Skylights, Lights win on the hardwood

It was a busy second weekend for the Montana State University-Northern basketball teams, as they continue to get the 2023-24 season underway.

The Northern women were on the road last weekend and toppled Corban University. The Skylights beat Corban University 82-56 in Great Falls. The Skylights took the lead in the first quarter by 11 (17-28), then pushed the lead to 16 going into halftime. The Skylights extended the lead to 20 and never looked back.

The Skylights had four athletes in double figures. Northern was led by Ryley Kehr, who had 21 points and four rebounds. Savannah Toms added 12 points and three rebounds. Shyan Krass came off the bench with a good lift going 5-7 with 11 points and six rebounds. Taya Trottier added 10 points and five assists.

The Warriors were led by Maddie Godwin with 19 points and added four assists. Autumn Agnew added 16 points going 4-12 from the field. Madison Hodnett led the team in rebounds with seven.

Last Thursday saw Northern open the week with a win over Northwest University. The Skylights won against Northwest 81-69 in Great Falls.

Northern started the game off strong, as they took the lead early in the first quarter. The Skylights kept the momentum and kept a good lead going into halftime (43-27). The Skylights connected on seven threes in the first half shooting 58 percent. Northern kept a good lead going into the fourth quarter. The Eagles never gave up, as they cut the lead to seven with 3:20 on the clock. Northern was able to put some points on the board down the stretch to take the game.

The Skylights had four athletes in double-digits. The Skylights were led by Jalen Callender, who had 16 points going 6-8 from the field. Ryley Kehr added 13 points and seven rebounds. Taya Trottier and Shyan Krass each added 12 points.

The two wins in Great Falls meant head coach Chris Mouat's team is off to a 2-0 start. The Skylights return to action Nov. 17-18 playing non-conference games back in Great Falls.

Meanwhile, the MSU-Northern men were in California this past week for a host of games.

Northern opened the trip with a win over La Sierra. The Lights beat La Sierra University 71-43 in Riverside, California. Northern jumped on them early taking the lead 10-3. The Eagles went on a 10-2 run to take the lead 14-12. It wasn't long before the Lights took the lead back and extended it going into half time 31-20. Northern led the rest of the game.

The Lights were led by Dae'Kwon Watson who had 20 points going 9-14 from the field. Myles Dalton added 12 points going 4-11 from the field. Xavier Bailey led the team in rebounds with eight.

MSU-N then lost an overtime heartbreaker to William Jessup. The Lights lost in double overtime against William Jessup University 83-82 in Rocklin, California. Northern jumped on the Warriors early taking the lead 8-2. But Ja'Maris Blackmon hit a jumper to tie the game 20-20 with 5:20 left in the first half. They kept their lead going into halftime 35-29.

William Jessup pushed the lead to 10 after halftime. The Lights went on a run to cut into the lead, then Xavier Bailer hit a layup at the buzzer to send the game to overtime. In the first overtime each team had eight points. Northern took the lead first in the second overtime. The Warriors hit two free throws down the stretch to take the lead by one. Xavier Bailey missed a layup at the buzzer.

The Lights were led by Zackry Martinez, who had 29 points going 9-20 from the field. Jacob Randall added a double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds. Myles Dalton added 13 points and five rebounds.

Northern bounced back with a big win over Menlo College. The Lights beat Menlo University 83-75 in Rocklin, California. Menlo took the lead early in the first half, as J.J. Thomas throw down to go up by one at 9:45 left on the clock. Northern kept the lead going into halftime 40-32. The Lights were able to keep a steady lead the rest of the second half.

Northern was led by Xavier Bailey, who had a career high of 30 points going 8-9 from the field. Bailey also led the team in rebounds with seven. Zackry Martinez added 17 points going 3-5 from behind the arc.

The Lights also played late Monday night.