mthoopsfan
Well-known member
The LG are off to a nice start, at 9-2 and with 2 Big Sky wins.
The LG recently clobbered Seattle U (5-6) and Utah St (5-5), and lost by 13 to a pretty good Utah Valley St team (5-6 but 4-1 over Big Sky teams). The LG played Gonzaga (9-3 ) to within 7 earlier in the season. The LG competition does not necessarily have strong records so far, so the quality of some of the competition may be less than medium. ND is 6-6. NDSU is 5-6. Houston Baptist is 4-6. Nichols St is 2-9. Sac St is 4-7 (0-2 in conference). NC is 4-6.
There is good information in the Spletz articles.
The LG are averaging 71.6 points per game, shooting 45%, shooting 34.6 % from 3 and 70% from the line. 45.3 rebounds per game. Last season, those LG stats were 65.7, 39%, 28%, 78%, and 40. So, all of those basic stats are up considerably this season so far., except for FT line shooting. Defense has picked up too: from 57.4 points per game this year compared to 66.3 per game last year.
The LG starters are all recruits from the Schweyan/Petrino era, now that new recruit Tsineke appears to have been beaten out by frosh Huard. Griz recruit Fatkin is starting, playing well, and was allowed to come back to the team by the new coach. So much for the view by some that the LG didn’t have enough talent to compete in the Big Sky, and needed a new coach to recruit better talent.
Tsineke has 20 minutes per game, is shooting 41% and 20% from 3 (5-25), and 60% from the line, averaging 5.9 points per game. Has 12 assists, 27 TO, and 13 steals (best on team). By comparison, Stiles has 63 assists and 24 TO, and Fatkin 18 to 19. Huard is shooting 54%, 53% from 3, and 75% from the line (with few attempts), and averaging 14 minutes per game.
Gfeller is shooting 45.5% from 3, Fatkin 30%, Stilles 38.5%, and Huard 54%. All of them plus Anderson and Bartsch are having good seasons. Tsineke has played pretty well too.
The two frosh recruits of the new coach have played a total of 35 minutes, scored a total of 4 points, and have shot a combined 1-8 from the field.
Idaho St on the road today will be a good test, but Idaho St has had some issues this year and is only 5-6. Gonzaga and Utah Valley St crushed Idaho St. More on Ida St. from Spletz article.
"The Bengals are still trying to figure things out after starting the season minus standout junior guard Diaba Konate. The preseason all-Big Sky pick returned for last week's home win over Utah Valley, but Idaho State has looked vulnerable in stumbling to a 5-6 record and losing at league foe Northern Arizona in early December.
"We've battled some weird stuff," said Bengals coach Seton Sobolewski, whose squad was picked to win the league in the preseason media and coaches polls. "We finally just got Diaba back for the first full game. She didn't start and she's still not at 100 percent. She's working through the mental part of her knee injury, trying to trust her knee again.
"When we were in Flagstaff and Portland we were without three starters. We've had to play these really tough games early on where we figured we might be more competitive because you have Diaba, this returning group that's pretty good. Then you have these injuries and her being out. We don't feel like we've hit our stride yet."
https://missoulian.com/sports/college/big-sky-conference/university-of-montana/montana-lady-griz-look-to-seize-opportunity-against-defending-big-sky-conference-champs/article_cc2e9d88-edf1-5ec1-851e-c7eece404341.html
https://missoulian.com/sports/college/big-sky-conference/university-of-montana/bill-speltz-confident-cohesive-montana-lady-griz-hit-stride-heading-into-new-year-but-tough/article_394f27aa-e4d9-5f08-b921-20611c1c6622.html
Go LG!
The LG recently clobbered Seattle U (5-6) and Utah St (5-5), and lost by 13 to a pretty good Utah Valley St team (5-6 but 4-1 over Big Sky teams). The LG played Gonzaga (9-3 ) to within 7 earlier in the season. The LG competition does not necessarily have strong records so far, so the quality of some of the competition may be less than medium. ND is 6-6. NDSU is 5-6. Houston Baptist is 4-6. Nichols St is 2-9. Sac St is 4-7 (0-2 in conference). NC is 4-6.
There is good information in the Spletz articles.
The LG are averaging 71.6 points per game, shooting 45%, shooting 34.6 % from 3 and 70% from the line. 45.3 rebounds per game. Last season, those LG stats were 65.7, 39%, 28%, 78%, and 40. So, all of those basic stats are up considerably this season so far., except for FT line shooting. Defense has picked up too: from 57.4 points per game this year compared to 66.3 per game last year.
The LG starters are all recruits from the Schweyan/Petrino era, now that new recruit Tsineke appears to have been beaten out by frosh Huard. Griz recruit Fatkin is starting, playing well, and was allowed to come back to the team by the new coach. So much for the view by some that the LG didn’t have enough talent to compete in the Big Sky, and needed a new coach to recruit better talent.
Tsineke has 20 minutes per game, is shooting 41% and 20% from 3 (5-25), and 60% from the line, averaging 5.9 points per game. Has 12 assists, 27 TO, and 13 steals (best on team). By comparison, Stiles has 63 assists and 24 TO, and Fatkin 18 to 19. Huard is shooting 54%, 53% from 3, and 75% from the line (with few attempts), and averaging 14 minutes per game.
Gfeller is shooting 45.5% from 3, Fatkin 30%, Stilles 38.5%, and Huard 54%. All of them plus Anderson and Bartsch are having good seasons. Tsineke has played pretty well too.
The two frosh recruits of the new coach have played a total of 35 minutes, scored a total of 4 points, and have shot a combined 1-8 from the field.
Idaho St on the road today will be a good test, but Idaho St has had some issues this year and is only 5-6. Gonzaga and Utah Valley St crushed Idaho St. More on Ida St. from Spletz article.
"The Bengals are still trying to figure things out after starting the season minus standout junior guard Diaba Konate. The preseason all-Big Sky pick returned for last week's home win over Utah Valley, but Idaho State has looked vulnerable in stumbling to a 5-6 record and losing at league foe Northern Arizona in early December.
"We've battled some weird stuff," said Bengals coach Seton Sobolewski, whose squad was picked to win the league in the preseason media and coaches polls. "We finally just got Diaba back for the first full game. She didn't start and she's still not at 100 percent. She's working through the mental part of her knee injury, trying to trust her knee again.
"When we were in Flagstaff and Portland we were without three starters. We've had to play these really tough games early on where we figured we might be more competitive because you have Diaba, this returning group that's pretty good. Then you have these injuries and her being out. We don't feel like we've hit our stride yet."
https://missoulian.com/sports/college/big-sky-conference/university-of-montana/montana-lady-griz-look-to-seize-opportunity-against-defending-big-sky-conference-champs/article_cc2e9d88-edf1-5ec1-851e-c7eece404341.html
https://missoulian.com/sports/college/big-sky-conference/university-of-montana/bill-speltz-confident-cohesive-montana-lady-griz-hit-stride-heading-into-new-year-but-tough/article_394f27aa-e4d9-5f08-b921-20611c1c6622.html
Go LG!