Briefs: GFH 5-1 at Duals; Rustler swimmers 1st in Havre

Lady Argos get first win over Jackets in three decades

BILLINGS – Stephanie McDonagh led all scorers with 26 markers while Jenna Randich and Kalani Ulufale combined for another 32 points Saturday night to lead the University of Great Falls to a 78-61 exhibition victory over Montana State-Billings at Alterowitz Gymnasium.

The win was the Lady Argos’ first over the Yellowjackets since the 1980s, prior to the Argos’ athletic program getting placed on a 15-year hiatus.

Randich scored 17 points and pulled down six boards, while Ulufale drained 15 and had five rebounds. UGF outboarded the Jackets 36-25, not an easy task with Nneka Nnadi sidelined for the night with a sprained ankle.

“Jenna had to step up tonight with Nneka hurt,” UGF head coach Bill Himmelberg said. “She did an excellent job defending for us, and we did an overall nice job moving and sharing the ball.”

McDonagh hit nine field goals and was 4-for-7 from downtown.

The win, which does not count in UGF’s 9-2 overall record, wraps up the Lady Argos’ 11-game road swing. They next game begins a three-game homestand Friday night at 5:30 when the Lady Argos host Pacific University.

GREAT FALLS 9-2

Molly Herron 1-1 0-0 2, Stephanie McDonagh 9-19 4-5 26, Darah Huertas-Vining 1-3 0-0 2, Kalani Ulufale 7-12 1-1 15, Whitney George 4-9 1-2 9, Jenna Randich 6-12 1-2 17, Kailee Wilson 1-3 1-2 3, Brice Henning 2-3 0-0 4. Totals: 31-62 8-12 78

MSU BILLINGS 3-6

Taylor Edwards 2-9 1-2 5, Taylor Cunningham 4-6 0-0 10, Rylee Kane 5-11 0-0 10, Tiana Hanson 6-16 3-3 16, Marissa Van Atta 3-8 0-0 6, Brina Hull 1-3 2-2 5, Jeanann Lemelin 0-1 0-0 0, Lexi Prevost 1-4 2-4 4, Sophia Wass 0-1 1-2 1, Grace Weeks 2-5 0-0 4. Totals: 24-64 9-13 61.

Great Falls 23 16 21 18 – 78

MSU Billings 12 13 22 14 – 61

3-pointers – McDonagh 4, Randich 4, Cunningham 2, Hanson, Hull. Fouled out – none. Rebounds–GF 36 (George 7), MSUB 25 (Kane 7). Assists–GF 16 (Huertas-Vining 8), MSUB 13 (Kane 5). Turnovers–GF 15, MSUB 10. Total fouls–GF 14, MSUB 15. Techincal fouls–none.

Lady Griz fall in Texas

NACOGDOCHES, Tex. – The University of Montana Lady Griz women’s basketball team fell to Stephen F. Austin 54-46 on Saturday.

Emma Stockholm scored a team-high 12 for first-year head coach Shannon Schweyen, while former Helena Capital star McKenzie Johnston added 11.

UM outscored its opponent 31-24 in the second half. But a forgettable first half, one that ended with it down 30-15 and featured a first quarter in which it only scored five points, sent the Lady Griz back to Missoula with a 2-6 record.

STEPHEN F. AUSTIN 54, MONTANA 46

MONTANA (2-6)

Emma Stockholm 4-9 3-3 12, McKenzie Johnston 5-8 0-0 11, Sierra Anderson 2-5 0-0 6, Gabi Harrington 2-7 0-0 6, Madi Schoening 2-5 0-1 4, Taylor Goligoski 1-9 2-2 4, Jace Henderson 0-2 3-4 3, Hailey Nicholson 0-1 0-0 0, Maddie Keast 0-5 0-0 0. Totals: 16-51 8-10 46.

STEPHEN F. AUSTIN (7-2)

Adrienne Lewis 5-6 3-4 13, Taylor Ross 2-11 7-8 12, Stevi Parker 3-6 4-4 11, Brentney Branch 3-11 1-2 9, Taylor Jackson 1-5 0-0 3, Alaysia Ready 1-3 0-0 3; Chanell Hayes 1-5 0-0 3, Kennedy Harris 0-4 0-2 0, Danielle Rogers 0-0 0-0 0, Riley Harvey 0-0 0-0 0, Kia Fisker 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: 16-52 15-20 54.

