board production against Corban.

Corban is a Cascade Conference powerhouse coached by former Carroll College star Bill Pilgeram. The Warriors are a perennial NCAA DII power, which began the new season ranked No. 14 in the NAIA DII Coaches Poll.

"Corban is a Sweet 16 team from a year ago, and they are really talented," Mouat said. "Jordan Woodvine (Boise State transfer) is a great player for them and at 5-11 presents a lot of challenges for us defensively. She can literally do it all and was a First Team All-American last year averaging almost 19 points per game. Around her, she has excellent size in the post and strong guards. They also have a lot of depth. Offensively, they run their stuff really well and can hurt you inside and out, and defensively, we've seen them do a lot of different things in man and zone. This is a quality team and they are ranked 14th in the nation for many reasons.

"Corban presents a lot of challenges across the board. We are going to have to be sharp at both ends and we're going to have to do a great job on the boards," Mouat continued. "Coach Pilgeram has done an outstanding job there. He is among the best players to ever come out of the state, and as a coach he's every bit as good. He was really successful at Helena Capital, and getting Corban to a national tourney in his very first year speaks volumes about what he has done with the program."

The Skylights will need to do a great job in those areas but, given the start they're off to, the Skylights will also present plenty of challenges for the Warriors Friday afternoon, including playing in front of a packed Armory Gymnasium.

Of course, the shoe will be on the other foot Sunday when Northern heads to Bozeman for its second NCAA DI exhibition game in November. And, just like last week in Missoula, the Skylights will be playing an MSU team that will count the game, so it will be a huge challenge for Northern.

The Lady Cats (2-0) were picked to win the Big Sky Conference this season and are already looking like the favorite they are. They demolished Frontier Conference favorite Carroll College last Monday, 67-33, and, Sunday's game against the Skylights is the last before the Bobcats embark on a tough three-game road trip. The Cats also have perhaps the best player in the Big Sky Conference in Fallyn Freije, but overall, they're loaded with talent.

Before Northern can turn its attention to the road trip to Bozeman, though, the Skylights will look to win their third straight at home when they host Corban Friday at 1 p.m. in the Armory. The Field Trip Game will mean there will be a big crowd on hand, but Northern would like to remind season-ticket holders their seats will still be honored. The Skylights play the Lady Cats at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse in Bozeman.