Lady Griz squeak by NAU at Big Sky Tourney

BOISE, Idaho — It was an all-available-hands-on-deck kind of day for the Montana women’s basketball team, and coach Nate Harris’s players delivered a win on Saturday in the first round at the Big Sky Conference Championship in Boise that he’ll remember for the rest of his career.

With Avery Waddington sidelined with sickness and Jocelyn Land limited by the same ailment, the rest of Harris’s players picked up the slack and pulled out a gritty 61-60 victory over Northern Arizona. 

Trailing at the half against the No. 7 Lumberjacks and by eight in the third quarter, No. 8 Montana hit three huge 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to take the lead and held off a late NAU rally that had Big Sky Freshman of the Year Naomi White taking a potential game-winning shot in the closing seconds. 

Her shot was off the mark and the Lady Griz (9-21), after they exhaled, were able to celebrate a win on the floor of Idaho Central Arena for the third straight postseason. 

Montana will be around for the quarterfinals for the fifth straight year, with a match-up against No. 2 Montana State set for Sunday at 2:30 p.m. 

Weber State 76, Portland State 53

Antoniette Emma-Nnopu scored 24 points and Weber State rolled past Portland State in a first-round matchup. 

The Wildcats jumped ahead 19-5 in the opening quarter and extended the lead to 43-20 at the half. 

Hannah Robbins added 20 points and nine rebounds for Weber State, while Sydney White tallied 12 points and six assists. 

Hannah Chicken scored 17 to lead Portland State, who finished the season 6-25. 

Weber State advances to Sunday’s second round where it will play top-seeded Idaho at Noon.