Carroll women march past Orediggers

By The Standard Staff - 03/06/2008

Carroll College’s Elly Bruursema is checked by Montana Tech’s Jessie DePell during the opening game of the Frontier Conference Basketball Tournament Wednesday afternoon at the Maroon Activities Center.

The tournament favorites rolled through the first round of the Frontier Conference Women’s Tournament on Wednesday at the Maroon Activities Center.

Carroll College ended Montana Tech’s season in a 71-58 contest. In the women’s nightcap, Lewis-Clark State dumped the University of Great Falls 81-41.

Carroll was seeded second in the tournament and Lewis-Clark had the top-ranking for the second-straight season.

Westminster College and Rocky Mountain College face off today at 2 p.m. The Western Montana Bulldogs take on MSU-Northern at 6 p.m.

Carroll 71, Montana Tech 58

After trailing for the first 21 minutes of the game, the Saints outscored the Orediggers 40-25 in the second half to advance and end Montana Tech’s season.

The ’Diggers (11-18) played according to plan in the first half, denying Carroll open looks from the 3-point line, and the Saints were having trouble getting inside shots through the hoop. Tech, on the other hand, had little trouble on offense, led by Jessie DePell who scored 15 of her game-high 22 points in the first half.

The second half was another story, as Jolene Fuzesy swished a 3-pointer at the 19:00 mark to spark a 27-7 run over the following 11 minutes, effectively putting the game in the books.

“In the first half we couldn’t buy a basket,” said Carroll head coach Shawn Nelson. “We had open shots but they wouldn’t fall for us. We had open shots in the second half and they fell. That was the difference.”

Tech, which played much of the conference season with a short bench after three key players left the team, drew high praise from first-year head coach Kerie DePell.

“They did everything I asked,”

See CARROLL, Page B6

DePell said. “They played their hearts out. We got 35 minutes from kids who were used to playing 10 or 12 minutes.

“Our younger kids grew more over the last couple of months than they did in two years, and our seniors stepped up. Everyone was playing out of position, and that’s hard as a coach because you want to be able to put your players in their best possible position. They did a great job overcoming.”

Carroll, which will face the winner of Thursday’s 2 p.m. game between Westminster and Rocky Mountain, got through a tough part of the tournament Wednesday, Nelson said.

“In the first half of those first-round games the underdog always comes out ready and the upper seed is tight,” Nelson observed. “Once we settled in — especially during about 15 minutes of the second half — we were OK.”

The Orediggers got 11 points and five rebounds from Jenessa Todd, while Stephanie Langford turned in a gritty performance with nine points and eight rebounds. Becky Roll and Kimber Peters netted five points each, as Adrea Thomas added four. Natalie Shaw chilled in two and Teresa Merrill played well off the bench.

Jolene Fuzesy hit for 15 points for Carroll, while Hannah Heidenreich added 11.

— Pat Ryan,

The Montana Standard

MONTANA TECH (11-18)

Jenessa Todd 4-10 2-2 11, Jessie DePell 7-15 7-11 22, Adrea Thomas 2-6 0-0 4, Stephanie Langford 3-3 2-2 9, Natalie Shaw 1-3 0-2 2, Becky Roll 1-3 2-4 5, Kimber Peters 1-2 3-4 5, Katie Jolley 0-1 0-0 0, Whitney Lott 0-0 0-0 0, Teresa Merrill 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 19-44 16-25 58.

CARROLL COLLEGE (24-4)

Hannah Heidenreich 4-6 2-2 10, Tiffany Rochelle 0-3 0-0 0, Caitlin Courchaine 2-2 4-4 9, Jolene Fuzesy 5-14 2-3 15, Elly Bruursema 6-8 3-3 17, Laci High 0-2 0-0 0, Nikki Mills 2-4 0-1 4, Danielle Maloney 3-8 0-0 8, Nicole Leibach 1-1 0-0 2, Shannon Flynn 0-0 0-0 0, Sara Meyer 2-5 2-2 6. Totals 25-53 13-15 71.

Halftime score n MT 33, CC 31. 3-point goals n MT 4-9 (Todd 1-3, DePell 1-2, Thomas 0-1, Langford 1-1, Shaw 0-1, Roll 1-1), CC 8-17 (Courchaine 1-1, Fuzesy 3-7, Bruursema 2-3, Maloney 2-6). Rebounds n MT 31 (Langford 8, Shaw 7, Todd 5), CC 28 (Rochelle 7, Heidenreich 4, Meyer 4). Fouls n MT 20, CC 20. Fouled out n Shaw, Roll. Assists n MT 9 (DePell 5), CC 9 (Fuzesy 3). Blocked shots n MT 2 (Peters 2), CC 4. Turnovers n MT 28, CC 19. Steals n MT 6 (Shaw 2), CC 4.

