MISSOULA — The Montana women's basketball team struggled to get it going offensively in a 67-50 Big Sky Conference loss to Idaho on Thursday at Dahlberg Arena.
The Lady Griz made just 6 of 27 field goals in the first half and turned the ball over 12 times, as the Vandals built a 29-19 advantage at the break.
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Idaho pushed the lead to as many as 16 points — 49-33 — in the third quarter behind a sizzling shooting effort from Kyra Gardner. The senior guard scored 13 points in the frame on 5-of-5 shooting, including two 3-pointers. She finished with a game-high 28 points on 10-of-15 shooting, 4 of 6 from 3, and added 11 rebounds.
Hope Hassman (12 points) and Lorena Barbosa (10) also finished in double figures for Idaho, which was 26-of-51 shooting for the game.
Jocelyn Land led Montana with 15 points, and Draya Wacker added 11. The Lady Griz finished the game shooting 32.1% (17 of 53).
Montana (3-11 overall, 0-3 Big Sky) has now lost three consecutive games and six of its past seven. The Lady Griz are back in action at 2 p.m. Saturday against Eastern Washington.
Idaho (11-4, 2-0) will carry a three-game winning streak into a matchup with Montana State, also on Saturday.
