Grizzlies top Wildcats in Big Sky title game

Tournament MVP Hollie Tyler scored a career-high 29 points Saturday to lead Montana to an 80-64 victory over Weber State in the championship game of the Big Sky Conference women’s tournament in Missoula.

Montana (22-7) earned the league’s automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year, the team’s 16th overall appearance, with its third victory over Weber State this season.

“We beat a heck of a basketball team for the third time,” said Montana coach Robin Selvig. “They are one tough outfit. It’s not often we don’t dare play zone. I’ve got a heck of a basketball team to beat them three times.”

Second-seeded Weber State (21-8), which won the Big Sky championship in 2002 and 2003, is hoping for a WNIT bid.

Tyler, who made just 4 of 17 shots in Friday’s semifinal, made 13 of 17 field goals in the championship game to surpass her 27-point output in a victory against Florida State in December.

“I had the touch tonight,” Tyler said. “I didn’t have it last night. I was very disappointed in myself last night. This was the last time I’d get to play on my home floor and I didn’t want to play my last game badly.”

Montana pulled away from a 70-63 lead in the last three minutes, holding Weber State to just one point from then on.

The Wildcats trailed most of the game, and the entire second half, but were still within 54-51 on a layup by Brooke Nelson with 8:54 remaining.

Katie Edwards scored all 12 of her points in the second half, including a 3-pointer that started a 6-0 run as Montana took a 60-51 lead with 7:37 remaining. Julie Gjertsen answered with a 3-pointer 13 seconds later.

“I really enjoy playing at Montana, especially in this atmosphere.” said Gjertsen, the league co-MVP with Tyler and a member of the all-tournament team. “It was a real clean game. Montana’s a class act.”

Montana took a 68-58 lead on a basket by Jody McLeod with 4:27 remaining before Gjertsen hit another 3 to lead the Wildcats with 19 points, six rebounds and seven assists.

“That’s just Weber and Gjertsen,” Edwards said. “They never give up. I don’t think I felt comfortable until the buzzer went off.”

Edwards answered with a layup and Montana made 5 of 6 free throws while Weber missed four 3-point attempts in the final 2:14.

Brooke Hansen added 16 points for Weber State while Chelsey Warburton scored 11, including three 3-pointers that kept Weber in the game early in the second half.

Juliann Keller added 11 points, eight rebounds and five assists for Montana while point guard Lynsey Monaco had nine points and eight assists, bringing her two-game assists total to 19 – the second most in league tournament history.

Montana outrebounded Weber State 33-23.

Big 12 Conference

Sophia Young scored 18 points, earning Big 12 tournament MVP honors, and No. 6 Baylor won its first championship with a 68-55 victory over No. 17 Kansas State in Kansas City, Mo.

Steffanie Blackmon had a season-high 14 rebounds for the Bears (27-3), who won their 14th straight game. Chameka Scott added 12 points and Chelsea Whitaker finished with 10 for the former Southwest Conference members, who added their first automatic NCAA Tournament bid to the Big 12 regular-season title.

It wasn’t easy against a Kansas State team that trailed Texas 17-0 in the semifinals before rallying to win 72-69.

The Wildcats (23-7) started slowly in each half, but kept mounting comebacks that fell just short.

Kansas State, which trailed 47-30 with just over 14 minutes remaining, drew to three points and was still within 57-53 on Kendra Wecker’s free throws with 3:53 to go. But the Wildcats scored only once more after that, and Baylor closed out the game with an 11-2 run.