Lady Griz Beat Montana Western in Exhibition Game, Await Opener Against Gonzaga

Montana Lady Griz basketball team opened their exhibition season with a 76-53 win over Montana Western on Tuesday night at Dahlberg Arena.

The Lady Griz led by just five points after the first quarter, but they extended their lead to 15 by halftime and cruised to the victory in the second half.

Sophomore guard Gabi Harrington led Montana with 14 points, while senior forward Carmen Gfeller added 12 points and 10 rebounds, andjunior guard Sophia Stiles chipped in with 11 points, and senior forward Abby Anderson scored 12 points.

Montana shot 43.6% from the field, including 7-of-22 from three-point range, and 71.4% from the free throw line. Montana Western shot 34.8% from the field, including 3-of-13 from three-point range, and 60.0% from the free throw line.

Montana Western was led by senior guard Lexie Nelson, who scored 14 points.

The Lady Griz will open their regular season on Monday, Nov. 7, when they host Gonzaga at Dahlberg Arena.

The Bulldogs are coming off a 26-7 season in which they won the West Coast Conference regular season championship and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.

Montana is 1-0 all-time against Gonzaga, with the lone meeting coming in the 2019-20 season, when the Lady Griz won 77-58.

The Lady Griz are looking to build on last season's success, when they finished 20-12 overall and advanced to the semifinals of the Big Sky Conference Tournament.