I went to the game and... well, I don't think Kentucky outclassed Montana at all in the second half. With the exception of shooting, Montana's floor game stayed consistently tough throughout the game. Kentucky DID make some important adjustments at halftime, and shut down Montana's inside game with deny D and by disrupting passing lanes. That left the perimeter wide open for Montana. Wide open. Here's how that went:
Johnston 0-3 (4-14 overall)
Schoening 1-5 (2-11 overall)
Anderson 1-3 (1-6 overall)
Stockholm 1-6 (2-10 overall)
No criticisms here, the Lady Griz were ramped up & played with intensity; that worked on D and rebounding. But the shooting was just off, despite getting a lot of good looks on offensive patterns and inbounds.
I left the game really encouraged. Coach Schweyen is doing a great job with this team and getting solid minutes out of everyone. Of course, they can't afford any more injuries. When (if?) they get Taylor Gologoski back, they'll have a solid 8-9 player rotation because everyone can contribute. So, my overall analysis of this game I chalk up simply as a young team getting just a bit too ramped up in a big contest in front of a pretty loud crowd.
So, it'll be interesting to see how they process this & how they hit the court Saturday against Gonzaga... another big name program... but with a team that seems a bit down from the previous 5-6 years. Go Montana.