Montana…5 10 13 18 - 46

Stephen F. Austin…16 14 14 10 - 54

3-point goals--Montana 6-25 (Harrington 2-6; Anderson 2-4, Stockholm 1-5; Johnston 1-3), Stephen F. Austin 7-27 (Branch 2-9, Jackson, 1-4; Parker 1-2, Ross 1-3, Hayes 1-5, Ready 1-3). Fouled out--Montana-Johnston, Stephen F. Austin-None. Rebounds—Montana 36 (Henderson 8), Stephen F. Austin 39 (Parker 12). Assists--Montana 7 (Schoening 4), Stephen F. Austin 15 (three with three). Total fouls--Montana 19, Stephen F. Austin 12. Technical fouls--Montana-None, Stephen F. Austin-None. A-444.

EWU advances in FCS playoffs

CHENEY, Wash. - Gage Gubrud finished 21 for 32 for 287 yards and three touchdowns, all three in the first half, to lead Eastern Washington past Richmond 38-0 in the FCS quarterfinals Saturday.

Cooper Kupp had six receptions for 128 yards and a touchdown, becoming college football’s all-time leading receiver with 1,284 yards. Richmond (10-4) fumbled four times in the first half to put Eastern Washington (12-1), which has won 11 straight, up 21-0 at halftime.

The Eagles scored first midway through the first quarter when Gage Gubrud found Nsimba Webster for a 7-yard touchdown pass. The touchdown came eight plays after EWU safety Mitch Fettig forced a fumble at the Spiders’ 45-yard line.

Moments later, Gubrud hit Kupp for 68 yards after eluding a safety. The same duo connected for a 20-yard touchdown pass to put the Eagles up 14-0 with 7:45 left in the second quarter.

EWU’s Jonah Jordan recovered an unforced fumble at the opposing 23. Gubrud hit Shaq Hill for a touchdown on the next play to put the Eagles up 21-0. Four of five Richmond first half drives ended in a fumble. The Eagles finished with six sacks and forced five turnovers and had a 451-205 advantage in total offense.

The Eagles scored twice on the ground in the second half, one from Jabari Wilson and the other from Antoine Custer Jr. Eastern Washington is home against Youngstown State (11-3), which beat Wofford 30-23 in double overtime, in the FCS semifinals.

Bighorns top Americans in OT

Kyler Hayter tallied the game-winning goal in overtime as the Helena Bighorns stopped the Great Falls Americans' six-game winning streak Saturday night at the Great Falls IcePlex.

The Americans of head coach Jeff Heimel dropped to 16-3-2-2. They are a point ahead of the Gillett Wild for second place in the NA3HL's Frontier Division with 36.

Helena’s Ben Kottmeier tallied two goals for the Bighorns, while Great Falls’ Tanner Congdon scored both for the Americans.

Helena net minder Nicholas Battaglia stopped 60 of 62 shots. The Bighorns directed just 19 shots on Great Falls goalie Kyler Ayers.

UGF men lose to Seattle

SEATTLE – The University of Great Falls men’s basketball team stumbled in an exhibition contest on Saturday, falling to Seattle University 90-49.

Both Sergio Berkley and Tymarieh Dixon scored 14 points in the loss.

Seattle shot 53 percent (UGF shot 28) and outrebounded the Argos 46-31. The Argos don’t play again until Dec. 19, when they travel to Phoenix, Ariz., for the Chandler-Gilbert Classic.

NDSU still alive for 6th straight title

FARGO, N.D. - Easton Stick threw for 188 yards and a score and added 83 yards rushing and two touchdowns and North Dakota State controlled the clock for nearly 41 minutes in its 36-10 win over South Dakota State in the FCS Quarterfinals on Saturday.

The Bison have won 22-straight postseason games. Stick’s first touchdown, a 3-yard run, capped a 20-play, 82 yard drive that consumed 12 minutes, nine seconds and gave NDSU (12-1) a 14-10 lead with 1:48 left in the first half.

A 5-yard touchdown run by Brady Mengarelli and a 34-yard field goal by Chase Vinatieri gave the Jackrabbits (9-4) a 10-0 lead with 4:33 left in the first quarter. Lance Dunn’s 49-yard scoring run about three minutes later was the first of 36 unanswered points for the Bison.

South Dakota State’s Taryn Christion, who had 141 yards rushing and 303 yards passing in a 19-17 win over NDSU on Oct. 15, finished with just 155 yards passing with one interception on Saturday. The Jackrabbits had just 192 total yards.

UM men lose on late 3-pointer

LARAMIE, Wyo. – University of Montana guard Walter Wright scored 20 markers Saturday, but the Griz men’s basketball team was upended by Wyoming, 85-83.

Wyoming’s Louis Adams hit a 3-pointer with two seconds left to break an 82-all score.

Michael Oguine added 14 points, and Jack Lopez and Fabijan Krslovic each had 12 for the Griz and head coach Travis DeCuire, whose team has now lost twice to Wyoming this season by a total of three points. In November, UM lost to Cowboys 73-72 at Dahlberg Arena.

UM dropped to 3-7 overall.

