Valgardson helps Northern salvage conference split

Valgardson helps Northern salvage conference split
By Ryan Divish/Havre Daily News Sports Editor/rdivish@havredailynews.com

Megan Valgardson wasn't about to let her last set of weekend games end with two losses.

Valgardson had a memorable final performance in the MSU-Northern gymnasium, scoring a season-high 26 points and grabbing 13 rebounds to lead the Montana State University-Northern women's basketball to a 90-73 win over the Rocky Mountain College Battlin' Bears on Saturday night.
Northern came out assertive from the start as guards Jaci Heny and Camille Gardner set the tone early, and the Skylights rolled to a 38-27 halftime lead.

The Skylights shot a solid 50 percent from the field in the first half, but that was nothing compared to the second-half outburst. Northern scored the first nine points of the second half, sparked by Valgardson's solid play inside, and pushed the lead to 47-27.

Valgardson continued to make her last home game special, scoring 16 points in the second half as the Skylights shot 56 percent from the field.

Besides Valgardson, Heny added 18 points and six assists, while Gardner had 14 points, four assists and five rebounds.

It was a gutsy performance for the Skylights, who were coming off a disappointing 79-64 loss to league-leading Carroll College the night before.

With an outside chance of still winning the regular season title, the Skylights' hopes were dashed by the outside shot.

Carroll, ranked 17th in NAIA, sank 11 of 24 3-point shots, including 6-14 shooting in the second half to turn a close game into anything but.

Both teams came out and played the type of basketball expected from the league's top two teams. Both teams traded leads early and often with both offenses clicking. Northern took a 22-17 lead as Jessi Reome tossed in a 25-foot prayer as the shot clock expired. The Lights pushed the lead to 28-22 as Heny scored on a pretty left-handed drive with just under five minutes remaining in the half.

Carroll wouldn't go away. Former Havre High standout Jolene Fuzesy banged home a 3-pointer and Laci High followed it up with two more of her own as the Saints retook the lead at 31-30. Carroll pushed the lead to 38-35 at halftime.

Northern and Carroll combined to shoot just over 47 percent from the field in the first half and had 45 percent shooting from 3-point range.

But the Skylights would get no closer in the second half. Carroll opened the second half with a High jumper and two free throws from Emili Woody. After a quiet first half, guard Andrea Hall came to life in the second half. She knocked home a 3-pointer and added a driving bucket as the Saints pushed their lead to nine.

With Carroll still playing well offensively, Northern's offense struggled, scoring just six points in the first six minutes of the game.

Things started to get out of hand minutes later. Fuzesy completed a 3-point play after a tough drive to the hoop. Hall followed it up with another 3-pointer and Fuzesy followed suit with another 3-pointer. Northern managed just three points in the run and was down 19 points with 4:30 remaining on another Fuzesy score.

It was a disappointing end to a solid start. Northern shot a frosty 38 percent from the field in the second half, including just 1-6 from 3-point range. The Skylights hurt themselves with 18 turnovers in the game and gave up 13 offensive rebounds.

Fuzesy and High finished with 18 points each to lead the Saints. Hall had 16 points, 13 of which came in the second half. Woody added 10 points and 11 rebounds.

Heny led Northern with 18 points, while Reome had 15 points. Valgardson had 11 points and 11 rebounds, and Michele VanDyke chipped in with 11 points and five rebounds.

The weekend split dropped the Skylights into third place in the conference standings, a half game behind UM-Western and Lewis-Clark State. Carroll is alone at the top with a 10-1 conference record.

Carroll College 79, MSU-Northern 64

CARROLL COLLEGE (9-1, 22-5)

Laci High 6-10 4-4 18, Emili Woody 4-10 2-2 10, Carly Syverson 2-10 0-0 6, Rachel Bromily 1-4 0-0 2, Andrea Hall 6-12 1-2 16, Catie Priddy 0-0 0-0 0, Jolene Fuzesy 6-10 3-3 18, Katie Rodgers 1-6 0-0 2, Sophi Forney 3-5 0-2 7. Totals 29-67 10-13 79.

MSU-Northern (7-3, 20-7)

Michele VanDyke 5-9 1-2 11, Megan Valgardson 3-7 5-5 11, Jessi Reome 6-16 1-3 15, Jaci Heny 7-12 4-4 18, Camille Gardner 2-7 0-0 5, Kristie Pullin 0-1 1-2 1, DeLayne Johnston 0-1 1-2 1, Jena Heggem 1-2 0-0 2, Ashley Trulock 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 24-55 13-18 64.

Halftime: CC 38, MSU-N 34. 3-point shooting: CC 11-24 (High 2-3, Woody 0-1, Syverson 2-6, Bromily 0-1, Hall 3-7, Fuzesy 3-4, Forney 1-2); MSU-N 3-11 (Reome 2-6, Heny 0-1, Gardner 1-4). Rebounds: CC 40 (Woody 11), MSU-N 32 (Valgardson 11). Assists: CC 10 (High 4), MSU-N 7 (Heny, Gardner 2). Turnovers: CC 14, MSU-N 18. Total Fouls: CC 17, MSU-N 11. Fouled out: Forney. Technical fouls: none.

MSU-Northern 90, Rocky Mountain 73

ROCKY MOUNTAIN COLLEGE (6-5, 10-15)

Alyssa Root 5-12 2-4 13; Gretchen Wall 2-7 3-4 7; Jenny Balgua 4-8 1-2 13; Jamie Graham 2-3 0-0 5; Rae Dawn Lei 0-5 3-4 3; Amy Schillinger 1-2 0-0 2; Katherine Bitz 1-2 0-0 2; Stephanie Neubauer 1-4 0-0 3; Jeri Matter 4-10 3-6 11; Sarah Bills 5-7 4-5 14. Totals: 25-60 16-25 73.

MSU-NORTHERN (7-4, 21-8)

Michele VanDyke 4-5 1-2 9; Megan Valgardson 9-15 8-11 26; Jessi Reome 1-5 0-0 2; Jaci Heny 6-8 4-6 18; Camille Gardner 5-12 2-8 14; Heather Riener 1-1 0-0 3; Kristie Pullin 1-3 2-2 5; DeLayne Johnston 3-6 2-2 9; Ashley Trulock 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 32-60 19-26 90.

Halftime: MSU-N 38, RMC 27. 3-point goals: RMC 7-15 (Root 1-1, Wall 0-2, Balgua 4-6, Graham