The No. 15 ranked Montana Western Women's Basketball team defeated the RV Rocky Mountain College Battlin' Bears in the Frontier Conference Tournament semi-final matchup by a score of 64-55.
How It Happened
Mesa King got the scoring started for the Bulldogs with a field goal from just inside the arc. The Bulldogs continued as they put together a set of strong defensive stands that were capped off by a three-pointer from Shainy Mack to go up 8-2 in the first four minutes of the game.
Forced to call a timeout, Rocky Mountain responded by holding the Bulldogs scoreless on the next possession as RMC's Ky Buell hit a mid-range shot of her own.
Just before the end of the first quarter, Buell laid it in to cut the Bulldog lead to 15-14 heading into the second quarter. Kyla Momberg found the basket first for UMW in the second quarter; however, RMC picked up momentum and took a 19-17 lead with 8:40 left in the half.
Jordan Sweeney and Mack combined for four points to put the Bulldogs back on top at 21-19 with just over six minutes left in the first half. The Bulldogs then finished out the half up 27-23 on Rocky Mountain, led by Sweeney with eight points.
With 6:31 left in the third, Joelnell Momberg drained a key three-pointer to give the Bulldogs a 37-33 lead. Rocky Mountain answered with a three-point play from Buell.
The Bulldogs continued to hang onto the lead at 47-38 after Sweeney hit a three just before the end of the third. Sweeney continued to shine for the Bulldogs as they stretched their lead to 12 points a minute and a half into the fourth.
Despite the sizeable lead, Rocky Mountain put together a 7-0 run that featured a three-point play from Rocky's Kloie Thatcher. Rocky Mountain brought the game back within just three points with two and a half minutes to go, but Montana Western was able to close the game out on top 64-55.
Notables
The Bulldogs found their way back into the Frontier Conference Tournament Championship game, their first time since the 2020-21 season.
Montana Western outshot the Battlin' Bears 48.9 to 35.8 percent. UMW was also near perfect from the free throw line, hitting 11-12 of their attempts.
Jordan Sweeney hit a career high 31 points in today's matchup. She also added six rebounds, two assists, and a steal. She was also a perfect 7-7 from the free throw line.
Shainy Mack followed up with 11 points, two rebounds, and a steal.
Brynley Fitzgerald was a big help for UMW, adding eight boards and an impressive five steals.
The Battlin' Bears were led by Kloie Thatcher who had 21 points, four assists and four steals.
Up Next
The Bulldogs advance to the Frontier Conference Tournament Championship tomorrow night with today's victory. They will take on the No. 1 seeded and No. 11 ranked Carroll College. The Bulldogs are currently 0-3 against the Saints this season. Game time is set for 5PM MST and the links for the matchup can be found below.
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