Skylights ready for rematches

Once again, the Montana State University-Northern women's basketball team has a huge Frontier Conference showdown with NAIA tournament and Frontier title implications on the line Saturday night. And once again, the Skylights can't afford to overlook the opponent before that game.

The No. 11 Skylights (9-2, 23-3) get a rematch with the No. 3 Westminster Griffins (9-1, 19-2) Saturday night in Salt Lake City. But before Northern can even think about the NAIA Game of the Week against the Griffins, the Skylights have to take care of the UM-Western Bulldogs (2-8, 10-16). The Skylights and Bulldogs face off tonight at 5:30 in Dillon.

Northern comes into its final road trip of the regular season having swept Rocky Mountain and Carroll College at home a week ago. And, MSU-N has won four straight since losing to UGF three weeks ago in Great Falls. So Northern is certainly on a roll.

Northern has gotten on a roll even without the services of freshman sharp-shooter Jacy Thompson, who injured a knee last month and hasn't played since. And MSU-N head coach Chris Mouat said his team is on a roll right now because the Skylights are rebounding the ball well and playing their trademark defense. MSU-N leads the Frontier in rebounding and is second only to Westminster nationally in scoring defense.

"Our focus over the past few weeks has really been getting back to being strong on the defensive end and winning on the boards," Mouat said. "With both of these teams, it is vital that we defend and rebound."

And that starts with 6-5 center A'Jha Edwards and point guard Taylor Cummings. Edwards averages 13 rebounds and two blocks per game to go along with her 15 points per night. Cummings leads the Frontier in assists and steals, while averaging nearly 10 points per game. Together, the senior duo is the foundation of a Skylight defense that allows just 47 points per outing. Offensively, the Skylights got a huge weekend from Natalee Faupel last week, and she's up to averaging 14 points per game, while Megan Feldman chips in with nine.

And while Northern will certainly be excited about a chance to continue its great play, and avenge last month's double-overtime loss to the Griffins in Havre, MSU-N's sole focus tonight is on the Bulldogs. Despite just two wins in conference play, and a 62-37 blowout loss at the hands of the Skylights last month in Havre, the Bulldogs are a dangerous team, led by the trio of Sierra Higheagle, Kaye Bignell and Jenna Banks. Western is also another outstanding Frontier team on defense, and Mouat knows his team will have its hands full tonight in Dillon.

"UM-Western is coming off of two of their better conference games. They won at Rocky and took Westminster into the last minute of the game before losing in Salt Lake City," Mouat said. "They are playing well at both ends right now.  They will mix it up defensively and do a nice job of keeping teams off balance. They have a number of kids who can score and they are a tough team to defend. They run a lot of different looks at you offensively. One strength for them is their balance. They have a lot of different kids who can score well on a given night."

Northern won't dare overlook the Bulldogs tonight, especially when every win over the next two weeks could be the win that clinches an NAIA at-large bid for the Skylights. But there's no doubt, the Skylights will be ready to play when they roll into Salt Lake to take on the Griffins Saturday night.

Last month's game in Havre, won by the Griffins, 67-62 in double-overtime, was an epic thriller, and probably the best game played in all of the NAIA up to this point in the season. Northern twice rallied from behind to force overtime, and both teams used their tenacious defense to try and keep the other at bay. It was a game for the ages, but the Skylights were on the wrong end of the final outcome, and they're hoping to switch that result Saturday night.

Still, it won't be easy, MSU-N hasn't won in Salt Lake in years, and the Griffins are riding a nine-game winning streak, and they seem to get better all the time. They are a ferocious defensive team, allowing just 45 points per game, while they have a multitude of weapons on offense, including seniors Tia Pappas and Amy Krommenhoek, who average around 25 points per game, while the inside play of Shelby Ellsworth and Amanda Hacking are also big bonuses for the Griffins.

"Westminster is an amazing defensive team," Mouat said. "They are physical and hard-nosed on the defensive end and are very tough to score against. Offensively, they are incredibly disciplined and have shooters at every position who can knock down the 3-point shot. Tia Pappas was the pre-season MVP of our league and is having a monster year. We will have to limit their easy looks from the 3-point line and win on the boards to give ourselves a chance to win there. When they get hot from the 3-point line, there are not many teams who can beat them."

Maybe not, but the Skylights nearly did in Havre last month, and they'll give it their best shot Saturday night. There is a lot riding on that contest, too, as Northern, with a sweep this weekend, could pull even with the Griffins for the conference title race. MSU-N is also trying to lock up a first-round bye in the Frontier playoffs, and even a split on the road this weekend would go a long way toward securing that goal. So once again, this road trip is a huge one for the Skylights.

"Both games are big ones for us, and the trip to both places is never easy," Mouat noted.

The difficult trip starts tonight in Dillon when the Skylights meet UM-Western at 5:30. MSU-N and Westminster face off in the NAIA Game of the Week Saturday night at 5:30 p.m. in Salt Lake. The Skylights finish the regular season against UGF next Saturday night in Havre.