Lewis-Clark St. 81, Great Falls 41

In the first two minutes of play, the University of Great Falls looked to be giving the Lewis-Clark State Warriors another tough first round game.

What looked like a battle turned into a route less than five minutes later.

The Warriors took a 9-0 lead before the Argos were able to light up the scoreboard.

After finally getting its first points seven minutes into the game, the Argos struggled through the rest of regulation. The team had only 16 points in the first half.

Lewis-Clark State stifled the University of Great Falls with a combination of tough defense, rebounding and an opportunistic offense. The Warriors held a 47-29 rebounding edge, won the turnover battle 25-21 and claimed the win with a final score of 81-44.

No. 1 seed Lewis-Clark did struggle at times against No. 8 seed Great Falls, but not enough to make it a close game.

The Warriors had an uncharacteristic 14 turnovers in the first half and had only 21 of its 47 rebounds during that span.

“The first half we were sloppy with the ball,” Lewis-Clark State head coach Brian Orr said. “We came out a little bit flat. Last year we had the same thing.”

The Warriors returned to the court in the second half and scorched the net for 48 points. Great Falls played a little better offensively with 28 points after being held to 16 in the opening 20 minutes of play.

The Warriors had every player on the team score during the win. The squad was led by Jade Fulbright with 15 points. Sharpshooting guard Kim Preston put up 14 points, including four 3-pointers.

Sadie Short put in a solid all-around effort with 12 points and nine rebounds. Mandy Troutt had 10 points and grabbed a game-high 13 boards.

The Argos had an 11-point effort by regular season leader Laura Keaster. Guard Kassie Holmlund contributed eight points.

Great Falls was led on defense by Marissa Francis with two blocks. Jacqui Millam and Holmlund finished with two steals apiece.

The Warriors used a variety of defensive looks in the win, including full-court pressure, a half-court trap set and sparingly used a 2-3 zone. For most of the game the team played man defense.

When Lewis-Clark State used a full-court press, the Argos struggled to get more than two passes off. On two occasions, the team turned the ball over on consecutive inbound passes.

“Our players did well defensively,” Orr said after the game. “We really rebounded hard.”

Lewis-Clark State takes the court at the Maroon Activities Center on Friday night. The team is awaiting the winner of Thursday’s MSU-Northern-Montana Western game.

— Sean Eamon,

The Montana Standard

UNIVERSITY OF GREAT FALLS (3-12, 12-19) — Jacqui Millam 2-7 2-2 6, Jocelyn Moore 1-6 1-2 3, Ashley Stephen 2-4 0-0 4, Laura Keaster 2-11 6-8 11, Kassie Holmlund 3-7 0-0 8, Keyla Briese 0-2 0-0 0, Leslie Saunders 1-1 0-0 2, Marissa Francis 0-6 0-2 0, Kylie Bullock 1-1 0-0 2, Kirilynn Winkler 1-5 4-5 6, Danielle Heny 0-1 2-2 2. Totals 13-51 15-21 44.

LEWIS-CLARK STATE (14-1, 25-4) — Sadie Short 3-10 6-6 12, Vanessa West 3-3 0-0 6, Mandy Troutt 4-10 2-4 10, Katie Hart 2-7 0-0 4, Jade Fulbright 4-8 7-8 15, Lacie Titmus 1-4 5-6 7, Kim Preston 5-9 0-0 14, Kenna Reiter 1-2 0-0 2, Madison Mendezona 2-4 0-0 5, Nichole Miller 2-3 2-2 6. Totals 27-60 22-26 81.

Halftime — L-C 33, GF 16. 3-point goals — GF 3-9 (Millam 0-1, Keaster 1-2, Holmlund 2-4, Briese 0-2), L-C 5-17 (Short 0-2, Hart 0-1, Fulbright 0-2, titmus 0-1, Preston 4-8, Mendezona 1-3). Rebounds — GF 29 (Moore 4, Bullock 4), L-C 47 (Troutt 13, Short 9). Blocks — GF 3 (Francis 2, Millam), L-C 3 (Troutt 2, Fulbright). Assists — GF 4 (Keaster 2), L-C 10 (Reiter 3, Hart 2, Fulbright 2, Mendezona 2). Steals — GF 11 (Millam 2, Holmlund 2), L-C 12 (Hart 3, Fulbright 3, Short 2, West 2). Turnovers — GF 25, L-C 21. Fouled out — none. Total fouls — GF 19, L-C 19. Technicals — none.

