Skylights return to normal by thrashing the Blue Hawks

It was going to be a happy season-opener regardless. Because fans were back in the Armory Gymnasium for a college basketball game. But the fact that the Montana State University-Northern Skylights dominated the Dickinson State Blue Hawks made it that much sweeter.

Tuesday night in the Armory, Northern opened the 2021-22 campaign with a 75-58 win over the Blue Hawks in what was the first basketball game played in the Armory in front of fans since the end of the 2019 season.

"It was exciting, it was different," senior Peyton Kehr said of playing in front of a home crowd again. "Our fans are loud, they get into it. So we had to kind of readjust to that after last year. But it was so nice to play in front of our fans again. They're the best."

Indeed. It was fun to have the fans back, and it was a lot of fun for the Skylights, who broke the game open with a big second-quarter run.

Northern went in to the second stanza leading 16-14 after a 3-pointer from L'Tia Lawrence closed out the first period. Then with the game tied at 16-16, senior Sydney Hovde would spark the Skylights to a 13-0 run, and eventually, a 38-25 halftime edge.

Hovde was one of the three Skylights in double figures, and she provided a big lift to a Northern team that was short-handed for their season-opener.

"Very proud of our team," Northern head coach Chris Mouat said. "We're short-handed. We've missed some practices, and yet, I thought we went out and executed fairly well. There's a lot we can work on. Dickinson exposed some things. But that's why we play, and we learned a lot about ourselves tonight. So it was really good."

Mouat was pleased. And he should be. His team continued to cruise in the second half, as Lawrence knocked down another three, and while DSU kept things tight with several bombs in the third, the Skylights still led 55-44 heading to the fourth period. From there, MSU-N's defense continued to clamp down while two treys from Ryley Kehr helped put the icing on the cake for the Skylights, who got off to a 1-0 start.

Northern finished its first game with a stellar 55 percent shooting performance from the field. The Skylights also made four triples, and got 19 points from Lawrence, and 13 apiece from Kehr and Hovde. On the other end of the floor, Northern slowed DSU down, holding the tough Blue Hawks to just 38 percent shooting. MSU-N also dominated the boards, with a 37-23 edge, including 13 from Lawrence, who recorded her first career double-double. The Blue Hawks, who fell to 1-2, got 14 points from Courtney Olson.

"I couldn't be happier," Mouat said. "It was the first game for a lot of these kids. The first game for even more kids in front of our fans, and so there were a lot of nerves. But I thought the kids did a great job of settling in and really executing pretty well. It was a good first game, and I'm very proud of our kids for how they played tonight."

The Skylights will now get some rest before heading to Great Falls for a pair of non-conference games next weekend.

Skylights 75, Dickinson State 58

DSU 9 16 19 14 - 58

MSU-Northern 14 24 17 20 - 75

DSU - Lauren Baumberger 3-6 1-1 10, Kailyn Groves 1-5 2-2 4. McKenzie Johnson 4-8 3-6 11, Courtney Olson 6-12 2-2 14, Melissa Martinez 0-1 2-2 2, Luisa Popp 1-1 0-1 3, Heather LaBree 1-3 0-3, Ashlie Watts 2-6 0-0 5. Totals: 18-48 9-11.

MSU-N - L'Tia Lawrence 8-15 1-1 19, Ryley Kehr 6-10 1-2 13, Sydney Prather 2-5 1-2 6, Morgan Mason 2-2 1-2 5, Sydney Hovde 5-7 3-5 13, Shyan Krass 1-3 0-1 2, Peyton Kehr 2-6 1-2 5, ShaAnn Danelson 0-0 2-2 2, Savannah Toms 1-3 0-0 2. Totals: 27-50, 9-15.

3-pointers: DSU 6-13 (Baumberger 3, Groves 1, LaBree 1), MSU-N 4-9 (Lawrence 3, R. Kehr 1, Prather 1), Rebounds: DSU 23 (Olson 7), MSU-N 37 (Lawrence 13), Fouls: DSU 7, MSU-N 7. Fouled out: None.