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Great Start: Northern sweeps Tech in Butte

The Montana State University-Northern Skylights played their closest game of the season last Saturday in an overtime win in Tennessee. And they hoped that experience would prepare them for the rigors of the Frontier Conference, where seemingly every game is close.

It didn’t take long to find out just how prepared the Skylights were as they were able to sweat out a close win over Montana Tech on opening night of Frontier play. Thursday night in Butte, the No. 16 Skylights edged the host Orediggers 66-63 as Jacy Thompson and Katie Fertterer combined for four huge free throws in the final 12 seconds to ice the win.

"We found a way to win and I'm proud of our kids for that," MSU-N head coach Chris Mouat said. "We had to make some big plays on both ends of the floor to get this game, and the kids did that. But, we also know, going forward, we have to play a lot better. We have a lot to clean up."

Northern played from behind for much of the second half, trailing by as many as seven points in the third quarter and five in the fourth. However, Butte native and Northern senior star Natalee Faupel took control of the game down the stretch, as she scored three huge buckets in a short span to help the Skylights pull ahead with under two minutes to go. From there, several key defensive stops, big rebounds and clutch free throws helped MSU-N hold off the Orediggers and begin league play at 1-0.

"Credit Montana Tech," Mouat said. "I thought they did a really nice job defensively. And Hattie Thatcher made a lot of big shots for them, and that combination made it a very tough game.

"But I also thought we hurt ourselves, honestly," he added. "We missed way too many open shots. We just didn't shoot the ball well at all, and we have to shoot it better going forward."

Faupel, playing for one of the final times in her home town, was huge, scoring 20 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. She scored an early 10 points as she helped the Skylights hang with the Digger in what would be a 23-23 first half. Sierra Richards added 10 points and four rebounds, while Northern out-rebounded the ‘Diggers 39-27. Thompson and Fertterer combined for 18 more points and together, they were a perfect 11-for-11 from the foul line. Tech got 20 points from Hattie Thatcher in the loss.

"I thought we rebounded really well," Mouat said. "That and making our free throws late was big. We've been pretty consistent in those areas so far this season, and that certainly came into play tonight."

With their first league win now in tow things will get even more challenging for the Skylights as they travel to Lewiston, Idaho Saturday for the first of three showdowns with No. 7 Lewis-Clark State.

Perfect Lights

If there was any concerns about whether or not the MSU-Northern men's five lopsided non-conference wins would hurt them at the beginning of Frontier Conference play, the Lights put those concerns to bed in Butte.

On Thursday night, Northern stormed its way to a 41-point first quarter, and led wire-to-wire in a 76-62 win over Montana Tech, keeping MSU-N perfect on the season.

"I am very very proud of our guys," Northern head coach Shawn Huse said. "I felt we set the tone on defense and executed very well on offense. We were very focused tonight as we know we have a team with the capability to make a great run this season."

The Lights were focused from the outset. MSU-N buried seven 3-pointers and shot 55 percent from the floor in the first 20 minutes, and led the Orediggers 41-26 at intermission.

And Tech did little to slow the Lights down. Freshman Devin Bray caught fire from beyond the arc in the second half, and the Lights drilled six more long bombs to keep the Orediggers at bay in the Frontier Conference opener for both teams.

"Tech makes it tough on defense and proved they can score in many ways on offense," Huse said. "So we are very excited to come out ahead. It's a very long year and every opponent is tough in this conference, so getting wins like this on the road really, really helps."

Bray and junior Kevin Oberweiser were the shooting catalysts for the Lights. Bray hit five triples and scored a career-high 19 points, while Oberweiser was 4-for-4 from three and added 15 points. Senior David Straughter chipped in with 14 points and eight rebounds, while the Lights won on the boards and held the Orediggers to just two treys on the night.

Now Northern (6-0) will continue its Frontier road swing with a game against No. 15 Lewis-Clark State Saturday night in Lewiston, Idaho. The Lights, and the Skylights will play in Havre next Dec. 15 against Nueta Hidatsa College.

Skylights 66, Tech 63

Northern 13 10 14 29 – 66

Montana Tech 8 15 17 23 – 63

MSU-N – Jacy Thompson 2-12 6-6 11, Katie Fertterer 1-2 7-7 9, Brandy Lambourne 1-2 0-0 2, Natalee Faupel 8-16 3-3 20, Peyton Filius 0-0 0-0 0, Molly Kreycik 1-5 3-6 5, Shiloh McCormick 0-0 0-0 0, Kealani Sagapolu 2-3 0-0 4, Cydney Auzenne 3-9 0-0 6, Sierra Richards 4-8 2-4 10. Totals: 22-57 20-25 66.

MT – Hattie Thatcher 6-14 7-7 20, Monica Lenddeck 2-4 0-0 5, Kourtney Coverdell 1-2 0-0 2, Martha Dembek 5-11 6-6 16, Kaylynn Koverdell 3-10 4-4 10, Kaylee Zard 3-6 0-0 6, Callee Remsen 2-3 0-0 4, Shay Potter 0-0 0-0 0, Rachel Farris 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: 22-51 17-17 63.

3-pointers: MSU-N 2-13 (Thompson 1, Faupel 1), MT 2-5 (Thatcher 1, Landdeck 1). Rebounds: MSU-N 39 (Faupel 11), MT 27 (Dembek 7). Fouls: MSU-N 11, MT 21. Fouled out: Ko. Koverdell.

Lights 76, Tech 62

MSU-N - Kevin Oberweiser 4-5 3-3 15, Dylan Tatarka 2-3 0-2 5, Seth Christiaens 0-0 0-0 0, Ryan Reeves 1-1 0-0 2, William Walker 1-3 1-2 3, Tyler Chandler 1-3 0-0 2, Justin Dunsmore 3-6 0-1 7, David Straughter 4-10 5-6 14, Badhasa Margarsa 1-2 0-0 2, Charles Porter 0-2 2-2 2, Devin Bray 5-6 4-4 19, Adam Huse 0-2 0-0 0, Cameron Epps 1-6 2-2 5. Totals 23-49 17-22 76.

MT - Kale Guldseth 1-3 0-1 2, John Chapman 4-9 0-0 10, Dylan Pannabecker 0-0 0-0 0, Cale Jacobsen 0-0 0-0 0, Chris O'Neill 9-18 1-1 19, Carson Dummer 7-7 1-4 15, Lukas Vining 0-3 0-0 0, Sadiq Inuwa 2-5 3-4 7, Flemming Okeke 2-11 0-1 4, Wyatt Harwood 0-0 0-0 0, Jordan Jones 2-3 1-3 5. Totals 27-59 6-14 62.

Halftime: 41-26 Northern. 3-pt FG: MSU-N 13-26 (Oberweiser 4-4, Tatarka 1-2, Chandler 0-2, Dunsmore 1-3, Straughter 1-4, Margarsa 0-1, Bray 5-6, Epps 1-4), MT 2-8 (Chapman 2-6, O'Neill 0-2). Rebounds: MSU-N 33 (Straughter 8), MT 32 (TEAM 5, O'Neill 5, Inuwa 5). Fouls: MSU-N 19, Montana Tech 19. Fouled out: none.

 

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