By The Montana Standard Staff

The tournament favorites rolled through the first round of the Frontier Conference Women’s Tournament on Wednesday at the Maroon Activities Center.

Carroll College ended Montana Tech’s season in a 71-58 contest. In the women’s nightcap, Lewis-Clark State dumped the University of Great Falls 81-41.

Carroll was seeded second in the tournament and Lewis-Clark had the top-ranking for the second-straight season.

Westminster College and Rocky Mountain College face off today at 2 p.m. The Western Montana Bulldogs take on MSU-Northern at 6 p.m.

Carroll 71, Montana Tech 58

After trailing for the first 21 minutes of the game, the Saints outscored the Orediggers 40-25 in the second half to advance and end Montana Tech’s season.

The ’Diggers (11-18) played according to plan in the first half, denying Carroll open looks from the 3-point line, and the Saints were having trouble getting inside shots through the hoop. Tech, on the other hand, had little trouble on offense, led by Jessie DePell who scored 15 of her game-high 22 points in the first half.

The second half was another story, as Jolene Fuzesy swished a 3-pointer at the 19:00 mark to spark a 27-7 run over the following 11 minutes, effectively putting the game in the books.

“In the first half we couldn’t buy a basket,” said Carroll head coach Shawn Nelson. “We had open shots but they wouldn’t fall for us. We had open shots in the second half and they fell. That was the difference.”

Tech, which played much of the conference season with a short bench after three key players left the team, drew high praise from first-year head coach Kerie DePell.

“They did everything I asked,”

See CARROLL, Page B6

DePell said. “They played their hearts out. We got 35 minutes from kids who were used to playing 10 or 12 minutes.

“Our younger kids grew more over the last couple of months than they did in two years, and our seniors stepped up. Everyone was playing out of position, and that’s hard as a coach because you want to be able to put your players in their best possible position. They did a great job overcoming.”

Carroll, which will face the winner of Thursday’s 2 p.m. game between Westminster and Rocky Mountain, got through a tough part of the tournament Wednesday, Nelson said.

“In the first half of those first-round games the underdog always comes out ready and the upper seed is tight,” Nelson observed. “Once we settled in — especially during about 15 minutes of the second half — we were OK.”

The Orediggers got 11 points and five rebounds from Jenessa Todd, while Stephanie Langford turned in a gritty performance with nine points and eight rebounds. Becky Roll and Kimber Peters netted five points each, as Adrea Thomas added four. Natalie Shaw chilled in two and Teresa Merrill played well off the bench.

Jolene Fuzesy hit for 15 points for Carroll, while Hannah Heidenreich added 11.

— Pat Ryan,

The Montana Standard

MONTANA TECH (11-18)

Jenessa Todd 4-10 2-2 11, Jessie DePell 7-15 7-11 22, Adrea Thomas 2-6 0-0 4, Stephanie Langford 3-3 2-2 9, Natalie Shaw 1-3 0-2 2, Becky Roll 1-3 2-4 5, Kimber Peters 1-2 3-4 5, Katie Jolley 0-1 0-0 0, Whitney Lott 0-0 0-0 0, Teresa Merrill 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 19-44 16-25 58.

CARROLL COLLEGE (24-4)

Hannah Heidenreich 4-6 2-2 10, Tiffany Rochelle 0-3 0-0 0, Caitlin Courchaine 2-2 4-4 9, Jolene Fuzesy 5-14 2-3 15, Elly Bruursema 6-8 3-3 17, Laci High 0-2 0-0 0, Nikki Mills 2-4 0-1 4, Danielle Maloney 3-8 0-0 8, Nicole Leibach 1-1 0-0 2, Shannon Flynn 0-0 0-0 0, Sara Meyer 2-5 2-2 6. Totals 25-53 13-15 71.

Halftime score n MT 33, CC 31. 3-point goals n MT 4-9 (Todd 1-3, DePell 1-2, Thomas 0-1, Langford 1-1, Shaw 0-1, Roll 1-1), CC 8-17 (Courchaine 1-1, Fuzesy 3-7, Bruursema 2-3, Maloney 2-6). Rebounds n MT 31 (Langford 8, Shaw 7, Todd 5), CC 28 (Rochelle 7, Heidenreich 4, Meyer 4). Fouls n MT 20, CC 20. Fouled out n Shaw, Roll. Assists n MT 9 (DePell 5), CC 9 (Fuzesy 3). Blocked shots n MT 2 (Peters 2), CC 4. Turnovers n MT 28, CC 19. Steals n MT 6 (Shaw 2), CC 4.