WYOMING 85, MONTANA 83

MONTANA (3-7)

Michael Oguine 3-7 8-9 14, Jack Lopez 3-6 3-3 12, Fabijan Krslovic 3-5 6-6 12, Sayeed Pridgett 3-9 3-4 9, Ahmaad Rorie 3-11 0-0 7, Walter Wright 7-13 5-7 20, Jared Samuelson 2-3 1-2 6, Bobby Morehead 1-3 0-0 3. Totals: 25-60 26-31.

WYOMING (7-2)

Jason McManamen 5-14 7-10 20, Alan Herndon 4-7 2-2 11, Louis Adams 2-5 5-5 10, Jeremy Lieberman 1-1 0-0 2, Jordan Naughton 1-1 0-2 2, Justin James 6-13 3-5 16, Hayden Dalton 2-5 6-6 11, Cody Kelley 3-3 0-0 8, Morris Marshall 1-4 0-0 3, Jonathan Barnes 0-0 2-2 2. Totals: 25-53 25-32.

HALF: Tied 37-37. 3-point goals--Montana 7-19 (Lopez 3-6, Rorie 1-4, Wright 1-2, Samuelson 1-1, Moorehead 1-2), Wyoming 10-23 (McManamen 3-8, Herndon 1-2, Adams 1-2, James 1-4, Dalton 1-3, Kelley 2-2, Marshall 1-2. Fouled out—Lievberman. Rebounds—Montana 42 (Moorehead 10), Wyoming 31 (Herndon, James 7. Assists--Montana 9 (Pridgett, Wright 3), Wyoming 15 (four with three). Total fouls—Montana 27, Wyoming 23. Technical fouls—none. A-4,749.

Havre wins again, Bison 5-1 at Street Duals

BUTTE – The Havre wrestling team capped its fourth straight victory at the Jim Street Mining City Duals Saturday, besting Helena High 38-15 in the championship round.

The Blue Ponies recovered from a loss to Helena Capital to start the day in the winner’s pool, topping Kalispell Flathead 42-34 in the semifinals before knocking off the Bengals in the finals.

Great Falls High narrowly missed out on a shot at the semifinals, falling to Helena High 33-31. But the Bison bounced back nicely with a narrow 33-31 win over host Butte and a 41-22 victory over defending state champion Billings Senior.

Chase Short and Jordan Komac, both third-place finishers at state last season, each closed out undefeated weekends for GFH with three wins on Saturday. Defending 205-pound state runner-up Rylan Moldenhauer closed out the weekend at 5-1, as did Tyler Loch and Travis Tomei.

“It was a very good team effort this weekend,” GFH head coach Steve Komac said. “Our effort up and down the lineup was good and this is a very fun team to work with.”

C.M. Russell High put together a solid turnaround after going 0-3 on Friday, besting Billings West 36-30 and Class A Lewistown 45-22.

Kai Stewart finished the weekend undefeated over five matches at 138 for the Rustlers.

“The kids competed really hard today,” CMR head coach Aaron Jensen said. “Our focus was to just come out and wrestle hard every match. There were a lot of positives.”

CMR girls, boys top Havre meet

HAVRE – The C.M. Russell High girls’ and boys’ swimming teams both put together solid performances, topping the Havre Invite on both sides.

The CMR girls won with a score on 292, with Great Falls High finishing second with 151 points.

The Rustler boys topped the field with 204 points with GFH following with 177.

Havre took third on both sides.

Ayana Gray took first in both the 50 and 100-meter freestyle for the CMR girls, and Molly DeMarco won a pair of races as well, taking the 100 breaststroke and backstroke.

Andrew Spragg won both the 50 and 100 freestyle for the CMR boys, while Brandon Hanlon took the 200 and 400 freestyle. Joseph Guter finished first in the 200 IM and 100 backstroke for the Bison.

The Bison and Rustlers of head coach Ed McNamee welcome in Hardin and Havre next Friday at 4:30 before playing host to the Great Falls Invite on Saturday starting at 11 a.m.

MSU falls in high-scoring affair

OMAHA, Neb. – The Montana State men’s basketball team lost its fourth game in a row on Saturday night.

Zach Green led the Bobcats in scoring with 25, and three of his teammates found double digits, but a tough Nebraska-Omaha squad won by the score of 97-91.

Omaha was sparked by Marcus Tyus’ career-best 37 markers. After trailing by eight points in the second half, Omaha, which defeated Big Ten Conference member Iowa last week, notched the come-from-behind victory.

The Bobcats dropped below .500 with the loss, and now sit at 5-6 on the season.

The Bobcat women’s basketball team is in Portland, Ore., on Sunday afternoon for a game against Portland. MSU, at 6-4 overall and riding a four-game winning streak, and Portland tip at 1 in the afternoon.