Skylights dominate field trip day

With it being field trip day at the Armory Gymnasium Thursday afternoon, students from elementary schools from across the Hi-Line packed the gym looking to see what the Montana State University-Northern women's basketball team would do against Briercrest College.

Along with trying to impress the youngsters, the Skylights looked to snap a three-game losing streak heading into the game. With the support of the children Thursday, the Skylights rebounded for a 112-39 victory over Briercrest College.

"Our kids bounced back. I think we shot the ball really well," MSU-N head coach Chris Mouat said. "We did it early in an atmosphere that's very different. That was a lot of fun for our kids and I hope the kids from the schools that were here had a good time."

As a team, the Skylights shot 67.2 percent from the field, 53.3 percent from the 3-point line and 82.4 percent from the free-throw line. Off the bench, Jalen Callender led the Skylights with 18 points on 7-for-9 shooting from the field and 2-for-3 shooting from deep. Briaunna McCullough also played well with 17 points on 7-for-10 shooting.

Many other Skylights reached double digits in scoring. Ryley Kehr scored 15 points on 6-for-8 shooting and Savannah Toms recorded 14 points on 7-for-9 shooting. Shyan Krass and Dulci SkunkCap each recorded 10 points in the game.

The Skylights limited Briercrest College to 29.8 percent shooting from the field, 13 percent from deep and 25 percent at the charity stripe. Hope Jordens was the only player to reach double digits as she scored 12 points on 6-for-9 shooting.

The Skylights got started early as Sydney Hanson knocked down a 3-pointer on the team's first possession. After Jordens scored for Briercrest, Kehr responded with a layup and one free throw to make it 6-2. After another Briercrest bucket, McCullough and Kehr knocked down back-to-back jumpers to stretch the lead to 10-4.

Briercrest scored trying to keep pace but that is when the Skylights took control as they went on a 14-0 run. Kehr continued to play well as she scored six points during this stretch. SkunkCap capped off the run with a three to give the Skylights a 24-6 lead with just under three minutes remaining in the first quarter.

Briercrest tried to answer with a 5-0 run to cut into the deficit, but the Skylights could not be slowed as they closed the quarter on a 5-0 run. Callender accounted for all five points for the Skylights during this stretch as her three late in the quarter gave the Skylights a 29-11 lead to end the frame.

"We shot crazy good and it was a lot of different kids," Mouat said about the Skylights' performance in the first half. "At halftime, we had four players in double figures already so we shared the ball."

The Skylights could not be stopped as they opened the second quarter on an 11-0 run. Callender continued to play well as she added another five points during this stretch. Briercrest responded as it cut the deficit to 42-18, but the Skylights went on to close the half on an 18-3 run to take a 60-21 lead into the half.

In the second half, the Skylights continued to knock down their shots as they continued to pull away. By the end of the third quarter, the Skylights had a 90-26 lead and had put their reserves in the game. In the fourth quarter, the Skylights cruised to their victory.

The Skylights have now snapped their three-game losing streak and have improved to 4-5 on the season. While the games ahead will be much tougher, a dominant win like this helps the Skylights gather themselves to prepare for the rest of the season.

"We just needed a win. Our kids needed to get their heads above water," Mouat said. "The kids were making shots, we were getting stops so that was good to see."

The MSU-N women's basketball team will now head on the road to play Montana State University Billings Saturday at 4:45 p.m.

MSU-Northern 112, Briercrest College 39

BC - 11 10 5 13 - 39

MSU-N - 29 31 30 22 - 112

BC - Hope Jordens 6-9 0-1 12, Sydney Martens 2-10 0-0 6, Kiana Ens 3-8 0-3 6, Melissa Ellis 1-9 1-2 4, Hannah Matudzewsk 2-3 0-0 4, Mackenzie Fredlund 1-3 1-2 3, Eve Duerksen 1-5 0-0 2, Kendall Evans 1-4 0-0 2, Jasmine Repetski 0-3 0-0 0, Emma Weir 0-3 0-0 0. Totals: 17-57 2-8.

MSU-N - Jalen Callender 7-9 2-2 18, Briaunna McCullough 7-10 3-3 17, Ryley Kehr 6-8 2-2 15, Savannah Toms 7-9 0-0 14, Rachel Van Blaricom 5-5 1-2 13, Shyan Krass 4-6 2-2 10, Dulci SkunkCap 4-7 0-0 10, ShaAnn Danelson 3-5 0-2 6, Sydney Hansen 2-4 0-0 5, Abigail Keltner 0-4 4-4 4. Totals: 45-67 14-17.

Halftime: MSU-N 60-21. 3-pointers: BC 3-23 (Sydney Martens 2, Melissa Ellis 1), MSU-N 8-15 (Jalen Callender 2, Rachel Van Blaricom 2, Dulci SkunkCap 2). Rebounds: BC 18 (Hannah Matudzewsk 4), MSU-N 43 (Briaunna McCullough 7). Fouls: BC 13, MSU-N 8. Fouled Out: None.