Lewis-Clark St. 81, Great Falls 41

In the first two minutes of play, the University of Great Falls looked to be giving the Lewis-Clark State Warriors another tough first round game.

What looked like a battle turned into a route less than five minutes later.

The Warriors took a 9-0 lead before the Argos were able to light up the scoreboard.

After finally getting its first points seven minutes into the game, the Argos struggled through the rest of regulation. The team had only 16 points in the first half.

Lewis-Clark State stifled the University of Great Falls with a combination of tough defense, rebounding and an opportunistic offense. The Warriors held a 47-29 rebounding edge, won the turnover battle 25-21 and claimed the win with a final score of 81-44.

No. 1 seed Lewis-Clark did struggle at times against No. 8 seed Great Falls, but not enough to make it a close game.

The Warriors had an uncharacteristic 14 turnovers in the first half and had only 21 of its 47 rebounds during that span.

“The first half we were sloppy with the ball,” Lewis-Clark State head coach Brian Orr said. “We came out a little bit flat. Last year we had the same thing.”

The Warriors returned to the court in the second half and scorched the net for 48 points. Great Falls played a little better offensively with 28 points after being held to 16 in the opening 20 minutes of play.

The Warriors had every player on the team score during the win. The squad was led by Jade Fulbright with 15 points. Sharpshooting guard Kim Preston put up 14 points, including four 3-pointers.

Sadie Short put in a solid all-around effort with 12 points and nine rebounds. Mandy Troutt had 10 points and grabbed a game-high 13 boards.

The Argos had an 11-point effort by regular season leader Laura Keaster. Guard Kassie Holmlund contributed eight points.

Great Falls was led on defense by Marissa Francis with two blocks. Jacqui Millam and Holmlund finished with two steals apiece.

The Warriors used a variety of defensive looks in the win, including full-court pressure, a half-court trap set and sparingly used a 2-3 zone. For most of the game the team played man defense.

When Lewis-Clark State used a full-court press, the Argos struggled to get more than two passes off. On two occasions, the team turned the ball over on consecutive inbound passes.

“Our players did well defensively,” Orr said after the game. “We really rebounded hard.”

Lewis-Clark State takes the court at the Maroon Activities Center on Friday night. The team is awaiting the winner of Thursday’s MSU-Northern-Montana Western game.

— Sean Eamon,

The Montana Standard

UNIVERSITY OF GREAT FALLS (3-12, 12-19) — Jacqui Millam 2-7 2-2 6, Jocelyn Moore 1-6 1-2 3, Ashley Stephen 2-4 0-0 4, Laura Keaster 2-11 6-8 11, Kassie Holmlund 3-7 0-0 8, Keyla Briese 0-2 0-0 0, Leslie Saunders 1-1 0-0 2, Marissa Francis 0-6 0-2 0, Kylie Bullock 1-1 0-0 2, Kirilynn Winkler 1-5 4-5 6, Danielle Heny 0-1 2-2 2. Totals 13-51 15-21 44.

LEWIS-CLARK STATE (14-1, 25-4) — Sadie Short 3-10 6-6 12, Vanessa West 3-3 0-0 6, Mandy Troutt 4-10 2-4 10, Katie Hart 2-7 0-0 4, Jade Fulbright 4-8 7-8 15, Lacie Titmus 1-4 5-6 7, Kim Preston 5-9 0-0 14, Kenna Reiter 1-2 0-0 2, Madison Mendezona 2-4 0-0 5, Nichole Miller 2-3 2-2 6. Totals 27-60 22-26 81.

Halftime — L-C 33, GF 16. 3-point goals — GF 3-9 (Millam 0-1, Keaster 1-2, Holmlund 2-4, Briese 0-2), L-C 5-17 (Short 0-2, Hart 0-1, Fulbright 0-2, titmus 0-1, Preston 4-8, Mendezona 1-3). Rebounds — GF 29 (Moore 4, Bullock 4), L-C 47 (Troutt 13, Short 9). Blocks — GF 3 (Francis 2, Millam), L-C 3 (Troutt 2, Fulbright). Assists — GF 4 (Keaster 2), L-C 10 (Reiter 3, Hart 2, Fulbright 2, Mendezona 2). Steals — GF 11 (Millam 2, Holmlund 2), L-C 12 (Hart 3, Fulbright 3, Short 2, West 2). Turnovers — GF 25, L-C 21. Fouled out — none. Total fouls — GF 19, L-C 19. Technicals — none.